Back Stories » Saigon » [Photos] Saigon Man Catches 130kg Giant Barb In D9, Immediately Sells It For $10,000

Believe it or not, there are still some large fish left in Saigon’s waterways.

Crowds blocked the Rach Muong Bridge in District9 as a fisherman pulled a 130kg giant barb fish from the tributary of the Dong Nai River.

The fisherman, 35-year-old Tran Minh Dung, found the 1.5m long and 0.5m wide fish after returning to the spot where he had set fishing nets the night before, according to Vietnam Net.

"At first I did not know what species the fish was, then some people said that this was a giant barb, which are rare," Dung said.

A trader from Thu Duc quickly took the fish off the fisherman’s hands for VND192 million ($10,000) who literally threw it into the back of a taxi.

As you can probably imagine, a catch like this is rare. The giant barb, aka the Siamese giant carp, can only be found in the Mae Klong, Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins and is “critically endangered” due to overfishing and habitat loss.

It’s quite a catch for the poor fisherman but sad to see the city’s remaining wildlife meeting this kind of fate.

[Vietnam Net]

Related Articles

in Saigon

$100,000 Diamond Allegedly Vanishes From Woman’s Finger In HCMC Hotel

A Hanoi woman claims that she was drugged at a HCMC hotel last weekend and awoke to find that a $100,000 diamond had been pried from her ring.

in Saigon

100,000 Workers at Saigon Industrial Zones to Get Free WiFi by 2019

Workers at Saigon’s industrial zones can look forward to free WiFi access in the near future thanks to a new program.

in Saigon

100-Year-Old Trees In Front Of Opera House Cut Down To Make Way For Metro

Flower Street and the statues in front of Bến Thành Market aren’t the only sacrifices being made to accommodate the construction of Saigon’s first metro line.

in Saigon

122-Year-Old Saigon Woman Confirmed As World’s Oldest

The World Records Association (WRA) has completed the verification process and officially confirmed Saigon’s 122-year-old Nguyen Thi Tru, as the world’s oldest woman.

in Saigon

160 Wood Benches Being Added To Nguyen Hue Street

The trees that were cut down last July during construction of the metro station in front of the Saigon Opera House are making a comeback in the form of benches.

in Saigon

18,600 Trees to Be Cut for Tourist Road Through Can Gio

Saigon authorities have given the go-ahead for a US$8.7 million road through the UNESCO recognized Can Gio biosphere reserve that will necessitate the felling of 18,600 trees.

Partner Content