Carp market is bustling before the worship day of Ong Cong and Ong Tao

Traders classify goldfish

Cheap wholesale price

At 3 a.m. on January 13 (ie December 22 of the lunar calendar), at Thach Khoi fish market, Thach Khoi ward (Hai Duong city), traders from all over the place came to buy goldfish to sell. Mr. Pham Van Kien, who has been trading goldfish at Thach Khoi fish market for more than 10 years, said that on January 13 alone, he sold 4 tons of goldfish to the market. "The goldfish market started to be bustling from the afternoon of the 21st and lasted until the morning of December 23 of the lunar calendar. On the occasion of Ong Cong, Ong Tao this year, I sold about 6 tons of fish," said Mr. Kien.

Thach Khoi fish market has about 20 households specializing in trading goldfish at this time, supplying traders throughout the markets in the province. This year, the amount of goldfish that traders here sell is about 30 tons. The wholesale price of fish here is 70 - 80 thousand VND/kg (about 20 - 25 fish/kg), only 1/3 compared to last year due to abundant supply. Traders like Mr. Kien all import fish from households raising fish in Ninh Giang, Thanh Mien, Tu Ky... or in Thai Binh, Nam Dinh provinces...

The price of goldfish at the wholesale market is 70 - 80 thousand VND/kg.

Quickly loading the fish boxes onto the truck, Ms. Vu Thi Ngát, a trader at Sao Do market (Chi Linh city) said that to meet the demand of people buying goldfish to worship Ong Cong and Ong Tao, she had just imported 300 kg. There are many types of goldfish, but according to Ms. Ngát, Tam Duong is the type of fish with beautiful appearance and is most popular with customers.

Crowded buyers and sellers

At some traditional markets in Hai Duong city such as An Ninh, Kho Do, Cam Thuong..., the buying and selling of goldfish is also bustling. Fish traders, even vegetable and fruit traders, also take advantage of the opportunity to buy more goldfish to sell. Ms. Pham Thi Le, Tan An commune (Thanh Ha) is pleased because she has just bought 3 big, beautiful "carps". She said: "According to Vietnamese tradition, every Tet Ong Cong, Ong Tao, there must be goldfish, both to worship and send the gods to heaven, and to release them, which is also a meaningful thing to do at the end of the year".

At some traditional markets, the scene of buying and selling goldfish is bustling.

Mr. Vu Thanh Son, a trader at Kho Do market (Hai Duong city) has just brought back 50 kg of goldfish to sell. The selling price for people at the market is 10 - 15 thousand VND/fish depending on the type. Due to time and work, many people worship Ong Cong and Ong Tao 1 - 2 days in advance. According to traders, tomorrow (ie the 23rd of December), the number of people buying goldfish will be even higher, about 10 times more than today.

PV