In the eighth lunar month, floodwaters bring fish and shrimp to fields in Dong Thap, An Giang and Can Tho, providing farmers with seasonal income. In Thuong Phuoc Commune, Dong Thap, residents head into flooded fields at night to empty traditional fish traps.
Duong Van Nhanh, who has used traditional fish traps in Thuong Phuoc for more than 20 years, sorts his catch through three mesh cages, keeping larger fish and releasing smaller ones to protect aquatic resources.
Alongside traditional livelihoods, Thuong Phuoc has developed flood-season tourism since 2024. Visitors can take small motorised boats across flooded fields and join farmers in catching fish and crabs.
The model not only showcases local life but also helps diversify residents' sources of income.
Common catches during the Mekong Delta flood season include field crabs, linh fish, loaches and other freshwater fish.
In An Giang Province, fishing is also in full swing along the Vinh Te Canal and flooded fields near the Cambodian border. Le Bao Linh, a resident of Vinh Te Ward, said catches were relatively low this year despite higher water levels.
Early-season linh fish sell for about VND 150,000 (USD 5.7) per kilogramme, while other freshwater fish fetch VND 120,000-200,000 per kilogramme. With catches scarce, larger fish have become harder to find.
In Can Tho City, farmers along National Highway 61C are setting eel traps while water levels in the fields remain low, another common form of flood-season fishing.
Bay, a resident of Vi Thanh Ward, has prepared 200 traps. He said catches remained low because the floodwater was still murky, but expected better results once free-ranging ducks had eaten some of the snails and leftover rice in the fields.
Eel traps are typically made from bamboo or plastic and fitted with a funnel-shaped entrance that allows eels to enter but makes it difficult for them to escape. Snails, fish and shrimp are commonly used as bait.
With 200 traps, Bay expects to catch seven to eight kilogrammes of wild eels during the next mid-month high tide, with prices currently reaching VND 75,000 per kilogramme.
Along National Highway 61C, roadside stalls sell seasonal produce including freshwater fish, apple snails, snakes, eels, field rats and wild vegetables to tourists and local residents.
The annual flood season not only brings an abundance of fish and shrimp, providing families with extra income and food, but also creates a distinctive picture of life in the Mekong Delta.