Mutant red-whiskered bulbs

Attracted by the feather color of red-whiskered bulbs, since 2019, Tuan Anh in Nghe  An province has spent big money to collect them.

“Each bird bears special mutant characteristics and has different beauty. There is the bird with mutant color on its head, while the others have special characteristics on the wings or tail. There is also one with mutations in the beak and legs,” he said.

According to Anh, the beauty and value of a bird are assessed by plumage, body shape and fighting style. 

Birds have high value if they have original colors they like at different moments. They need to have a clear voice and imposing style to threaten opponents.

Anh now owns 100 birds with different colors, each of which is priced at VND20-50 million. More special birds, including ones winning prizes at competitions, sell at VND70-500 million each.

Tiny fowl

Vietnamese call it ‘ga tre’. It is very small. An adult female weighs below 500 grams, while males are below 700 grams.

It is raised by many people because it is easy to look after, and has a beautiful appearance and diverse colors. It is smart and extremely agile. 

The prices are between several millions of dong and tens of millions of dong, depending on feather colors and appearance. Some of them are priced up to VND200 million thanks to their rare colors and high agility.

Sweet passion fruit

Passion fruit is just VND25,000-30,000 per kilogram. However, there is a type of passion fruit that is not sour but sweet, and fragrant with the smell of guava, called sweet yellow passion fruit.

The price of this fruit ranges from VND70,000 and VND135,000 per kilogram. Despite high prices, it sells very well.

Merchants said sweet passion fruit are mostly from Da Lat (Lam Dong) and Moc Chau (Son La), two famous passion fruit growing areas in Vietnam.

The fruit with big sizes also attract buyers. The fruit has a weight of up to 1.2 kilograms, but has little juice. It mostly has pulp and a special fragrance. It is expensive, VND200,000 per kilogram.

Yellow passion fruit can be used to make cakes, wine, cream, fruit juice and drunk with tea. The mixture of passion fruit and bee honey can be used to treat coughs. 

Expensive fish offered to King

Ca ke, or ca chien (Bagarius bagarius) is a species of catfish which lives mostly in deep water, rivers, lakes and rapids such as Da, Ma and Lo Rivers. 

In the past, cake was a kind of specialty food offered to Kings.

Ca ke has become rare in the wild, so its prices have soared. One kilogram now sells at VND500,000-650,000 per kilogram. Each adult fish weighs 3-5 kilograms, while big fish weigh tens of kilograms.

Many people believe it is the most delicious of freshwater fish. The flesh of the cake looks yellow as if it is marinated with turmeric. The bigger the fish is, the more delicious it is.

Thanh Hoa specialty

Tadpoles are a unique specialty which can be found only in ThanhHoa. Tadpoles laid by frogs in the forest in the rainy season are round, as big as a finger. The time from the sixth to 11th months of the lunar calendar is the right time to catch tadpoles. Local people catch tadpoles in the early morning or late afternoon.

Tadpoles are used to cook soup, stir-fry bamboo shoots, ... and are very delicious. It has a characteristic aroma, and is a soft and sweet food. In Thanh Hoa, tadpoles are sold at the market for up to 90,000 VND/kg.

Hanh Nguyen