Ben Tre is one of 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta, over 90% of the natural area is wetland, influenced by the Mekong River through tributaries of the Tien River, Ba Lai River, Ham Luong River, and Co Chien River. and tidal regime of the East Sea. Before humans came to settle down, Ben Tre was a desolate area covered with dense forests interspersed with reeds, reeds or swamps of sedges, and lotus flowers... Le Quy Don recorded in the book Phu Bien Tap Luc in the mid-18th century: "From the sea mouths of Can Gio, Loi Lap, Dai, and Tieu, there are thousands of miles of dense forest." Most of the migrants come to Ben Tre by sea and by land, they choose high hills to live in. The land of Ba Tri was discovered the earliest because it was the stopping place of the settlers by sea. In just two centuries, wild lands filled with wild animals, islands located at the end of the Tien River, Ba Lai River, Ham Luong River, and Co Chien River has become a famous producer of coconut, fruit, rice, seafood, and delicious sea crab. 

 

Ben Tre live crabs have shiny, green, or dark yellow shells. Solid, solid crab bibs. Physically strong, agile, sharp eyes. 

Ben Tre cooked crab meat has firm meat, a characteristic aroma (not fishy), sweet and fatty taste. 

Ripe brick crab has fragrant, firm, fatty meat. Brick is fragrant, greasy, and sweet. 

Ben Tre crab has Glutamic acid content from 26.66 to 27.34 mg/g; Protein content from 2.71 to 3.13 gN/100g; edible rate from 52.55 to 52.85%; meat moisture from 16.89 to 17.11 %. Ben Tre crabs have unique characteristics and outstanding quality due to being grown in a geographical area with specific characteristics of natural conditions and traditional farming methods of local people. 

The suitable habitat for juveniles and adult crabs is a salinity of 2-38‰, and a spawning period of 22-32‰. Geographical area with minimum salinity above 2‰ (rainy season). In recent years, Ben Tre province in general, and the geographical area, in particular, have suffered from severe saline intrusion. Salinity at Binh Dai fishing port 26-29‰; in An Thuan commune (Thanh Phu district) from 25-28‰; at the Shrimp Shop (Ba Tri district) 27-30‰. The 4‰ salinity line has penetrated inland about 48-68 km from the river mouth. Heavy intrusion is detrimental to agricultural production but is suitable for the life of sea crabs. The high salinity of the water gives "Ben Tre sea crab" a strong sweet taste. 

Sea crabs grow in water with a pH of 7.5-9.2 and are most suitable from 8.2-8.8. The pH of the water in the geographical area ranges from 7.3-8.2 which is perfectly suitable for the habitat of sea crabs. On the other hand, the geographical area is less affected by storms, so the physiological activities of crabs are less strongly fluctuating. 

Crabs are omnivores and usually eat a lot. The larvae prefer to eat plants and zooplankton; baby crabs gradually turn to omnivores (algae, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, or animal carcasses): 2-7 cm baby crabs eat mainly crustaceans, 7-13 cm crabs like to eat krill; Larger crabs often eat crustaceans, mollusks, carcasses of other animals. 

The geographical area is located in the lower part of the Mekong River, with 4 major tributaries flowing through before emptying into the sea (Tien River, Ham Luong River, Ba Lai River, and Co Chien River) carrying a very large amount of alluvium, estimated about 25 million tons/year of sand and mud. This amount of alluvium provides food in the form of plankton for sea crabs, accretes for the land, and pours into the estuary to form alluvium... 

The geographical area has a high biodiversity mangrove ecosystem. This is the habitat, shelter, and spawning ground for sea crabs as well as providing food directly (humus, leaves, fallen fruit...) and indirectly through detritus-eating animals as bait for fishes, sea crabs, and some other carnivores... The geographical area with the highest biological productivity in the coastal ecosystems of Southeast Vietnam provides natural food sources: phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.. . for sea crabs at all growth stages. Abundant and abundant natural food sources have made "Ben Tre Sea Crab" rich in amino acids, proteins, lipids, and other nutrients. 

The specific quality of “Ben Tre sea crab” products is also determined by the production practices of people in the geographical area, namely: 

Unlike many areas where sea crabs are raised by semi-intensive or high-intensive farming methods (using industrial feeds and antibiotics), “Ben Tre sea crabs” are raised by extensive farming methods (without using conventional methods). industrial food and antibiotics). In addition to the use of natural food available in the pond/lagoon (plankton, shrimp, fish... taken into the pond/lagoon at high tide), additional food sources for crabs are wild fish. On-site, or minced tilapia... Many households also combine crab farming with tilapia as a food source for crabs. Therefore, “Ben Tre sea crab” has a sweet taste and aroma (not fishy). 

Techniques to improve the environment of crab ponds/lagoons and control the culture environment have been accumulated for many years. After 2-3 farming seasons, the "Ben Tre Sea Crab" pond/swamp is dredged, liming to remove alum, releasing the potential fertility of the soil. The water source in the pond/crab lagoon is regularly renewed by the salinity-controlled high tides. Therefore, "Ben Tre sea crab" is always healthy, with a solid body, firm meat, and bricks. 

The harvesting of crabs (trimming, whole collection) is selective. Only those that meet the commercial standards will be collected, those that do not meet the standards will continue to be raised. Therefore, “Ben Tre sea crab” is always of good quality. 

  

Geographical area: Thanh Phong commune, Giao Thanh commune, An Thuan commune, An Quy commune, An Dien commune, Thanh Hai commune, An Nhon commune, My Hung commune, My An commune, Thanh Phu town in Thanh Phu district; Thanh Phuoc commune, Thoi Thuan commune, Thua Duc commune, Dai Hoa Loc commune, Binh Thang commune of Binh Dai district; Bao Thanh commune, Bao Thuan commune, Tan Xuan commune, An Thuy commune, Tan Thuy commune, An Hoa Tay commune, An Duc commune in Ba Tri district, Ben Tre province. 

  

Center for Examining Geographical Indication and International Trademark