The river of Tra, more than 39 kms long, originates from Truong Son mountains and pours itself into the sea. Although its aquatic products are not diversified in terms of quantity and species, they all are very delicious, particularly goby. Goby is especially delicious in summer. In goby seasons, farmers often use one – meter long bamboo pipes, open at two ends, staking them into the river. In the following day, they dive into the river, grabbing the pipes’ two ends so as to pour up all the gobies in the pipes. When being caught, they are very fresh, kicking convulsively. We put them into a earthenware pot, spicing them with some chilly, onion, pepper, and water before cooking them with small flames. After 2 hours, such these gobies are not only fragrant but delicious when serving with cooked rice. If being reheat two or three times, they will become more delicious, making users want to eat them more.  

There is a Vietnamese saying, that is “goby with pepper, thieu with sweet taste”. Goby with pepper is a speciality of people living near Tra river. The most delicious goby is “the sandy goby”, usually called “ Tra river sandy fish” (Tra giang sa ngu). There has a variety of kinds of sandy gobies from the small yellow like the second – last finger sandy ones to the dark grouper ones (sometimes called dark goby), not delicious like the sandy ones.       

When catching goby, people use the five – inch bamboo pipes, open at the two ends where the goby use as its home. People begin to put these pipes into the river in August according to the lunar calendar when the local small boats begin to avoid rainy seasons and the goby begins its breeding season. At that time, Tra river water is a little shallow. The goby favorite bredding places are standstill and clear places. People choose places suitable to the pipe’s length to stake them into straight lines, perpendicular with the water current, three inches from the river bottom 2 meters from one pipe to the next one. Every 24 hours, people pour up the pipes. They bring bamboo pipes, called “vit” to contain goby. In order to surely catch goby, they softly cover the pipes’ two ends, raising them out of the water and pouring into the bamboo “vit”. After that, they return these pipes at their place. People’s movement should be very quiet and skilful unless goby in the other pipes will flee away. People also use an oyster net “ngao net” for catching goby. It is a jute or silk net, 7m long, 1m high with two rods at the two ends, one of which is sharpened and put into the river when stretching the net. It is made by many linked oyster covers, usually 30 – 40 meters long. 

After brought home, gobies will be scaled, finned, pulled out all inner intestines. Then, put them into a bamboo basket and rubbed with salt many times to clear up their scales. Next, clean them with water before putting them into a bowl with fish sauce for a few minutes. After that, put them into a  earthenware pot (trach dat) covered with fat or cooking oil, pouring some water so that gobies are covered at an appropriate level and cooking with small flames until they are done. Finally, use a pair of bamboo chopsticks for mixing them. Remember to skilfully mix them so that they will not be broken to fragments. Then pour some pepper and distilled chili sauce . Cover the pot lid tightly so as to mix pepper and distilled chilly sauce into the fish. Five minutes later, take the pot out bu keep the lid tight until the meal. When the pot is uncovered, we smell its fragrant taste and will eat them even we are full.