As the 23rd day of the lunar month approaches, the atmosphere at Binh Dien Wholesale Market in Ho Chi Minh City becomes vibrant and crowded with buyers and sellers of red carp, a traditional offering for the Kitchen Gods Festival. Prices range from 70,000 to 120,000 VND per kilogram.

Located on Nguyen Van Linh Street in Binh Chanh District, Binh Dien is the largest wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh City, offering a wide variety of goods from fruits and vegetables to seafood.

From the night of January 21 (the 22nd day of the lunar month), the fish market within Binh Dien becomes a hive of activity as vendors and customers gather to purchase red carp.

This year, the price of red carp remains stable compared to previous years, ranging between 70,000 and 120,000 VND per kilogram depending on the size and color of the fish. Huynh Thi Thuy Yen, a stall owner, shared that the market becomes especially busy in the days leading up to the festival.

Preparations for the busy season

Yen, who has imported nearly 15 tons of carp for the occasion, said: “Trucks begin delivering fish in the afternoon, with another shipment arriving by midnight. I’ve had to hire around ten additional workers to meet the high demand.”

At 2 a.m., Pham Van Dung from Binh Thanh District was already at the market selecting fish.

“Normally, I sell vegetables and meat, but during the Kitchen Gods Festival, I add red carp to my inventory to meet customer needs,” he said, carefully choosing each fish himself.

The carp sold at Binh Dien primarily comes from provinces in the Mekong Delta and Dong Nai. Each kilogram typically contains 30 to 35 fish. While smaller carp are sold at a flat rate, larger ones are sold in limited quantities at wholesale prices of around 100,000 VND per kilogram.

Efficient handling and distribution

The fish are kept alive in oxygenated tanks and sorted to remove any weak or dead ones before being sold. After weighing, the carp are placed in water-filled nylon bags, with each bag holding approximately 5 kilograms. The packaging process is swift to ensure the fish remain healthy.

Stall owners employ multiple workers to sort, weigh, and pack fish for distribution. For instance, Hoa, a vendor from District 7, ordered nearly 100 kilograms of carp to meet customer demand:

“If sales continue to go well, I’ll return tomorrow to purchase more stock,” she said.

A cultural tradition

From 1 to 3 a.m., the market is at its busiest, as most vendors from across Ho Chi Minh City arrive to collect red carp for retail.

Many stall owners anticipate that the early hours of January 23 (the day of the Kitchen Gods Festival) will see even greater activity.

Releasing red carp into rivers or lakes after offering them in rituals has been a cherished cultural practice for hundreds of years, symbolizing respect for the Kitchen Gods and embodying humanistic values.

Dao Phuong