Hải Phòng Rice Fields Bring in Ragworm Income, but Bumper Harvests Drive Down Prices
Farmers in Chí Minh Commune, Hải Phòng, combine ecological rice cultivation with harvesting wild ragworms. Local figures put annual profits at 350 million to 400 million Vietnamese dong per hectare. Ragworm yields rose in 2026, but purchase prices fell, increasing pressure to find buyers.
Rice fields in Chí Minh Commune, Hải Phòng, have entered their second ragworm harvest season of 2026. According to the commune government, 478 hectares combine rice cultivation with ragworm and crab harvesting. The area produces about 2,400 tonnes of organic rice and 500 to 600 tonnes of marketable ragworms and crabs annually. Average annual production value is 500 million to 600 million Vietnamese dong per hectare, with profits of about 350 million to 400 million dong.
Chí Minh Commune, Hải Phòng, has entered its second ragworm harvest season this year.（VietVance）
Local observations indicate that each 360-square-metre rice field can yield about 100 kilograms of ragworms this year. At the prevailing price of 130,000 to 150,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram, that represents about 13 million to 15 million dong in revenue for the season. Farmer Trần Văn Sung said his family harvested nearly two tonnes in one night in late October and sold them for about 130,000 dong per kilogram, earning around 260 million dong.
Since 2017, villagers have worked with businesses to introduce ecological rice cultivation, using organic fertilizer, reducing chemicals, improving fields and managing water levels to support ragworms’ natural growth. They still grow one rice crop in the fields. Figures released by Hải Phòng’s agriculture and environment department in June 2026 show that the city has about 1,700 hectares where wild ragworms and crabs are harvested, including 740 hectares of rice fields certified for organic cultivation.
Local farmers also earn income from organic rice alongside their ragworm harvests.（VietVance）
An agricultural extension project carried out in Hải Phòng and Hưng Yên from 2023 to 2025 established 56 hectares of demonstration fields combining rice cultivation with ragworm harvesting. Ragworm yields at the Hải Phòng sites reached 1,500 to 1,600 kilograms per hectare, compared with 800 kilograms in control fields. The project used measures including digging channels, creating habitats, managing water levels and applying biological pest control.
Higher yields have also increased pressure to sell the harvest. Local farmers said ragworm purchase prices fell from 200,000 to 220,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram in 2025 to 130,000 to 150,000 dong at times this year. A Chí Minh Commune government official said that, alongside maintaining the ecological environment and product quality, greater attention is needed to coordinated sales, further processing and expanding markets.
Traders visit the production area to buy ragworms after they are harvested.（VietVance）
Source: VietVance
