Giant barb weighing 600 kg in the Mekong River

Catching Giant Barb on the Mekong River

The Mekong River (the Vietnamese name for the Mekong River) is home to many species of giant fish, considered “sea monsters”, including giant barb fish. People have caught a giant barb fish weighing nearly 600 kg and more than 3 m long in the Mekong River. In Vietnam, fishermen have many times caught giant barb fish weighing up to hundreds of kg.

Learn about Giant Mekong Barb

With the scientific name Catlocarpio siamensis, barb fish is the largest species in the carp family, with a fairly large head compared to its body, and often lives in the Mae Klong, Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers in Southeast Asia. This is a migratory fish, often eating algae and fruit.

Giant Mekong Barb is considered the national fish in Cambodia

In Cambodia, barb fish is named the national fish. This species of fish lives a lot in the Mekong River, the section flowing through Cambodian territory. In the West, giant catfish weighing 130 kg are caught by fishermen on the Mekong River, usually around October. They are bought by traders for hundreds of millions of VND.

Tonlé Sap, also known as the Cambodian Tonle Sap, is a lake formed along the Mekong River, flowing through Cambodia. Tonle Sap is home to a large aquatic resource in this country, including many giant catfish.

According to geography textbooks, with a natural area of up to 2,700 km2 in the rainy season (1,600 km2 in the dry season), Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. In 1997, Tonle Sap was recognized by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve.

3 species of fish considered monsters in the Mekong Delta

When flowing into Vietnam, the Mekong River divides into 2 main streams: The right branch is called Hau Giang (Hau River), the left branch is called Tien Giang (Tien River). Both flow into the Mekong Delta.

According to the Vietnam Geographic Atlas, the Tien and Hau rivers flow through Dong Thap, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, An Giang, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Soc Trang. The Mekong River does not flow through Long An province.

There are 3 species of fish considered to be giant catfish, swordfish, and giant barb. This species has a large, flat head, wide mouth with 2 long whiskers on the upper jaw. The fish’s back is dark brown, the fins are lighter. They are large but only eat aquatic plants.

Contact Vietnam Fishing Tour company now to book yourself a fishing tour in the Mekong Delta and experience fishing for 3 giant fish species in Vietnam!