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L
e Mat snake village in Hanoi’s
Long Bien district is the best
known snake village among tour-
ists, but 70km from Hanoi, Vinh
Son commune in Vinh Phuc province is
rearing snakes on a much grander scale
and has been cultivating its reputation
as a centre of snake breeding for sev-
eral hundred years.
Snake rearing takes place in many
highland areas today, but Vinh Son is
said to be the largest snake village of
all and its fame has now spread across
Vietnam’s borders to neighboring mar-
kets like China, Thailand and Malaysia.
Vinh Son used to be a bushy wet-
land which was an ideal habitat for
reptiles, including snakes. At that time,
snakes were found in great numbers
and were initially caught to prevent
people from being bitten; later, howev-
er, the possibility of marketing them for
their meat and alleged medicinal uses
was realised. Over time, many in Vinh
Son began catching snakes for sale.
Wild snakes were gradually deplet-
ed as demand soared; as a result, many
people of Vinh Son took up snake farm-
ing. Vinh Son was one of the first loca-
tions to succeed in incubating a wide
variety of poisonous snakes.
According to Vinh Son commune
chairman, Nguyen Van Quyet, who is
also the commune’s largest snake farm
owner, the Vinh Son snake farm was es-
tablished in 1979 with the active support
of diverse state management agencies.
The farm has since combined traditional
methods with advanced science-tech-
nology to promote farming efficiency.
Quyet began breeding snakes in
1982 in order to continue his ancestors’
profession.
“A decade ago, snakes were bred
in the fields to ensure their reproduc-
tive function. But this method proved
ineffective and risk-prone, so I shifted
to cage-based snake farming five years
ago because it generates better snake
quality and is more easily controlled,”
he said.
Quyet has set up a farm of sev-
eral thousand square metres outside
the residential area where over 3,000
snakes are bred in closely packed cages.
Copperhead snakes, with some weigh-
ing over 10 kilograms, are reared in
cages measuring 40cmx60cmx20cm.
Vinh Son snake village products
have drawn praise not only from local
people, but also from overseas Viet-
namese communities around the globe.
In 1994, snake farming’s legal status
was recognised by the state, providing
a catalyst for its development. Vinh Son
commune then founded a snake rear-
ing association to help the villagers ex-
change experience and provide capital
support and safeguarding.
Vinh Son snake-based products, in-
cluding snake ointment, snake venom
and snake wine, have enjoyed grow-
ing fame and are sold widely both at
home and abroad, netting the villagers
hefty sums. During the 1990s, when
many parts of Vietnam struggled with
hardship as the economy transferred
from the era of state subsidies to the
open market, Vinh Son thrived. The
The village of
snakes
SOCIETY AT LARGE
Despite the dangers,
Vinh Son village in Vinh
Phuc province is fast
expanding its snake
breeding in light of in-
creasing local and inter-
national demand. Words
by
Dinh Thuy.
Quyet checks on the condition of his stock
LIVING
BOILING POINT / ON THE STOOL /
PHOTO ESSAY / SOCIETY AT LARGE