From natural fish sources
The natural Biển Lạc lake, spanning over 1,000 hectares, boasts a rich freshwater fish ecosystem in the Tánh Linh region, extending to Trà Tân commune. Many species of naturally occurring fish, such as snakehead, catfish, and other valuable species, thrive here. During the rainy season, these fish migrate downstream along the La Ngà River to Biển Lạc lake for breeding and habitation. According to Mr. Nguyễn Bảy from Tánh Linh commune, a frequent fisherman in the Biển Lạc area, fish are abundant year-round, but the peak season is from June to November. During this time, large fish weighing 5-30 kg from the lower Đồng Nai River swim upstream into the La Ngà River to find calm waters for breeding. The lake's surface and gentle flow from the La Ngà River make it an ideal breeding ground for fish, attracting local fishermen daily.
I remember more than 15 years ago, when I went to the Duc Linh area to write an article reflecting on the flood situation. While I was in a meeting, I heard that people had caught a giant catfish weighing over 70 kg in the Bay Mau area (the area of what is now Nam Thanh commune), and someone had caught a snakehead fish weighing over 30 kg while casting a net on the river. When I arrived, I saw a large crowd gathered, everyone wanting to buy a few kilograms to enjoy, but the person who caught the fish had already sold it whole to a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City for over 300,000 VND/kg. In the Bien Lac area in the past, catching crocodiles weighing over 100 kg, loaded onto ox carts, was commonplace. Catching snakehead or catfish weighing over 10 kg was also not uncommon. Recently, Mr. Cuong from Tanh Linh commune called me and invited me to eat grilled catfish with sour bamboo shoots, along with an 11 kg fish. Hearing this, I asked where the fish came from, and he said it had just been caught in Bien Lac lake. There are many of them here; every year during the flood season, the locals catch a few fish, sometimes catfish, sometimes snakehead or grouper...
The climbing perch lives for many years in flowing water, so its meat is firm, sweet, and quite unique. Sitting and chatting with Mr. Cuong, I listened to his lengthy stories about Bien Lac Lake, so many that I couldn't remember them all. But one unforgettable story is that for the past ten years, people living along the La Nga River and Bien Lac Lake have taken advantage of the situation to expand their cage fish farming. The types of fish raised, from grouper and eel to red-tailed catfish, bring in very high profits. Some households raise a lot of fish, earning billions of dong annually. Not only is freshwater cage fish farming thriving, but along the La Nga River, people in the area have also taken advantage of the fresh air, the beautiful and picturesque scenery, and the abundant freshwater fish resources to invest in restaurants. This has created a food service industry and attracted a considerable number of tourists from all over...
From specialties to brands
Mr. Nguyen Chatt, from Duc Linh commune, who specializes in catching catfish using hooks and nets on the La Nga River extending to the Ham Thuan - Da Mi hydroelectric reservoir, said: "There are still many fish in the La Nga River because of the year-round water flow, plus the fact that people have reduced the use of electric fishing, so the fish species have conditions to grow continuously, creating a diverse ecosystem." Mr. Chatt said that catfish, snakehead fish, eels, and gobies are among the specialty fish in the La Nga River area, so whatever he catches, restaurants buy it all. Every day he goes netting and at night he sets hooks, catching a few kilograms, earning an average of 400,000 - 600,000 VND per day. Especially on days when he catches 10 kilograms of catfish, he can "earn" several million VND...
Upstream on the La Nga River, near the Ham Thuan - Da Mi reservoir, the needlefish is a specialty of the La Da region. The fish has a slender, finger-sized body, and its flesh is translucent white, similar to the scad found in coastal areas. It's easily recognizable by its long, pincer-like mouth, hence the name "needlefish," also known as "pincerfish" in some places. The fish lives on the water's surface, feeding primarily on plankton and algae. Because it lives in clean water, its flesh is almost odorless, very sweet, and has a distinctive aroma unlike other freshwater fish. The fish reproduce quickly, with the peak fishing season from April to October each year, when there is abundant rainfall and food is plentiful. Mr. Mai Van Minh, Director of Da Mi Tourism Company, shared: "Four years ago, needlefish was just a snack with no significant economic value." When the company started operating, I experimented with offering crispy fried needlefish with chili sauce to tourists on boat tours of Mac Ca Island as a "delicious treat." Unexpectedly, customers praised the taste and ordered more, buying it as gifts for relatives after their trip. Thanks to the high demand for fish, the fishing villages around Ham Thuan Lake gained more work, from fishing to processing the fish into sun-dried products. Residents living on the lake gained stable incomes, improving their living standards...
In the Duc Linh and Tanh Linh regions, when people talk about freshwater fish, they're talking about snakehead fish. This season, there are many wild snakehead fish, so there's a whole "army" of people in the area dedicated to catching them to supply processing plants that make fish cakes. Snakehead fish from Duc Linh and Tanh Linh are more popular than those from other regions because they live in the flowing waters of the La Nga River, where the water is clear and has less of a muddy or algae smell. Conversely, the fish meat has a naturally sweet and delicious flavor. Because the supply of wild snakehead fish in this area is insufficient to meet market demand, in the last ten years, people have invested in farming them according to the province's agricultural extension program. Although farmed, thanks to the flowing water of the La Nga River and the scientific farming process, the quality of farmed fish is still 9/10 compared to wild fish. It's very difficult for first-time eaters to distinguish between farmed and wild fish; only locals or connoisseurs can tell the difference. Snakehead fish cakes from Duc Linh and Tanh Linh communes have been recognized as an OCOP product and are enjoying strong domestic demand.
Fishing on the La Ngà River or Biển Lạc Lake is not as noisy as other professions. Those who cast nets or set lines at night quietly and silently go about their work to make a living. It's a hard job, but it provides many families with an income to improve their lives. That place is offering the world the bounty of nature's gifts...
Source: https://baolamdong.vn/mua-ca-dong-tren-song-la-nga-388426.html
![[Image] National conference summarizing one year of operation of the overall organizational model of the political system, the three-tiered government model.](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/07/01/1782882811691_ndo_br_1-jpg.webp)
