Cosmetic surgery, eyelid surgery, lip surgery for… dragon fish

After putting the fish in the bag, Mr. Hoang waited for the fish to absorb the anesthetic before taking them out of the tank - Photo: TRAN HOAI

Cosmetic surgery procedures that were thought to be only for humans, such as eyelid surgery and lip surgery, were applied by Mr. Hoang to arowana fish, in order to bring more perfect beauty and increase the value of this billion-dollar fish.

Skilled from passion for arowana fish

About 6 years ago, Mr. Hoang raised Arowana fish. Seeing that this fish species had some diseases during its growth or was affected by environmental factors that affected the aesthetics of parts such as eyes, lips, fins, etc., Mr. Hoang researched and learned surgical methods and treatments for fish.

At first, he only performed surgery on the fish he raised. After he felt his surgical technique was improving, he started doing it for friends or acquaintances. Hoang did this work for free for a long time.

After that, with his experience, Mr. Hoang became known to many dragon fish players in Khanh Hoa province and some other provinces such as Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan, Dong Nai, Binh Duong , Ho Chi Minh City...

Many times, he performed difficult surgeries, beautifying Arowana fish worth tens and hundreds of millions of dong. Thanks to that, he is known by the ornamental fish community in the area as a person with a good hand in "beautifying" Arowana fish.

“There is no school to teach this job, it is mainly a personal passion, I improve my skills over time. When working, you have to be meticulous, because carelessness can cost you millions of dollars,” said Mr. Hoang.

Like a real surgeon

After many years of working, Mr. Hoang is now almost the only person in Khanh Hoa doing this job.

He shared that the person doing this job not only needs to be skilled but also needs to have an aesthetic eye, and must make the fish they make more beautiful, worthy of the money the owner spends.

To perform the fish surgeries, Mr. Hoang anesthetizes the fish with a special drug, which helps reduce the pain and prevent the fish from struggling. A layer of plastic bags is spread on the operating table, covered with a little water to keep it moist, then the fish is placed on it.

Mr. Hoang measures the size and evaluates the condition of the fish before surgery - Photo: TRAN HOAI

The tools Mr. Hoang uses include scissors, tweezers, and a flashlight. He meticulously trims to make sure it looks nice, because if he is careless, he risks damaging the eyes and lips.

For each cosmetic surgery on fish like that, he receives a salary of about 500,000 - 800,000 VND.

As the first customer to come to Mr. Hoang to perform real surgery on his fish, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thong (Phuoc Hoa ward, Nha Trang city) said that he "heard" about Mr. Hoang on many aquarium groups, so he came to him to perform eyelid surgery on his arowana fish.

“There are very few people who follow this job, and even fewer who have good techniques like Mr. Hoang. To entrust someone else with surgery on a fish worth tens of millions of dong, you have to trust in that person’s skills. A skilled “doctor” like Mr. Hoang has made my fish more beautiful,” Mr. Thong commented.

Currently, in addition to selling fish and performing cosmetic surgery on Arowana fish, Mr. Hoang also does other fish-related jobs such as making fish tanks and medicine for fish...

According to Mr. Hoang, the profession of cosmetic surgery for arowana fish is very rare in Vietnam. Although the income is sometimes unstable, it requires those who pursue the profession to be diligent and have true passion.

Arowana fish is a freshwater bony fish, originating mainly from Asia. In recent years, this fish is considered the “king” of ornamental fish because of its feng shui meaning and “royal” beauty.

In Vietnam, this fish is mostly imported from Indonesia and Malaysia. The two most sought-after fish are blood dragon and golden dragon, priced from several million to several tens of millions of VND, and some fish with “strange” shapes are even valued at billions.

Mr. Hoang attentively performs the surgery - Photo: TRAN HOAI

Eyelid surgery for an arowana fish – Photo: TRAN HOAI

After surgery, the arowana will be given oxygen to revive it – Photo: TRAN HOAI

An arowana fish raised by Mr. Hoang for 3 years costs up to 25 million VND - Photo: TRAN HOAI

Arowana fish in Vietnam is considered a "royal" fish - Photo: TRAN HOAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phau-thuat-tham-my-cat-mi-sua-moi-cho-ca-rong-20241129150513666.htm