Blind man builds a life catching mud eels by hand

Photo courtesy of Tuoi Tre
Blind since childhood, Tran Thai Hoang has built a living in Vietnam’s southernmost province by catching mud eels by hand in the shrimp farms and muddy waterways of Ca Mau.

A remarkable knowledge of the mud

In Nam Can Commune, the 53-year-old is known locally as Blind Hoang. He finds the eels by feeling the shape of their burrows, working out where to block an escape route, then lifting them from deep mud using only his hands.

Hoang also navigates rural roads and shrimp farms through sound, touch and memory. He says he tracks bridges, travel times and turns from the back of a motorbike, recalling routes of more than 20 kilometres after only a few journeys.

A livelihood shaped by hardship

A fever with a rash left Hoang permanently blind at four. He later moved to Ca Mau after hearing radio reports about its waterways and resources, and began helping on a shrimp farm before making eel-catching his livelihood.

On a recent outing, he spent more than four hours in the water and caught seven kilograms of mud eels. At about VND160,000 per kilogram, the catch was worth more than VND1 million, according to Tuoi Tre News.

What it means for foreigners in Vietnam

For visitors, Hoang’s work offers a glimpse of the skills and livelihoods that remain central to Ca Mau’s aquaculture landscape. It also highlights how local knowledge supports communities living around Vietnam’s shrimp farms, canals and brackish-water wetlands.

6 September 2006