The God of Wealth Day is held on the 10th day of the first lunar month, which falls on February 7 this year.
People in the southern region of Vietnam usually buy grilled snakehead fish as an offering for the God of Wealth to pray for prosperity and good fortune throughout the year. For them, snakehead fish symbolises effort and success due to its high adaptation to various living conditions. It is also the symbol of wealth and good luck.
Le Van Hung, owner of a stall on Tan Ky Tan Quy Street, said that his family grilled around 250 kilos of snakehead fish for this year's God of Wealth Day.
"We're preparing less fish this year compared to previous years," Hung said. "Sales seem to be slower this year and the fish prices are also higher."
After being cleaned, the fish, weighing around 1-2 kilos each, is skewered on sugarcane sticks for grilling. "Using sugarcane helps to enhance the sweetness of the fish and prevent the skewers from burning," Hung explained.
The owner of another stall, Nguyen Trung, said that he's also selling less fish this year as demand has fallen.
"We have some 1,500 fish weighing some 2.50 tonnes for the God of Wealth Day this year," he said.
According to a staff member at Trung's stall, it takes some 35-40 minutes for the fish to be grilled. Each grilled snakehead fish is sold at VND200,000-250,000 (USD8-10), depending on the weight. "We've started preparing and selling the fish since yesterday," he said.
The fish is reheated and drizzled with scallion oil then wrapped in silver foil to retain its heat before being sold. People who buy the fish are provided with aromatic herbs, dipping sauce and rice vermicelli.
A customer, Nguyen Thi Lieu, said that she decided to come and buy the fish earlier this year to avoid congestion.
