Fishermen have often caught “water monsters” of gigantic size in the Da River, causing a stir among the locals.
A Warty Catfish, also known as the royal fish, weighing nearly 30 kg and measuring 1.2 m, was caught by fishermen in the Da River and brought to Hanoi in 2022. The scientific name for this fish is Bagarius, and it resides in deep waters with many rocky rapids and strong currents.
At the end of May 2018, a “water monster” of the Giant Catfish species, approximately 2 meters long and nearly 100 kg in weight, was caught in the nets of fishermen and brought to a restaurant in Hanoi. It was sold for as much as 1 million VND per kg.
In June 2017, a River Eel measuring 1.5 m and weighing 10 kg was purchased from a fisherman by a supplier specializing in Da River delicacies in Hanoi for 45 million VND.
In May 2017, an angler in Hoa Binh unexpectedly caught a Black Carp weighing 41 kg in the depths of the Da River in Thung Lai commune, Cao Phong district, Hoa Binh province.
On July 2, 2018, a group of fishermen fishing on the Da River (in the area flowing through Son La province) caught a gigantic Giant Snakehead weighing 22 kg and measuring over 1 m.
On the morning of November 6, 2016, Mr. Lo Van Phanh (Dien Bien) caught a Warty Catfish weighing approximately 28 kg and measuring 1.5 m in the Da River near Hang Tom Bridge, Muong Lay town, Dien Bien province.
The head of the giant Warty Catfish is gnarled like a rotting log, with a smooth body and bizarre mottled colors. The Warty Catfish is considered a rare and precious item historically used for royal offerings.
On June 18, 2015, Mr. Kieu Huu Tho, a restaurant owner in Hanoi, acquired a giant Warty Catfish measuring 1.5 m and weighing 40 kg. This rare “water monster” was caught by a local near Trung Ha Bridge (Ba Vi, Hanoi) – the confluence of the Red River and the Da River.
A giant Warty Catfish weighing over 25 kg was caught by locals in the Da River and was purchased by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa, a dealer specializing in forest specialties in Dinh Thon, Nam Tu Liem district (Hanoi) on March 24, 2016.
A close-up of a Warty Catfish weighing nearly 30 kg and measuring 1.2 m was brought from Hoa Binh to Hanoi by Mr. Le Sy Long, a restaurant owner, in early November 2017.
