HCM City (VNS/VNA) -The month before Tet (Lunar New Year), which will fall on January 25, are thebusiest for residents of Mekong Delta craft villages since demand fortraditional specialties spike.

Villagers in Nem Lai Vung (fermented pork roll) craftvillage in Dong Thap province's Lai Vung district are working overtime toensure adequate supply as orders for the product skyrocket.

Nguyen Thi Ngan, the owner of Nem Lai Vung production unit Ut Thang, saidsince the New Year holidays would see peak demand, her production establishmenthad to hire more workers.

“Since last month the facilityhas had to increase capacity to ensure sufficient spring rolls supply todealers. Currently, the average production is 4,000-5,000 rolls per day, threetimes the normal rate.”

Dried-fish processing villagesin the delta are also busy. 

They produce various kinds ofdried marine and freshwater fish and shrimp, with snakeskin gourami, tra and shrimp being their specialities.

In Ca Mau province, Cai Doi Vamvillage in the town of the same name has increased production since early thismonth to ensure it can meet demand.     

Tran Thi Thanh, whose familyhas been making dried fish for nearly seven years, said producers wereoperating at full capacity now.

“My family is increasingproduction to two or three times the normal volume.

“Thanks to this traditionaloccupation, many families in the village have a stable and good income.”

Production establishments areeach supplying two to three tonnes of dried fish to the market a day.

It is a very old occupation inthe town, with fishermen traditionally keeping aside a part of their catch tomake dried fish to sell later.

The high profits the productoffered had attracted more and more households to the business, she said.

“The village’s dried marinefish are sold to other provinces and also exported.”

They cost an average of 80,000-150,000VND (3.5–7 USD) per kilogramme.

Cai Doi Vam, one of the largestvillages making the product in Ca Mau province, has more than 100 householdsand companies making various kinds of dried fish, including anchovy,lizardfish, silver croaker and creamfish.

Dried creamfish is considered aspecialty of the town and was even granted a collective brand by the NationalOffice of Intellectual Property last year.

The periods before and after Tetare also the main season for catching the fish.

Ca Mau province’s dried shrimpis also in high demand with production establishments in Ngoc Hien district’sRach Goc town operating at full capacity.

In Dong Thap province’s Tam Nongdistrict, 15 dried fish making establishments in Phu Tho commune each producesabout 250kg of dried snakehead and snakeskin gourami, two times the amount lastyear.

Tran Thi Trung, owner of anestablishment, said the stages of making dried fish included cleaning, removingbones, marination and drying.

Snakehead sells for 150,000-180,000VND (7-7.2 USD) and is expected to rise closer to Tet, according tolocal producers.

In An Giang province, Khanh Anvillage in An Phu district’s Khanh An commune is famous for its freshwatervarieties like tra, snakeskin gouramiand snakehead.

Its dried snakeskin gourami issold mostly to HCM City and tourists visiting the province’s famous Ba Chua XuTemple in Chau Doc town.

According to Tran Thi Hong,owner of a production establishment, snakeskin gourami has less fat than manyother types of fish and so, when dried, can be preserved for a long time.

Sometimes people come to thecommune to buy this product to send to relatives living overseas. Thevillage produces around 3,000 tonnes a year.

Producers of banh Tet (cylindricalglutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and pork) are also workinghard to meet demand.

Tran Kim Ly in Tra Vinh province'sCau Ngang district, said orders, particularly for delivery a day or two before Tet,were increasing.

Customers from as far away as DongNai and Binh Duong provinces had placed orders, she added./.