Rat soup served ahead of the Chinese New Year - 2008

Hanoi - 1 February 2008
1. Wide of Hanoi street where decoration for Tet (lunar new year) are sold
2. Mid of decorations featuring rat theme
3. Close of decorations featuring picture of rats
Bac Ninh province - 31 January 2008
4. Close of rat in cage
5. Wide of Nguyen Tien Phat, rat hunter, driving home from hunting trip in village lane
6. Mid of Phat putting rat cage on floor
7. Close of rats in cage
8. Mid of Phat taking a rat out of the cage
9. Close Phat killing rat
10. Wide of Phat killing rat
11. Mid of Nguyen Thi Le, Phat's wife, dipping rats into boiling water
12. Close of rats in water
13. Mid of rat being processed
14. Pan right of rubbing hair off rats
15. Wide of rats being processing
16. SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese) Nguyen Tien Phat, rat hunter
"Since I was a little child, I have been introduced to rat meat. It is not something like a delicacy, but it is special and a lot of people eat it. They often buy one or two rats everyday. And I have been hunting rats for nearly 20 years."
17. Close of knife being sharpened
18. Wide of rats being processed
19. Tilt down from Nguyen Tien Phat's face to rat being processed
20. Close of mirror reflecting people processing rats
21. Mid of rats being processed
22. Close of Nguyen Thi Le chopping off rat's tail and paws
23. Mid of processing
24. Close of Nguyen Kim Huong, Phat's daughter, processing rats
25. Mid of Nguyen Tien Le putting rats into bag
26. Wide of Dinh Bang village market
27. Wide of Nguyen Tien Le sitting next to a basin filled with dead rats for sale
28. Mid of woman buying rats and walking away
29. SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese) Nguyen Thi Le, rat seller
"The rat meat contains a lot of protein. It is processed very carefully so my customers never worry about the idea of rats being unhygienic. Not only people in this village buy rat meat. My customers come from the neighbouring villages as well."
30. Mid of Nguyen Kim Hung cooking rat in kitchen
31. Mid of Nguyen Kim Hung marinating rat meat
32. Close of Hung putting pig fat into frying pan
33. Tilt down from rat meat bowl to frying pan
34. Close of Nguyen Kim Hung
35. Mid of Nguyen Kim Hung cooking
36. SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese) Nguyen Kim Hung, rat eater
"Rat meat is very delicious. It tastes like rabbit. Actually, more tasty than rabbit. Some people compare it to chicken but I find it more delicious than chicken. Very delicious."
37. Mid of Hung's family sitting for meal
38. Mid of Nguyen Thi Thinh, Hung's wife, picking up a piece of rat meat with chopsticks
39. Close of Hung eating
40. Mid of eating
41. Close of Hung's niece eating a rat leg
42. Pan left of people eating
43. Close of bowl filled with rat meat
44. Wide of people eating inside house
LEAD IN:
Chinese communities are preparing to celebrate the Chinese New Year on February 7.
2008 is the 'Year of the Rat' in the traditional Chinese calendar.
Although rats are not everybody's favourite animals, the rodent's meat is considered, at least by some, a delicacy in rural Vietnam.
STORYLINE:
As the 'Year of the Rat' approaches, what better way to celebrate Chinese New Year than by eating the furry rodent?
Already the streets of the Vietnamese capital are teeming with rat themed decorations.
The 'Year of the Rat' is traditionally associated with vitality and prosperity.
In village of Dinh Bang, just outside Hanoi, rat meat has been eaten for centuries.
Nguyen Tien Phat is a man who for years has been making a living from selling the meat.
He's a real life rat catcher.
Nguyen Tien Phat goes on hunting trips once or twice a week in a town 80 kilometres (49 miles) away from his home.
With four hours of hunting at night, he catches between 40 to 60 rats.
Lending a helping hand is his wife Nguyen Thi Le.

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