Many women sell poisonous and dangerous animals like scorpions and snakes at Cho Xuan To, a market along the Vietnam-Cambodia border in the southern province of An Giang.
Tran Thi My sells scorpions, spiders and other insects at this market. Scorpions are considered a specialty. In front of many visitors, she naturally caught scorpions and spiders by hand. When asked if she has been stung by a scorpion, she replied “many times,” but maintained that now she is used to it.
There are many other such young women at this market. Nguyen Thi Nam from An Giang province began this job four years ago. She remarked: “On my first day, I was stung by a scorpion. My arm was swollen and my whole body was stinging. The pain dissipated after a week.”
“I’ve bitten and stung by scorpions and geckos many times, so now I only feel numb,” she added, admitting that the job is dangerous and selling wild animals is illegal. She must accept it to support her six-member family.
Some women in Ha Tien, Kien Giang “play” with snakes. Pham Thi Tien has been a snake breeder since 2000. She currently has nearly 400 vi tuong snakes. Tien observed that breeding snakes is lucrative. One kilo sells for 400,000 dong.
Holding several snakes in her hands, Tien explained: “This species of snake is not poisonous. You will only feel pain if bitten. But if its teeth break off and are stuck in your flesh, then the pain is very terrible.” She has been to the hospital several times to remove broken snake teeth.
In Hau Giang province, many women butcher mice. Truong Thi Be has sold mice at Seo Vong market for over ten years. She caught the tail of a mouse and spun it as she detailed how, to avoid being bitten by a mouse, one must quickly catch the head or tail and spin it to make the mouse dizzy.
This woman often goes to the forest to hunt mice. Sau noted that mice in mangrove forests are very cruel and will even attack cats and dogs. “I’m bitten by them very often. They are very wise,” she asserted.
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