Luxury fish grow as status symbol in Hanoi

February 07, 2012 - 09:53 PM

Well-to-do people in Hanoi are spending thousands of USD on rare ornamental fish, just for conspicuous consumption.

A huyet rong worth USD1,800 at Ly’s shop

Even though Hanoians have the tradition of raising ornamental fish in their houses for years, there are only a minority who can spend hundreds of million, or even billions, on "luxury fish".

Arowana is an ancient species of fish, known as dragon or ‘king’ fish which may be more than 200 million years old.

Because the colour of the the fish looks like silver to some people, they are much sought-after, and is a symbol of prosperity.

There are several different species known throughout the world - such as those coming from Australia, South America and Africa. But the species from East Asia is the one that is most coveted in Vietnam.

The upkeep of these fishes is very expensive. Vu Kieu Ly, owner of an aquarium shop on Lang Ha Street, said he is trading in different subspecies of this fish from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The price of a fish can come to as much as USD3,000.

"The Dragon Fish must have a certificate of origin in order to account for its breed and quality if such large prices are being paid," Ly shared.

The trading in dragon fish stems from his love to the fish. Currently, Ly has been keeping two couples of dragon fishes in his house for four years. He bought an aquarium at VND60 million (USD2,852) and his fish are priced at between USD4,000 and USD5,000 each.

Being renowned for ornamental fish trading in Hanoi, Chinh Ngoc from Long Bien District’s Nguyen Van Cu Road has spent billions of VND on the hobby.

Currently, Ngoc owns many arowana, including 12 huyet long, worth USD2,000 each, two "golden head" fish, and one white iron-coloured platinum arowana that is unique in northern Vietnam, which he spent USD10,000 on. These fish are raised in three different aquariums that cost hundreds of million VND.

He remembered one day when he rummaged everywhere to buy three golden head fish worth USD10,000 each but one of them died one night later after fighting with the others, dissipating around VND200 million.

Ambition prioritised

Those who raise arowana have a great ambition to raise this type of fish, along with a belief that the fish could help bring about good luck, prosperity and wealth in their lives.

Long, from Ton Duc Thang Street's Van Chuong Alley, owns a couple of huyet dong for three years. He said he has been very interested in ornamental fish since he was a little boy. He came to love arowana right after the first sight.

“I have liked arowana since I was first introduced five or six years ago, but at that timel I couldn’t afford to spend USD500. When I finally could afford to buy that kind of fish, I realised that money is not a big problem when you have great ambition. I’ve spent VND60 million (USD2,852) on my current fish and the aquarium. I will not sell them even though they are priced at billions of VND,” Long shared.

Despite being so busy with his job, Long still spares an hour or so every day for his fish. “ Sometimes, when I come back home, I spend an hour or two with my fish, even after 11:30 pm. They help me to release the stress of the day," he said.

Chinh Ngoc even considers arowana an effective treatment to his depression that has plagued him over recent few years because of his pressure at work.

He said, "This type of fish can help foster peace of mind, and bring up thoughts of nature, relaxation and energy."