VietNamNet Bridge – People probably only know about the northern province of Ha Nam as the home to specialties like Dai Hoang braised fish, king bananas, Phu Van flower village but few know that Ha Nam is also the home to Mong chicken, the species listed in the Vietnam’s Red Book.

Each year a Mong chicken lays over 200 eggs.

Before the lunar New Year, many traders are flocking to Tien Phong commune, Duy Tien district, Ha Nam province to "hunt" Mong chicken.

Mong chicken is the purebred chicken with big legs and high quality meat. This species of chicken was named Mong because it was discovered, raised, and bred from Mong village (now Tien Phong commune).

In 2003, officials of the Ha Nam Department of Agriculture and Rural Development went to Tien Phong commune to survey the Mong chicken. Seeing the difference of this species, they sent some chicken to the Livestock Institute for clarification. Results showed that this is a rare kind of chicken. Immediately Mong chicken was named in the Red Book of Vietnam.




Since Mong chicken is known to be a rare species, many people tried to breed it. But Mong chicken are only adapted to the climate and soil of Tien Phong commune. The commune becomes the only place where breeds the chicken in the Red Book. Therefore every Tet holiday, traders flock to Tien Phong to buy Mong chicken.

Listed in the Red Book, Mong chickens are bred popularly by Tien Phong commune’s residents. This is the only one species in the Red Book that is not banned from breeding and trading.

Mr. Tran Xuan Xuong in An Mong 1 village is one of the biggest breeders of Mong chicken and also the most experienced breeder in the commune. Xuong said that this species has been left from the ancestors and the villagers do not know when the chicken appeared.

According to him, Mong chicken is quite easy to raise because they only eat rice, maize and ground potatoes and cassava like other kinds of chicken. The meat of Mong chicken is firm, fragrant and the skin is crispy so it is favored by customers, especially during the holidays.

Tien Phong's terrain is surrounded by the Chau Giang River. Moreover, the farmers carefully protect their chicken, so Mong chicken’s purity has been well maintained.







Mr. Nguyen Van Tham, the owner of a Mong chicken farm that is selected for the implementation of Ha Nam’s Mong chicken conservation project, said: "Mong baby chickens have white feather and yellow feet. Adult chicken have very big legs which are as big as children’s wrist. Interstitial legs have red borders, the scales are aligned. In particular, the crow of Mong chicken is deep."

Mr. Do Duc Dien, head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Aquaculture of Ha Nam Province, said: "Mong Chicken is unique in Tien Phong commune. We tried to breed them in other places but the result was not satisfactory. Particularly, this species’ disease resistance is very high. In recent years, although avian influenza occurred in many areas, Mong chicken have not been affected. To ensure this precious species, we are always interested in investment and support to local farmers."

According to the local authorities, over 95% of the households in Tien Phong commune are raising Mong chicken, with more than 18,000 hens. The price for 1 kg of Mong chicken is from VND170,000 to VND200,000, VND10,000/egg and VND20,000/baby chicken.

US$1 = VND21,000

Compiled by Minh Hang