Vietnamese families traditionally pay homage to the Kitchen Gods on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. Their offerings to the Kitchen Gods include red carps as they believe that the Kitchen Gods ride red carps to heaven in lunar December to deliver their annual report on the household's activities.

Thuy Tram village in Tuy Loc commune used to be a remote mountainous village with no trade to be developed. Red carp first appeared in the area in the 1960s.

The red color of the carp is found everywhere in Thuy Tram village, especially bonds and lakes where people catch the fish, and markets where the fish is sold.

For villagers, apart from business, growing the fish has become a tradition which has been passed down from generation to generation.

At this time of the year, red carp breeders in Thuy Tram village are busy supplying their customers with “spirit fish”. The trade has brought the villagers a much more comfortable life.

The busiest time of the year for villagers is when they harvest carp, an item which is one of the main offerings on Kitchen Gods Day.

Farmers begin their work early in the morning in order to ensure that they have the best conditions to harvest the fish.
Farmers typically breed red carp due to the belief that they bring both luck and happiness to all families on Tet.
Farmers state that this year has seen favourable weather conditions help with the process of growing carps.
Whilst the carps are often raised from June, they are normally harvested during December every year.
Carp breeding helps to raise the income for local villagers.
After harvesting the fish, the carps are often distributed to neighbouring localities throughout the northern region.

The majority of traders carry carps to other localities starting from the 19th and 20th days of the final lunar month.

Nguyen Hue