A night at the "underworld" market of Tha La

Tha La Fish Market (Cay Cham Hamlet, Vinh Te Commune, Chau Doc City, An Giang Province) is also known as the "underworld" market because it operates at night, with buyers and sellers bustling about but unable to see each other's faces clearly. We stumbled upon this unique market during our journey exploring the waterways of the Mekong Delta. Dong Cay Dau is a small hamlet belonging to Nuoc Giap Village, Ba Kham Commune, Ba To District (Quang Ngai Province). About 100 people of the Hre ethnic group have lived here for decades, but they lack roads, electricity, and clean water. Their difficult lives continue day after day. The longing for roads, electricity, and unified management of civil registration, household registration, and land ownership... to stabilize their lives has been a practical aspiration of the people for many years, yet it remains unfulfilled. During the questioning session on the banking sector at the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly, the Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Hong, answered questions from National Assembly deputies regarding credit policies, especially those related to National Target Programs (NTPs). Dong Cay Dau is a small hamlet in Nuoc Giap village, Ba Kham commune, Ba To district (Quang Ngai province). Approximately 100 people of the Hre ethnic group have lived there for decades, but they lack roads, electricity, and clean water. Their difficult lives continue day after day. The longing for roads, electricity, unified management of civil registration, household registration, and land... to stabilize life has been a practical aspiration of the people for many years but has yet to be realized. The Central Office for New Rural Development Coordination announced that after the second meeting of the Central Council for evaluating and classifying products under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program in 2024, the Council recognized five more products as achieving national OCOP certification in the group of medicinal herbs and products derived from medicinal herbs. Tha La Fish Market (Cay Cham hamlet, Vinh Te commune, Chau Doc city, An Giang province) is also known as the "underworld" market because it operates at night, with buyers and sellers bustling about but unable to see each other's faces clearly. We stumbled upon this unique market during our journey exploring the waterways of the Mekong Delta. The scriptures written on palm leaves have existed for a very long time and are famous not only in the Bay Nui region of An Giang province but also throughout the Mekong Delta. This heritage is preserved and promoted by the Khmer people in An Giang. Currently, the only person in An Giang province who fully possesses the technique of writing on palm leaves is Venerable Chau Ty (82 years old, abbot of Soai So Pagoda, Nui To commune, Tri Ton district). Venerable Chau Ty, a respected figure, is the 9th generation successor of the head monk of Xvay Ton Pagoda. After more than 3 years of implementing the National Target Program for socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2021-2030 (National Target Program 1719), with the involvement of the entire political system, the appearance of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in Quang Nam province has gradually changed, with many localities on the path to prosperity every day. The summary news of the Ethnic and Development Newspaper, November 8th, has the following noteworthy information: Many attractive activities at the "Great Unity of Ethnic Groups - Vietnamese Cultural Heritage" Week. Enchanting highlands of Ky Son. The shining example of A Mlưn. Along with other current news in the ethnic minority and mountainous regions. Following directives from the Central and provincial authorities, the Vinh Phuc Ethnic Affairs Committee is continuing to promote the dissemination of key tasks for ethnic minority and mountainous regions in the remaining months of 2024. This contributes to raising awareness and responsibility among people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas regarding the implementation of the Party's guidelines, State policies and laws, promoting socio-economic development, and improving people's lives. To help support people in provinces affected by Typhoon Yagi (Typhoon No. 3) in restoring production and stabilizing their lives, the City Red Cross Society... Ho Chi Minh City donated 600 breeding cows to the people of four provinces: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, and Thai Nguyen. Located at the northeastern gateway of the country, Lang Son possesses many advantages in terms of natural conditions, a rich cultural heritage, and a system of invaluable tangible and intangible cultural heritage of ethnic minorities. These strengths will propel Lang Son's tourism industry to a new level of development. However, for tourism in Lang Son to truly "take off," these potentials – these "treasures" – need to be exploited on a larger scale and in a more systematic way. On November 11th, at the Vinh Phuc Provincial Theater, the Vinh Phuc Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee, in coordination with the Department of Education and Training, organized the "Ceremony to honor outstanding ethnic minority teachers, students, and university students in the 2023-2024 academic year." The project supporting production development (Sub-project 1 – Project 3) under the National Target Program on sustainable poverty reduction, implemented in Thai Nguyen province, has been yielding positive results. Through the project's funding, many households have been able to develop production, increase income, and have more opportunities to escape poverty.

Buying and selling freshwater fish at the "ghost market" of Tha La.

The buyer and seller couldn't see each other's faces clearly.

Every year, from around July to the end of October in the lunar calendar, the Mekong Delta enters the flood season, bringing with it alluvial soil and countless natural products. This is also the time when Tha La "ghost market" - the largest freshwater and river fish market during the flood season at the upstream border of An Giang province - becomes bustling.

The market is located on a 50-meter stretch of Cay Cham road at the foot of Tha La bridge. Around 3 am, Tha La market begins to gather, where fishermen, after a night of casting their nets to catch fish and shrimp, bring them here to sell.

