Fish farming area in cages on the reservoir of the hydroelectric power plant in Muong Khieng commune.

From the center of Muong Khieng commune, after traversing winding slopes, we arrived at Ban Xa village, where rows of floating fish cages dotted the vast reservoir. We visited the fish cage farming model of Mr. Quang Van Tuong's family, one of the exemplary households in the commune that has become wealthy from fish cage farming. Mr. Tuong shared: "The village has 84 households, all of the La Ha ethnic group. Among them, 10 households raise 110 fish cages on the hydroelectric reservoir, bringing high economic efficiency. My family, in 2017, invested in 10 fish cages, and seeing the effectiveness, we continued to expand the scale to 21 cages; of which, 18 cages raise golden catfish; the rest raise black carp, tilapia, and grass carp. In 2025, my family sold more than 5 tons of golden catfish." There are currently over 20 tons of various types of fish remaining, which are expected to be sold during the Lunar New Year holiday. After deducting expenses, this will yield a profit of nearly 800 million VND.

The fish cage farming model of the people of Ban Xa village.

Not far from Mr. Quang Van Tuong's fish farm is the farm of Mr. Quang Van Linh's family, which has 44 cages for raising fish. In 2025 alone, his family sold 8 tons of fish, mainly yellow catfish, black catfish, snakehead fish, and tilapia. It is expected that from now until before the Lunar New Year, his family will continue to harvest and sell more than 20 tons of various types of fish, earning a profit of nearly 300 million VND after deducting expenses. Mr. Linh said: Raising fish in cages on the lake results in fewer diseases, faster fish growth, and the main food source is cassava, corn, and grass. In addition, the cage fish farmers also buy small fish caught by other households to feed their fish, creating additional income for the local people.

The fish cage farming model of the people of Ban Xa village.

Currently, Muong Khieng commune has over 670 fish cages on the Son La hydroelectric reservoir. By 2025, the fish production is expected to reach 125 tons. Working alongside the local people, Muong Khieng commune is implementing comprehensive solutions to support product consumption. Mr. Quang Van Tiep, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said: The commune has promoted and encouraged people to apply scientific and technical methods, manage quality, and build a safe seafood production and supply chain. They are coordinating with specialized agencies to guide people in standardizing farming processes, tracing origins, and gradually building the "Muong Khieng Cage Fish" brand. They are strengthening links with purchasing businesses, promoting the introduction of products into supermarkets, wholesale markets, and e-commerce channels; and simultaneously calling for investment in processing facilities to stabilize output and reduce dependence on middlemen as is currently the case.

People in Muong Khieng commune are harvesting fish.

With the potential and advantages of the lake area, along with the increasing market demand for aquatic products, Muong Khieng commune has important advantages to continue expanding production and forming a sustainable commercial aquaculture area, creating conditions for the La Ha ethnic people in particular, and the ethnic people in the commune in general, to develop their economy and become wealthy in their homeland.

Text and photos: Hong Nhan