Nguyen Huu Thuat, a local resident from Tu Xa Village in Lam Thao District, said that all households which raise copperheads in the locality have sustained losses ranging from a few hundreds of millions of VND to around VND7 billion (USD304,347).

 Snake farms in Tu Xa Village

In the 2010s, the village exported around 100 tonnes of snake per year at the price of VND700,000 – 800,000 (USD30.43-34.78) per kilo. The business helped many households to become wealthy.

In 2016, the village focused on exporting snakes and snake eggs to China. Many traders from Lang Son Province and Mong Cai Town in Quang Ninh Province came to the locality to buy. In 2018, the copperhead egg prices reached a peak with VND80,000 (USD3.47) each.

It took people two years to have snakes of between two and three kilos for export.

People in Tu Xa Village said that the copperhead and its eggs are used to make favourite dishes at Chinese wedding parties.

However, since the Covid-19 outbreak, the village has been battling challenges following the closure of border gates. Meanwhile, domestic consumption has also dropped as the country has not yet received international visitors, including Chinese due to epidemic prevention measures.

Thuat added that copperhead egg prices dramatically decreased with just around VND3,000 each from VND55,000 at the end of last year. Some households even throw the eggs into ponds or use them as their daily food.

The major feed for the snake is fish, chicken and ducks bought from different northern localities. Previously, snakes in Tu Xa were fed once every 4-5 days, but now, they are left to starve for dozens of days to save costs.

A quarter of snake breeding households in the village have abandoned the business or sold their house to repay loans. Dtinews