Thanh Hoa people grill fish overnight to serve Tet demand

A salt-water fish grilling facility owned by Tran Thi Hoa in Ngu Loc Commune in Hau Loc District is bustling these days. Besides four family members, she has hired three additional staff.

A salt-water fish grilling facility in Hau Loc District in Thanh Hoa Province

According to Hoa, her workshop can sell up to 20 tonnes of grilled fish a month near Tet compared to her usual 15 tonnes. Her team work from 3 am to 10 pm daily. The 11th lunar month and the second lunar month of the new year are the best time to catch fish for the Tet business. Many others in the locality have doubled their grilled fish capacity. According to Nguyen Thi Thuy from Thang Loc Village, her family's products are mostly sold at traders in Thanh Hoa City and some neighbouring districts as well as hotels and restaurants. During Tet Festival, the demand has become bigger as more people want to use grilled fish as gifts. Thuy has hired more staff. “Now, we have refused to receive new orders because of our labour shortage," Thuy added. Hoa's family earns between VND800 million (USD34,482) and VND1 billion from the fish grilling service a month. The figure has increased to nearly VND3 billion near Tet. Each worker is paid VND8-9 million per month. “Three generations in our family have lived on grilling fish for sale with quite a stable income," Hoa said.