Dustin Cheverier from California, in the US, is a foreign blogger known to many Vietnamese via his YouTube channel with 790,000 followers. He has been living in Vietnam for nine years and often shares videos about his experiences traveling and trying traditional dishes.

He spends much time to learn and taste dishes, local specialties, from common food to special dishes, including ones many other foreigners are hesitant to eat.

Most recently, the man revealed he rode 440 kilometers from HCM City, where he lives, to Ca Mau City just to buy a kind of fish he loves – ca thoi loi.

Mudskippers mostly live and dig burrows to reside in mangrove forests or alluvial soil along the coast and rivers. In Vietnam, Ca Mau is considered a "capital" of mudskippers.

The fish doesn’t have an attractive appearance and are very small. Their eyes are quite large, even larger than their heads, so they look odd. Mudskippers can live both on land and water. They can even "fly" and climb trees quickly thanks to their two strong front fins, which act like hands.

Because of its strange appearance, mudskippers are listed among the six strangest creatures on the planet.

To catch mudskippers, locals use different methods, from setting traps to lighting. When the light shines in their eyes, the fish becomes motionless and disoriented, which makes it easier for people to catch them. However, trapping remains the most commonly used method.

Though having an odd appearance, mudskipper is a famous specialty of Ca Mau, favored by local people and pilgrims. Its meat is firm and delicious.

Dustin said he wanted to buy fish and bring back to HCM City, he had to look for dried fish to ensure the quality after traveling a long distance. As the fish only lives in the wild and it still cannot be bred, diners can only buy it from farmers who catch fish manually.

Dustin loves dishes made of ca thoi loi. He said if someone cannot buy ca thoi loi, he can use ca bong (goby) instead. Both fish taste delicious.

After riding to many places in Ca Mau and came to some markets, Dustin finally found a shop that sold ca thoi loi at VND450,000 per kilogram.

Many foreign travelers to Ca Mau also like the taste of this special fish.

Phan Dau