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Home/Countries/Vietnam/Nature & outdoors/Cam Luong Fish Stream

Cam Luong Fish Stream

A short stream packed with fish that nobody catches, because the village has always held them sacred.

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Typestream
WhereThanh Hoa Province
Nearest cityCam Thuy about 10 km; Thanh Hoa about 80 km
Best seasonYear round
Time to allowHalf a day
Getting thereRoads north-west from Thanh Hoa city to Cam Thuy district; the stream is signposted
EntryEntry fee

The Cam Luong stream runs a few hundred metres from a cave mouth in the limestone to the Ma river, and it is full of fish - thousands of them, of a barb species that grows to a few kilos, packed densely enough that the water looks solid with them. The Muong village has held them sacred for generations: the story is that the fish are guardians associated with a spirit in the cave, and catching or eating them brings misfortune, so nobody does, which is the actual reason the density exists. Visitors feed them, which the site sells. The stream is short and the visit takes an hour.

What you actually see

  • A stream packed with fish - thousands of barb in a few hundred metres.
  • A cave mouth at the head - where the water comes out.
  • A sacred prohibition - nobody catches or eats them.
  • Feeding sold to visitors - the site's business.

When to go

Year round. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is a short stream and an hour covers it. Feeding is commercialised and the fish are fed constantly. Facilities and stalls around the site are basic and pushy. It is a long drive for a small thing.

Nearby

Cam Thuy is south-east; Pu Luong reserve is north-west.

What to pack for Cam Luong Fish Stream

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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