Many well-to-do families in HCM City have taken up raising ornamental fish, often spending trillions of VND on the hobby.

Large hai tuong fish

Though the raising ornamental fish has been a tradition in Vietnam for many years, some rich families in HCM City have taken it step further by ordering rare species from as far away as South America. For example, one very coveted species of fish is called, in Vietnamese, hai tuong. They are mainly imported from Peru and surrounding areas.

This type of fish is appreciated for their colour, and people who choose to raise them often spend a small fortune for the prestige of owning them.

“It’s very expensive to raise hai tuong. They prefer to eat fresh meat, and one of them can eat around five kilos every day. Sometimes I have to spend more than VND1 million (USD47.53) on food for one fish,” said Hung, a successful restaurant and hotel owner.

Hai tuong in Hung’s basin

Hai tuong fish can grow to be as large as 1.5 metres, and their colours, for which they are highly appreciated, depend on their food and the care of the owners.

They are also listed on the world's Red Book of Endangered Species.

Hung emphasised how high the additional costs upkeep were. He remarked that the tanks have to be specially-made to endure high pressure and heavy force. He said that he only keeps one of his fish in a glass tank. The rest reside in a concrete basin.

Rare species

He has had offers from people who wanted to buy his fish that reached as high as VND60 million (USD2,852), but he refused.

Nguyen Van Lang, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Ornamental Fish Association, said most hai tuong fish being raised in the city are offspring and not imports.