Heavy rain and strong waves two days ago damaged the tiger snail farm of Pham Tan Toan, 48, in Bai Tien, Hoa Xuan commune, causing a large quantity of snails to escape into the sea.

Since noon on 8/8, hundreds of people have converged on the coastal area to search for the snails. At times, between 300 and 400 individuals were either diving or walking along the shore to collect them. Many took the collected snails home to eat or sell.

People flocked to the sea to dive for tiger snails for two days. *Minh Khue*.

Toan stated that his family started raising the batch of snails in late 2025. After months of care, the snails were nearing harvest when the farm suffered damage from strong waves. "Now I can only stand by and watch my property float away as people collect it", Toan said.

According to initial statistics from Hoa Xuan commune People's Committee, about 6-7 tons of snails were lost. At a price of about 180,000 VND per kilogram, the owner estimated losses of approximately 1,2 billion VND.

Tiger snails collected by residents. *Minh Khue*.

On 10/8, the sea off Hoa Xuan commune remained rough. Local authorities mobilized police, border guards, and military personnel to educate and persuade residents, while also warning of the dangers of searching for snails in the sea.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the sea off Dak Lak experiences scattered showers and thunderstorms, southwest winds at level 6, gusting to levels 7-8, resulting in rough seas with waves 2-4 meters high.

Bui Toan