Go fishing on land in Vietnam’s northern highlands

Fish feeding and farming has become a tradition among farmers in Hoang Su Phi District’s terraced rice fields in the northern province of Ha Giang. In fact, this mostly “hidden” vocation is done on a large scale, increasing incomes and alleviating poverty in the area.

In Hoang Su Phi, there are a total of 3,570 hectares of terraced rice fields. The watered area makes up 500 hectares, but only 255 hectares of the terraced fields are utilized during the spring planting season.

Therefore, Hoang Su Phi authorities have promoted the model of carp farming, generating stable incomes for each household. In Ban Luoc Commune, many families engage in carp catching as a tourism attraction during the harvesting season.

The water level in the field reaches around 20-30 centimeters, a suitable habitat for small carp. It also allows farmers to easily observe the fish when they grow. When the fish has grown, they are usually caught with bare hands.

The fish can be harvested after three months. The farmers usually release the fish into the fields in June and catch them in September right before they reap the rice, when the terrace fields start to turn yellow.

"It is not difficult to catch the fish here, whenever there are tourists who want to experience catching fish, our family always welcome them," said Trieu Mui Lieu, a farmer in Ban Luoc Commune.

Fresh water fish has a clean, bright white color.

"The fish eat pests, clean the mud, kill weeds and provide good fertilizer for the rice. When people fertilize the rice, they provide food supplements for the fish. When they harvest the rice, the fish will eat broken rice and straw," said Dang Van Nam, another resident

The fish in the field weigh only about 200 to 300 grams.

Many tourists enjoy the fish catching experience.

A golden coloured fish harvested from the rice field.

The harvested fish will then be cooked along with the traditional dishes of the ethnic minorities who live here. The fish has soft bones, a greasy texture, and is delicious to taste.