In recent days, many divers have flocked to Da Nang’s Han River every day to hunt ‘bop bop’, a species of hard-shell clam.

Like clams and chip chips, bop bops hide themselves under muddy riverbeds. Divers, therefore, must submerge themselves by up to several meters and use gloved hands in search of their prey.

Although this species does not use as human food, it is often milled to use as shrimp food.

Let’s have a look at some photos captured by our freelance photographer Mai Quang Hien, to learn about the hunting of this species.

A pile of harvested bop bops

A bop bop hunting boat on the Han River

Bop bops usually hide themselves under muddy riverbeds, so divers, especially male ones, must submerge themselves by up to several meters, and use such diving equipment as diving glasses and diving oxygen bottles.

Woman collecting bop bops near the river banks where the water is shallow.