Rat meat sold at Giong Village Market in Hai Duong Province.

Giong Village Market in Kim Thanh District attracts lots of local people and visitors from May until the end of the year in the Lunar Calendar when rat meat is sold following the rice harvest season.

According to local people, this is the rat hunting season when it is easy to catch the fat rats in the rice fields.

A local man, Nguyen Van Quan said that here they don't use dogs but just use bamboo baskets and hoes to catch the rats.

"I can catch 20 kilos of rats a day which are sold at VND150,000 per kilo," he said.

Nguyen Van Quan and his rat hunting tools

Another man, Nguyen Van Doan is also an experienced rat hunter in the area. He said that rat meat is very popular here and buyers usually have to order in advance.

There are two types of rats, the smaller ones of 200-300 grams each with yellow hair and the bigger ones of 500-700 grams each with black hair.

Rat meat is usually steamed, roasted or simmered which is said to have a special taste. 

Due to high demand, people in the area are going to hunt for rats in some neighbouring provinces of Ha Nam and Bac Ninh. Dtinews