Vietnam | Traditional Fish Trap Weaving for $300

| Traditional fish trap weaving for $300. In a village 50 km southeast of Hanoi, elderly craftsmen are weaving bamboo strips into traps for catching fish and shrimp. Traditionally, after being woven, these fish traps are smoked over a fire, then bundled together like a large blooming bamboo flower, stacked on the back of bicycles, and transported outside the village for sale. However, fishermen no longer use these bamboo traps in large quantities. Many are now sold as decorations to interior design companies. Making the traps has also become a profitable activity: the elderly artisans lay out the finished traps in their courtyards, letting Vietnam’s distinctive Dong Tao chickens wander among them, then light up a local tobacco pipe—completing this roughly half-hour "performance" for which we paid around $300. Though the traditional craft hasn’t been preserved for its original purpose, it has at least survived. Those preserving it can earn a living, while we get a glimpse of a traditional way of life and capture its unique beauty—a win-win. Would you be willing to pay to photograph this traditional craft?