In the darkness of the night, the rhythmic sound of motorboats sped from the distant fields towards the market dock, and traders gathered around, asking the boat owners what kinds of fish they had caught that night.

Unlike other markets, both sellers and buyers at Tha La market usually bring their own flashlights to inspect the goods. Sitting squatting, buyers use the flashlights to select the fish and eels they want to buy, then weigh each item and pay the fishermen.

The fish trading scene at each boat only takes about 20-30 minutes. After that, the "gamblers" don't rush home but sit at the low-lying roadside stalls near the market to sip coffee, eat a plate of rice or a loaf of bread, as is their habit. Meanwhile, the small traders leave the market, taking the fish back to nearby localities to resell for profit.

A motorboat belonging to the fishermen arrives at Tha La market after a night of casting nets to catch fish.

We followed Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (54 years old, residing in Phu Hoa hamlet, An Phu commune, Tinh Bien district) to Tha La market early in the morning to select fish. With 15 years of experience buying fish at Tha La market to resell in other areas, Ms. Huong quickly selected the freshest fish and said: "I come to Tha La market late at night to buy fish, and then go to other markets to sell them in the morning. The unique feature of Tha La market is that it only operates at night, but it is always favored by traders who come to drop off their goods ."

Tha La Market sells all the "specialties" of the flood season such as: snakehead fish, tilapia, catfish, carp, tilapia, catfish, eel, loach... caught by locals in flooded fields such as Thoi Son, Nhon Hung (Tinh Bien town), Vinh Te (Chau Doc city)...

Ms. Mai Thi Ha, a small trader at the market, proudly boasts about her family's 30-year-old traditional fishing trade: "In the old days, the Tha La river could catch 10 tons of fish in a single night. My family of 11 children have all been involved in this fishing trade for 30 years. When the fish season comes and we bring a lot of them to the market, it's such a joy; it's our profession."

Ms. Ha recounted that Tha La market was formed 30 years ago by people living along the canal who made a living by fishing in the fields. Initially, only a few people sold garden vegetables, water lilies, fish, and shrimp. Gradually, more vendors came along, and the market became increasingly crowded. Thanks to this market, the people in the lowlands no longer have to struggle to transport fish far away.

Buyers and sellers at Tha La market often have to carry flashlights to illuminate the scales to check the weight and calculate the price.

Preserving the essence of the Mekong Delta fish market.

In the midst of an enthusiastic conversation, Mrs. Mai Thi Ha's voice suddenly softened as she thought about the "golden age" of Tha La market. "In the past, Tha La market had up to 100 boats and canoes fishing and trading freshwater fish every night, but now there are only about 25. Over time, fish and shrimp have become increasingly scarce during the flood season. Therefore, instead of only operating until dawn, the market now 'breaks the rule' and stays open until 8 am to adapt to the 'times,' and many people have boldly started selling additional local cakes, pork, and vegetables ," Mrs. Ha recounted.

According to Ms. Ha, over the past few decades, many fishermen in Tha La have abandoned their fishing trade and left their hometown to work as factory workers in Binh Duong. Those who remain deeply connected to the "ghost" market, however, stay and long for the special market days of yesteryear, once teeming with fish and shrimp.

A young man quickly selected the fish.

Every day, Mr. and Mrs. Le Van Phuc (residents of Chau Doc city) make sure to come here early to select fresh fish to take back to the big markets in Chau Doc and Long Xuyen to resell to their customers for a little profit. "We have to come early to get fresh, good quality fish; if we come late, there won't be any left to choose from, and it will be harder to sell. After doing business for a long time, everyone knows each other, so we don't need to haggle much," Mr. Phuc said.

According to Mr. Phuc, in the past he had to drive a truck to buy tons of fish every night, but now, he only manages to buy nearly a hundred kilograms of various types of fish each night, mainly specialty fish of the flood season, to supply some business partners in Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City.

A wide variety of fish are sold at the market.

Having dedicated his entire life to the profession of "fishing," Mr. Nguyen Van Tai (residing in Nhon Hung ward, Tinh Bien town) can't help but fondly recall the "joyful days of removing fish from the nets" during the flood season of yesteryear.

"This year, the floodwaters rose almost a meter into the fields, bringing in fish and shrimp as well. Fishermen like me have earned a little extra money to support our families and pay for our children's education. However, compared to the amount of fish and shrimp during the flood season in the past, there's not as much now," Mr. Tai confided.

For the fishermen of the Mekong Delta, as long as there is water, there are fish. And as long as there are fish and shrimp, the Tha La market will remain bustling at night. When dawn breaks, the farmers, having sold their fish, their eyes stinging from lack of sleep, leave the Tha La market, disappearing into the misty, windy fields after a night of heavy rain. The work is hard, but it's their livelihood, and it also helps preserve the soul of the Western Vietnam market.

Floating market of Cai Rang

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/mot-dem-o-cho-am-phu-tha-la-1731309103383.htm