Tra fish fair to take place this week in Hanoi

Tra fish processing in Bien Dong Seafood Company (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese tra fish (pangasius) and seafood fair is scheduled to take place at the Hanoi-based Agricultural Exhibition Centre from October 6-8.

The fair is expected to attract more than 100 booths of domestic and foreign enterprises, according to the Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). 

Within the framework of the event, there will be a seminar on tra fish production and consumption, and a food court introducing dishes made from tra fish. 

Tra fish is a popular choice of housewives thanks to its high nutritious values, especially its fat which comprises up to 80 percent of polyunsaturated fatty acids and no cholesterol. 

Tran Thi Hoa, from Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi, said she buys tra fish because this kind of fish is good for health and it is already processed, helping her save cooking time. 

Vietnamese tra fish has been shipped to 150 countries and territories nationwide, including choosy markets like the US and the Europe. Vietnam’s tra fish export to China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Mideast, Brazil and Mexico has also increased recently. 

The Vietnamese Government has listed tra fish in the National Product Development Programme by 2020. 

Tran Dinh Luan, deputy head of the Directorate of Fisheries, said the MARD has assigned the directorate to establish a public-private partnership group in fisheries, which will coordinate with the Vietnam Pangasius Association, the Vietnam Fisheries Societies, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, and a number of non-governmental organisations, to organise a club of tra fish businesses. 

The group will also connect with supermarkets and restaurants to promote tra fish consumption, he said. 

Apart from 60 kinds of tra fish products, there are oil and collagen extracted from tra fish./.