VietNamNet Bridge - A terrifying market selling snakes, scorpions, beetles and worms has been located in downtown Saigon for two decades.

The insect market is located on the courtyard of Thuan Kieu Plaza, in District 5. It opens from the early morning until 6pm.

People call it the "horrifying market" because the main commodity here are insects, locusts, worms, crickets, scorpions, centipedes, ticks, termites, lizards ....

The market was formed by a number of people who earned their living by catching grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles in the districts of Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Binh Chanh and some southern provinces who sell products here to serve ornamental bird, fish and fighting-cock breeders.

Coming here, you will see women wearing very thick clothes, conical hats and masks and  tawny, skinny men in motley and discolored shirts.

At this market, all traders know a man named “Mr. Nam”, a grasshopper and cricket catcher with nearly 20 years of experience.

His set of tools includes an old racket with several holes on the net and a very old bamboo basket. With these instruments, he goes through all rice fields in Saigon’s suburban districts of Cu Chi and Hoc Mon to catch insects.

Traders in the market have known him for years but they do not know his true name and he does not let them know. He lives in Hoc Mon, in a village which he said all villagers earn their living by catching grasshoppers.

His working time is from 4- 5 pm until midnight, the time that insects appear in the field.

Every day, Mr. Nam goes to the field to catch grasshoppers, crickets and millipedes. He divides them into small plastic bags to sell for VND5,000/bag.

Although the insect market operates from 5 am to 6 pm, Mr. Nam always goes to the market at around 5-6pm. Familiar customers are willing to wait for Mr. Nam to buy his insects.

Mr. Nam said the price for grasshoppers is cheaper in the harvest season. The price is still VND5,000/bag but the bag is bigger. The prices for crickets and millipedes are higher but these products are not always available because they are more difficult to catch.

Nam said some people breed crickets for sales so the price for crickets has reduced, affecting his earnings.

The job is hard but Nam loves it and is proud that he relies on his own labor.

Many people like Mr. Nam earn a living by catching insects and many others by selling insects.

Ms. Pham Thi My Dung, who has been selling worms in this market over three years, said her hometown is a province in the Mekong Delta. Because of poverty, her family moved to Saigon three years ago to find a better livelihood.

She and her husband rent a small room in District 8. Her husband works as a motorbike taxi driver while Dung has become an insect trader.

Here’s a tour of this special market through pictures:

Mr. Nam.

Thu Ly