In the early hours of God of Wealth Day, which falls on the 10th day of the first lunar month (February 25 this year), many families on Tan Ky Tan Quy Street (Tan Phu District, HCMC) are busy grilling blotched snakehead fish. For years this street has been known as Saigon’s grilled fish market. This is the busiest time of the year here as Saigon residents rush to prepare offerings for the God of Wealth, which include votive paper, fruit, roast pork and grilled fish. |
Dozens of fish stalls have hired extra helpers to tend to the fires, grill the fish and prepare vegetable side dishes. |
“Grilled blotched snakehead fish have been sold here for over a decade. They're on sale here every day, but the busiest time is on God of Wealth Day. From 1 a.m., the staff have been lighting the fires, preparing the fish, grilling… in time to sell them in the morning,” said Thi, a stall owner. |
The fish are sourced from Binh Dien Market. A day before God of Wealth Day, dozens of boxes of fish are delivered to the stall for staff to prepare them by size. |
Sugar cane used as a skewers is sourced from Tay Ninh, a city two hours drive from Saigon. |
The fish are grilled whole, complete with scales, intestines and fins. “On an ordinary day, we’ll remove the bile so they're not bitter. But on God of Wealth Day, we need to keep the bile intact for the offerings,” said Trung from one fish stall. |
Fish can also be found grilling in many families' courtyards. “I usually sell about 100 fish a day, but today I have 800 for sale. Today is the only day of the year that grilled fish sell so fast, so the entire family has to work overnight,” local resident Tuyet Phuong said. |
“This year, we estimate our stall will sell 4,000 grilled snakehead fish. Normally, we employ just five people, but today we have more than 20 workers. Dozens of grills are burning from midnight to the following evening,” Quang Dung, a stall owner, said. |
On average, it takes 30 minutes to grill a fish. According to the sellers, it’s important to maintain a stable temperature. If it’s not hot enough, the fish will be undercooked. If it’s too hot, they will burn. “The cooks also have to make sure the fish do not get too burnt, otherwise the fins will fall off. On an ordinary day, that wouldn’t be a problem, but on God of Wealth Day, the fins of snakehead fish have to be intact if we want customers to buy them,” said Dung. |
As the fish are being grilled, herbs are prepared for side dishes. |
Many people ventured out to buy fish in the early hours. One grilled snakehead fish with a side of herbs and fried shallots sells from VND130,000-170,000 ($5.7-7.5). |