Speaking at a recent press conference on Vietnam’s first-ever catfish festival, Party Chief of Hong Ngu Town in Dong Thap Province, Le Ha Luan, said that Hong Ngu was the first home for Mekong Delta tra fish (catfish). In the past, local farmers chose young catfish to breed in their ponds as major food sources for their meals. 

Later, enterprises raised and processed catfish for export. Vietnam’s catfish moved from the village pond to the open sea, he said. 

Catfish is now the major export item of Vietnam’s agro-fishery sector. In 1997, Vietnamese catfish was exported for the first time, earning a modest export revenue of US$1.6 million. In 2008, export turnover rocketed to $1 billion.

Thanks to the advantages of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s seafood industry has earned fame globally, with an annual output of over $1.5 million tons and export revenue of over $2 billion. 

In 2022, it is estimated that Vietnam will reach a catfish output of 1.68 million and export turnover of $2.4 billion, a national record.

“We have created a catfish miracle. But we still need to do many things to help the catfish industry develop in a more sustainable way,” Luan said.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said Vietnam’s catfish capacity is the highest in the world. But he stressed that more growing areas, breeders, added-value products, by-products, and ecotourism activities are all needed.

Luan said that nearly all parts of catfish are used: catfish skin is used to make collagen, fat for oil, and other parts for animal feed. However, to increase profit, Vietnam should create more new products. 

“When I visited Singapore, I bought a product made of fish skin, very delicious and expensive. Why can’t Vietnam make these good products?” he said.

Tam An