Locals in Thuy Tram village in the northern province of Phu Tho have been busy harvesting carps to mark Kitchen Gods Day, an annual tradition that takes place on February 4 to mark the 23rd day of the final month of the Lunar New Year.

The busiest time of the year for villagers is when they harvest carp, an item which is one of the main offerings on Kitchen Gods Day.

Farmers begin their work early in the morning in order to ensure that they have the best conditions to harvest the fish.

Farmers typically breed red carp due to the belief that they bring both luck and happiness to all families on Tet.

Farmers state that this year has seen favourable weather conditions help with the process of growing carps.

Whilst the carps are often raised from June, they are normally harvested during December every year.

Carp breeding helps to raise the income for local villagers.

After harvesting the fish, the carps are often distributed to neighbouring localities throughout the northern region.

The majority of traders carry carps to other localities starting from the 19th and 20th days of the final lunar month.

The village has initiated plans to sell a total of 45 tonnes of red carps during the year.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a great impact on Thuy Tram village, with many orders being cancelled, whilst traders are unable to take orders from other places due to fears of the epidemic potentially spreading.

There are a few traders who directly go to purchase items at the village, although so far this figure is only equal to 20% of traders seen last year.