Local economy

The Rafting Village of Chau Doc

There are many fish cages in the fishing village of Chau Doc in An Giang province. In addition to the development of traditional fish farming, the village is also known as an attractive tourist destination.
Viewed from the Con Tien bridge, the fishing village lies along the banks of the Chau Doc river with boats gliding across the river through the water hyacinths.


The fishing village of Chau Doc is on the banks of the river of the same name.

The people of Chau Doc take advantage of the river to develop raft fish farming
with nearly 300 cages of different species of fish.


These little balls serve as food for fish.

In the fish farming village, each family has at least one or two cages, or even a dozen.

Dried fish, another product from the fish farming village.



Fresh slices of fish, the raw material of dried fish.
Dried fish is a stable source of income for the village.

A cage of pangasius. Each fish weighs between 1.5 to 5 kg.

The fish are sold on the raft.

 The fish are transported throughout the Mekong delta.
        
Presently, the village has about 300 fish cages. Each family has at least one or two or even ten of them. Each raft with fish cages underneath has a width of 4m, a length of 7-8m, with an area of 60-100m². People set up their houses above the cages.

Huynh Van Hon, a 62-year-old fish farmer, said: "My parents settled here. Now it is my turn, and my descendants will continue this profession".

Thanks to the rising price of fish, many families have a better life. With two cages, after deduction of expenses, the family of Huynh Van Hon earned more than 120 million dong (5,200 US dollars) in 2016. The family of Dinh Van Mai who raises apangasius breeder earned more than 110 million dong (4,800 US dollar) from selling 20tonnes of fish.

As the village is a unique feature in the cultural life of Southern Vietnam, it has become a tourist destination, attracting an increasing number of tourists.

 
Story: Nguyen Oanh - Photos: Thong Hai

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