The village ‘treated mussels’ for more than 300 years on the banks of the La River

A special village located on the banks of La River in Ha Tinh with more than 300 years associated with mussels. Also thanks to the job of treating mussels, the lives of many people here become well-off.

Ben Hen village is located on the bank of La River, Truong Son commune has a history of more than 300 years. For many generations now, people have lived by raking clams, cooking mussels and selling them. In the village there are thousands of households, currently there are nearly 200 households sticking with the profession. The mussel job is maintained all year round, the main season is in March, April and the occasion of summer establishment. The villagers go to rake clams according to households, on average each household has about 5 people supporting each other. In the past, the clam rakes were made of bamboo rake, the length depends on the depth of the river, with the rake longer than 5 m. Nowadays, the economy is better off, many families have invested in motor boats with iron rackets and umbrella nets to rake mussels. On average, on a river trip, each boat picks up several hundred kilograms of mussels. Ben Hen village where there is a mussel village for over 300 years. For generations, people here have lived by raking clams, cooking mussels and selling them. In the village there are thousands of households, currently more than 70 households stick with the profession. The mussel-making job is maintained all year round, but the main season is from March to June. That means in the hot weather in January, the dishes made from mussels are more popular. A corner of the village makes mussels. This work is done by each household. Accordingly, families will cover the whole process of making mussels: from catching mussels on the La river bed, boiling and treating the intestines to sell. In the past, the mussel catcher used tools made of bamboo, weaved into buckets and then connected to a pole. Poles length or short depends on the shallow depth of the river bed but is usually 3-5 m long. Nowadays, the economy is better off, many families have invested in motorboats with iron buckets to rake mussels. The mussel has just been caught in the La River, then boiled so it is very fat and sweet. The clam raking is quite heavy so it is for men. Also cook mussels, treat mussels, bring to the market to sell to women. Clam will be washed after catching, then put in a large pan to boil. People boil 20-30 kg of mussels each time for 10-15 minutes. With 10 kg of boiled mussels, you will get 1kg of mussel gut. Clams are sold on the spot for 50-60 thousand VND / kg. The mussel is caught in the morning, in the afternoon, it is taken to cook. Every day a household here cooks 2-3 quintals of mussels. After being cleaned, the mussels are put in a large saucepan to boil. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (47 years old, Ben Hen village) has over 25 years doing this. “Boiling mussels must be big, but not too fast, not too long. For them to keep their taste and sweetness, then boil them for 10-15 minutes,” Ms. Thuy said. The batches of mussels that have just been boiled are smoky. According to Ms. Thuy, the profession dates back to the time of grandparents and parents. Until life, she continued to maintain. “Ben Hen village has become a famous place for this mussel cooking job. On average, my family cooks more than 2 quintals of mussels every day.” This work has helped us to have a stable income and escape poverty “, Ms. Thuy added. After boiling, mussels are brought to the treat to separate the intestines from the shell. This work requires vigorous stirring to be able to separate all of the mussel gut. According to the people working here, after deducting all expenses, a family can also earn 500 thousand VND to more than 1 million VND / day. The special thing is that the La River clam here is very sweet, has no mud smell, so it is favored by consumers. Hen here is taken to all markets in Ha Tinh province for consumption, even going to Nghe An province. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen, Chairman of Truong Son Commune People’s Committee, said this trade village must have been more than 300 years ago. “At present, there are more than 70 households working as clams. If the crop is successful, many families will earn hundreds of millions VND. The mussel job is quite stable and really helps many families escape poverty,” said Chairman of the People’s Committee. Truong Son commune said. Clams can be processed into many delicious, cool and nutritious dishes such as: stir-fried with rice cakes … Clams can be processed into many delicious, cool and nutritious dishes such as: stir-fry with rice cakes, cook hot pot, porridge, mussel rice … especially on these hot summer days.