Construction engineer quits job to go to the forest to raise strange fish

The "floating restaurant" is located next to Mr. Ty's fish cage. Photo: Nguyen Phuc

Struggling with passion

At the artificial lake located in the middle of acacia forest named Da La (Lam Lang village, Cam Thuy commune, Cam Lo district, Quang Tri), 37-year-old owner Tran Viet Ty is managing a "property" including a system offish cageand a small “floating restaurant”. Few people know that he had a “rough” past when pursuing his passion for fish farming, which caused his life to take many turns. He learned how to raise commercial fish on his own through friends, the internet… “I graduated from the Construction College and also spent 10 years wandering around working in Ho Chi Minh City. But whatever I made, I “smuggled” back to my hometown to raise fish in my pond,” he said. “Fish farming, like many other farming jobs, requires perseverance and daring to think differently. I thought differently, so I have achieved some results like today.”

But “one scene, two hometowns” did not work, so in 2015 he left Ho Chi Minh City and returned to Quang Tri. When he discovered Da La Lake, he immediately seized the new opportunity. That year, he and his uncle spent more than 600 million VND to rent this lake tostart up. At first, when he had not yet figured out much, he raised all kinds of fish and released them into the wild. However, in 2016, a big flood caused almost all of the fish to escape. When the water receded, standing on the edge of the lake looking down, he saw only mud under his feet and nothing.

But not letting his passion fade away, Tran Viet Ty once again got up. Realizing that raising fish naturally in lakes had many potential risks, especially in Quang Tri where storms occurred every year, he traveled to many northern provinces and cities to learn about cage fish farming.

Farm owner and restaurant owner

Mr. Ty said that while he was having a "headache" thinking about what kind of fish was suitable for the cages in Da La, luckily a fish farm owner in Hai Duong suggested a breed.Crispy Carp“For a long time, I only knew about carp, but not crispy carp. I was curious when I saw it...”, Mr. Ty recalled.

Although he struggled in the first crop, not long after that, with perseverance, he "conquered" the crispy carp, exporting it to many places. "Although I sold it in some markets outside the province, I realized that people in my hometown did not know much about this delicious and strange fish," said Mr. Ty. So, since March 2020, he has turned around again, taking on the role of restaurant owner with crispy carp. With the local approval, he invested 200 million VND to build a floating restaurant right on Da La Lake. With the cool and peaceful terrain of the lake, mountains, and surrounding green trees of Da La Lake, Mr. Ty's floating restaurant has gradually become a favorite place for many diners.

Now, when coming to Da La Lake, visitors should not be surprised to see Mr. Ty sometimes standing on the cage catching fish, sometimes sweating while preparing food in the kitchen. Orders from many restaurants and eateries in Cam Lo District, Dong Ha City also "fly" to his cage to order this fragrant and crispy fish.

After crispy carp, Mr. Ty revealed that he is planning new “adventures” with crispy pearl fish, crispy red tilapia... He raises these fish in cages and also feeds them with broad beans to have crispy meat. “Fish farming, like many other farming jobs, requires perseverance and daring to think differently. I thought differently so I have achieved some results like today and have not wasted my ten years of pursuing my passion for fish,” Mr. Ty concluded.

Crispy carp is a common carp but is raised in 2 stages. Stage 1 is raised in normal mode, stage 2 is the stage of caring for commercial fish (5 - 6 months). During this time, the fish are fed with broad beans, when they reach a weight of 1.2 - 1.5 kg/fish, they are sold. According to the assessment, broad beans are the decisive factor in changing the quality of the fish meat, increasing the toughness of the meat muscles, making the fish firm and crispy. The meat is tough, crispy, low in fat, delicious... so crispy carp has an economic value 2-3 times higher than normal carp, priced at about 200,000 VND/kg.