The historic flood has passed, but its scars remain etched on the faces of lobster farmers.
Massive lobster deaths during the flood
Mr. Huynh Ngoc Thanh (born in 1985, residing in Tuy An Dong commune, Dak Lak province) began farming lobsters in Xuan Dai Bay (Song Cau ward) eight years ago.
Through persistent learning and experience, Mr. Thanh recently expanded his farm to 160 cages, housing approximately 60,000 lobsters. Harvesting was expected to begin in early December 2025, with an estimated yield of nearly 2 tons.
Decayed lobsters had to be discarded by locals
However, on the morning of November 19, prolonged heavy rain caught Mr. Thanh off guard, leading to mass lobster deaths due to thermal and water shock. The estimated loss is around 5 billion VND.
Overwhelmed by the shock, Mr. Thanh’s wife fell into despair, confining herself to her room for days. Mr. Thanh himself fell ill and was hospitalized due to bacterial infection after spending days in floodwaters retrieving dead lobsters.
Mr. Huynh Ngoc Thanh is at a loss after suffering a 5 billion VND loss
“My family borrowed and owed about 3 billion VND for seedlings and feed, and now it’s all gone. I don’t know where to start, let alone how to repay the debt or restore production,” shared Mr. Thanh.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan (residing in Song Cau ward) mentioned that his family has been in lobster farming for years but has never faced such a devastating loss.
Song Cau ward recorded approximately 20,776,000 dead lobsters, with estimated losses nearing 2.5 trillion VND
“My family had 180 cages ready for harvest. However, the prolonged rain killed all the lobsters, resulting in an estimated loss of 4 billion VND, leaving us with nothing,” said Mr. Tuan.
Mr. Phan Dinh Biet (also residing in the same ward) shared that he had taken a bank loan to farm 60,000 lobsters in 200 cages. The flood caused sudden water temperature changes, leading to thermal shock and nearly complete lobster mortality, with losses around 5 billion VND.
According to statistics, Song Cau ward had 77,740 cages with 20,776,000 lobsters that died from thermal shock, resulting in estimated losses of nearly 2.5 trillion VND.
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