From late on the 21st day into the early hours of the 22nd of the 12th lunar month, traders thronged Yen So fish market despite cold rain and temperatures of near 12 degree Celcius.
The market is the city’s main hub for sourcing and distributing red carp used in the rite marking the send-off of the Kitchen Gods to heaven on the 23rd day.
Shortly after 1 am, wholesalers worked at pace, unloading live fish from trucks and transferring them to aerated tanks. Traders sorted carp by size and culled weak fish to ensure healthy stock for retail markets across the city.
According to Nguyen Van Vien, a bulk seller at Yen So, he had been bringing in tonnes of red carp each day in the run-up to the festival. Prices this year were 30-40 per cent lower than last year’s peak, when they briefly reached VND 200,000 (USD 7.6) per kilogramme, he said, adding that prices were likely to firm on the ritual day itself.
Red carp are supplied by traders from fish-farming villages in provinces neighbouring Hanoi, including Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa and Hai Duong. On the night of the 21st day of the final lunar month, prices at Yen So market ranged from VND 100,000 to VND 120,000 dong per kilogramme.
Traders worked tirelessly despite heavy rain and temperatures of around 12 degrees Celsius.
Fish are placed into large water basins with oxygenation to ensure their survival.
Traders sort the fish by size, removing weak or dead ones to ensure only healthy carp are sold for the Kitchen Gods Day ceremony.
By 2 am, the market grew even busier as more traders arrived, while small-scale retailers began buying fish to sell in other areas.
Thuy, a long-time trader at Yen So Market, said red carp prices are slightly lower than a year ago, hovering around VND 100,000 (USD 3.92) per kilogramme but are expected to rise on the ritual day as demand increases.
Traders lit fires to keep warm.