Farmers in the upstream border area of An Giang Province catch young linh fish in flooded fields. – VNA/VNS Photo Công Mạo

AN GIANG – Farmers in the upstream areas of An Giang Province are busy catching young linh fish, a tiny seasonal specialty that brings both income and cherished flavours.

In the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, particularly in An Giang and Đồng Tháp provinces, the annual flood season caused by the rising Mekong River brings not only fertile sediments but also abundant fish and shrimp.

Among these, young linh are the most awaited, appearing only once a year and becoming a seasonal delicacy tied to generations of delta memories.

Linh come in several varieties, with the two most common being linh ống (Cirrhinus jullieni) and linh ria (Cirrhinus molitorella).

Around the seventh lunar month the river floods the fields, and locals eagerly begin catching the first shoals of fish.

Nguyễn Văn Gàng, head of Phú Thuận Hamlet in Nhơn Hội Commune, said that when floodwaters covered the fields outside the dykes, farmers would pause cultivation and turn to fishing for extra income.

“This year the floods arrived earlier and were higher than last year, bringing more fish and shrimp, so people are enjoying a better season.”

By the middle of the sixth lunar month the first shoals of young linh had already arrived.

During the flood season, linh fish account for the majority of life in the Mekong Delta’s rivers. – VNA/VNS Photo Công Mạo

Võ Văn Lê in Nhơn Hội Commune, who has no farmland, said his family relied entirely on the flooding for its livelihood.

Using 20 traditional dớn (net fish traps used in floodplains), he catches over 50 kilogrammes of young linh daily, plus several kilogrammes of other species.

He earns VNĐ1 million (US$38) a day selling them to traders and local restaurants.

Young linh sell locally for VNĐ20,000–30,000 (75 US cents – $1.1) per kilogramme, but prices in Châu Đốc and Long Xuyên wards can reach VNĐ150,000 ($5.7).

Lê Thanh Điền, who has traded linh at the Kênh Ruột and Bắc Đai markets in Nhơn Hội Commune for more than 25 years, said he bought 5–6 tonnes daily, and sometimes over 10 tonnes when the flood brought large shoals.

At dawn the Kênh Ruột Market near the Cambodian border bustles with people trading linh and other aquatic species of the season.

Boats laden with fish head downstream to Châu Đốc Market, where small traders purchase and distribute them across the delta and to distant provinces and cities nationwide.

For people in the delta, young linh are an essential seasonal treat.

Early in the season, when the fish are as small as chopstick tips with soft bones, they are fried in batter or braised with fish sauce or tamarind and eaten with điên điển (Sesbania sesban) flowers, another flood-season specialty.

As the fish grow larger, locals make patties or cook them in sweet-and-sour soup.

Nguyễn Văn Tuyên, 72, of Nhơn Hội Commune, said: “The first young linh of the season are no longer as cheap as before. Even so, whenever floodwaters cover the canal banks, families look forward to buying the fish for a meal as a way of welcoming the annual flood season.”

He recalled that in the past floodwaters brought fish in great abundance, allowing locals to make fish sauce and fermented fish, which were sold cheaply.

“In recent years linh has become a rare delicacy that fetches high prices and is sometimes so scarce that it is hard to buy even if you have money.”

Traders buy young linh directly at Kênh Ruột Market in An Giang Province’s Nhơn Hội Commune, a makeshift market that springs up in rice fields during the flood season. – VNA/VNS Photo Công Mạo

A draw for visitors

The distinctive flavours of linh attract visitors from HCM City, the southeast and even Hà Nội.

Phạm Thu Hà of HCM City often gathers friends to visit An Giang during the flood season.

“Sitting around a rural meal with braised linh and điên điển flowers is unforgettable,” Hà said.

Nguyễn Thị Phướng, chairwoman of the Nhơn Hội Commune People’s Committee, said linh not only fetched an income but also had cultural value.

Locals have turned them into high-value products such as salted and fermented fish and canned braised linh for both domestic sales and export.

Some areas also link up flood-season tourism with linh tasting, offering a unique attraction for visitors. – VNS