Every afternoon, dozens of households in Xuan Thoi Thuong Commune travel to fields in HCM City's Cu Chi District and the neighbouring provinces of Tay Ninh and Long An to hunt grasshoppers.
Nguyen Thanh Trung, a local resident, said that he often works overnight to catch grasshoppers, earning a minimum of VND400,000 (USD16.12) per night.
Dao Van Ty, 38, from Ba Diem Commune in Hoc Mon District said that he often has to catch grasshoppers in the evening in Tien Giang Province which is around 100 kilometres from home.
With experienced people, they can earn VND1 million in just a few hours. They also design special boxes to hold the insects.
Grasshoppers are classified. The older ones are sold for around VND1,000 each, but the younger ones go for VND2,000-3,000 each.
Pham Thi Toi from Xuan Thoi Thuong spends around VND25 million on grasshoppers every day and then sells them to traders at an insect market in District 5 and different localities nationwide. Her family has many years of experience.
Grasshoppers sell pretty well, according to the traders, and even the older ones make good food for birds.
In the early morning, the insect market in Thuan Kieu area in District 5 is very crowded and they often shut before 9 am as stocks move quickly.