With the escalation in demand of bird nest, these sources have been supplanted since the late-1990s by purpose-built nesting houses. Farmers have to build a living environment similar to a natural one to lure wild swiftlets to come and build nests.
Presently, the central provinces possess 241 bird nests including 173 in Khanh Hoa, 16 in Binh Dinh, 13 in Phu Yen, nine in Quang Nam and Ninh Thuan respectively,four in Quang Binh, three in Quang Ngai and 14 in Con Dao Island in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.
Total output of bird nest is around 3,400 kilogram.
Swiftlet bird's nest collectors risk life and limb to get their prized bounty.
Bird nest export in 2018 reached $20 million.
According to farmer Tran Bach Mai, who firstly built purpose-built nesting houses in Tam Thon Hiep Commune in Can Gio District, after two trafficking of bird nests from Malaysia into Vietnam have been discovered by Chinese authority, prices of Vietnamese bird nest have gone down dramatically ( China is the world’s biggest market of bird nest)
Bird’s nest price is now VND18.5 million ($795.6) per kilogram whereas it was VND23 million per kilogram.
