Young people with the 'coldwater fish' brand Tra Linh

Ngoc Linh mountain peak, located in Tra Linh commune, Da Nang city, is known as the capital of Ngoc Linh ginseng, with a cool climate year-round.

Mr. Phung Lao Lo next to his salmon and sturgeon farm - Photo: LE TRUNG

A group of young people traveled from the North, bringing cold-water fish farms raising species like salmon and sturgeon, to create the Tra Linh cold-water fish brand.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), Ngoc Linh peak is shrouded in fog, and the cold is biting. At the salmon and sturgeon farm of Tan Chan Chieu (43 years old) and Nguyen Thanh Long (30 years old, Hamlet 6, Tra Linh Commune), workers are busy tending to the fish ponds. "Our farm is preparing to sell half a ton of salmon to the Ho Chi Minh City market," Long said excitedly.

A connection with Ngoc Linh peak.

Originally from Lao Cai , Chieu started his cold-water fish farming business a decade ago with the Sa Pa salmon brand. After many years, seeing that there were many farmers in the area and prices were competitive, Chieu decided to bring this type of fish to the Central, Central Highlands, and Southern regions of Vietnam to raise, with the dream of finding a suitable area to open a farm.

In 2022, Chiêu and his friend Phùng Lão Lở, also from Lào Cai, began surveying the provinces of Lâm Đồng, Đắk Nông, Đắk Lắk … And then Ngọc Linh peak (located in Trà Nam commune, Nam Trà My district, formerly Quảng Nam province) became their destination.

"Upon arriving here, we found that the temperature is below 19 ^° C year-round, and the altitude is over 1,000 meters above sea level. Furthermore, the water is clean, clear, and cold, the climate is cool year-round, and there are many pristine forests, making it very suitable for raising salmon and sturgeon," Chiêu recounted.

So they decided to rent land from the locals to open a fish farm, choosing a stream in Hamlet 6 as their water source and naming it "Cold Water Stream." As expected, due to the suitable climate and water conditions, the fish grew quickly and healthily. After 9-10 months of raising and caring for them, the salmon, weighing 1.2-1.8 kg, were ready for sale.

"However, at this time, many people think that salmon is only found in the northern provinces and that it's impossible to farm them in the central region, so they don't believe it. Therefore, we face many difficulties in selling our products. The main source of our salmon exports is Ho Chi Minh City," Mr. Chieu said.

Mr. Tan Chan Chieu and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long at a fish farm in Tra Linh commune, Da Nang city - Photo: LE TRUNG

Hopefully, the Tra Linh cold-water fish brand will expand further so that this place will not only have Ngoc Linh ginseng but also specialty salmon and sturgeon.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long

Provides a stable income.

To date, Mr. Chieu's fish farm has four large ponds for raising commercial salmon and sturgeon, and two smaller ponds for raising fish fry. "Each pond yields 1 ton of fish after one year of farming. Salmon is sold for 260-280 million VND per ton. Sturgeon is raised for about 18 months before being sold for 250 million VND per ton. After deducting expenses and labor, the profit is quite good," Mr. Chieu said.

Near Chieu's farm is the salmon and sturgeon farm of Phung Lao Lo, a friend who has been with Chieu since he first arrived here. Lo's farm has six ponds, four of which are 12 meters in diameter and two are 8 meters in diameter. To date, nearly half of the fish in the ponds have been sold, and more will be sold to the Ho Chi Minh City market soon. "For each ton of salmon, after deducting expenses, I earn a profit of about 100 million dong," Lo said.

Mr. Lo shared that he plans to expand his farm in the near future, investing in other locations such as Quang Ngai province, which also has the Ngoc Linh mountain range with a suitable climate and water sources. "We also hope that our cold-water fish farm will become more widely known to expand our market in Da Nang City and other provinces, not just Ho Chi Minh City. Because the fish are raised in the mountainous region of Da Nang, customers will have the opportunity to enjoy fresh fish compared to imported fish or fish brought in from the North," Mr. Lo explained.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long, a young man of the Xe Dang ethnic group in Tra Linh commune, is currently a specialist at the Party Committee Office of Tra Linh commune. Years ago, after seeing Mr. Chieu's group from the North successfully raise salmon and sturgeon in his locality, he joined them to promote these cold-water specialty fish to the market.

He helped the group sell their fish by contacting restaurants and eateries in Tra Linh commune and other areas such as Tam Ky and Da Nang, introducing their products, and selling them through Facebook and Zalo. After experiencing the quality of the fresh fish, many restaurants began purchasing fish from the local fish farm.

Seeing the effectiveness of the cold-water fish farming model, in 2024, Mr. Long partnered with Mr. Chieu to expand the fish farm. Each year, the income from the fish farm is quite stable, helping his family make ends meet. According to him, currently in Central Vietnam, only Tra Linh commune is able to raise salmon, a very difficult cold-water fish species.

"Hopefully, Tra Linh salmon can reach a wider market in the Central, Central Highlands, Southern, and Western regions of Vietnam. We will expand our farm. We also hope that the local government will have policies and mechanisms to support young people like us with capital to expand production," Long confided.

Creating jobs for more young people.

Mr. Tan Chan Chieu said that in the near future, he will collaborate with more local people in Tra Linh commune to develop a salmon farming model there, aiming to build the Tra Linh salmon brand into a local specialty and expand to markets in many regions.

The cold-water fish farms run by young people in Tra Linh also create jobs for many young people. Many have been hired with salaries of over 5 million VND per month, with food and accommodation provided by the farm owners.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-tre-voi-thuong-hieu-ca-nuoc-lanh-tra-linh-2026020909355653.htm