In Vietnamese, hermit crabs are called ‘oc muon hon’ because it is a crustacean that lives and hides in an empty shell. Hermit crabs are seen in mangrove environments, places near the sea, or areas with humid climates.

Many coastal areas where hermit crabs live are gradually concreted over for tourism development, so the number of in the wild is now modest.

In recent years, young people have had the habit of raising hermit crabs instead of other expensive creatures. The crab is favored because of the attractive color and reasonable prices.

Nguyen Hong Kim Phung, 19, in Vinh Long, said she heard about hermit crabs nearly 10 years ago. At that time, she was a student who did not have much money, so she just brought crabs at her school entrance door to raise. The crabs were then cheap, just VND5,000-20,000 each.

Later, Phung realized this species was a favorite of many people and decided to raise them.

In mid-2017, Phung began selling hermit crabs online and shared her knowledge about the species and her experiences in raising the crabs.

The hermit crabs raised by youth are sourced from Vietnam or imported. Domestic crabs are cheaper than imports. The former is priced at tens or hundreds of thousands of dong per crab, while imports are priced at several million dong. They are different in color, claws and eyes.

Asked about how to care for hermit crabs, Phung said the major food is vegetables, meat and fish. They don’t eat regularly, so Phung feeds them once every two days in the evening. She puts them in a tank and cleans the tank every six months.

Nguyen Thanh Phuong in Hanoi has also become well known among the youth as she is the owner of a collection of hermit crabs imported from many countries, including Thailand, China and Indonesia, and they are a big seller. The crabs are priced from VND6,000 to several million dong.

Hanh Nguyen