Visitors can touch the friendly fish at the Cam Luong spring, which local villagers consider sacred.

Muong villagers in the central province of Thanh Hoa say a small local spring has been filled with thousands of fish since at least the 14th century.

They say they don’t know how the fish got into the tiny stream, only 100 meters long and 20-40 centimeters deep, but they’re sure the fish bring families in the area good luck.

Some 90 km northwest of the province’s capital of Thanh Hoa, Cam Luong stream sits at the foot of Truong Sinh Mountain in Ngoc Village.

The fish are constantly pushing each other for space but they are unafraid of humans. Visitors can easily see and even touch them.

Many tourists and locals from Cam Thuy District’s Cam Luong Commune visit the site every day.

Scientists say some 10 kinds of fish live in the spring and a pond it flows into.

The most common fish there, Doc (spinibarbichthys denticulatus), is listed on the 2007 IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List of endangered species.

The Muong villagers, who believe strongly in the power of longevity, say the spring is supernatural.

The villagers say their forefathers had warned that bad luck would come to anyone who killed even one fish from the stream.

“Anyone who by chance catches a Doc in nearby ponds or rivers always returns it to Cam Luong stream,” says Thang, a 73-year-old Muong woman.

She said the Muong believe that the fish bring peace and happiness to their families.

“We have not seen any fish die in the stream,” says Thang, adding that some of the fish living in a narrow cave through which the stream flows weigh up to 20 kilograms.

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Villagers have built a small temple near the stream where they worship a snake deity they say has been taking care of the fish for ages.

Whenever they pass the stream, they always remember to give the fish some cooking.

To get to Cam Luong, take the Ho Chi Minh National Highway northwest from the capital city of Thanh Hoa to Cam Thuy District and then follow signs to the Cam Luong chain-bridge.

Reported by Hong Quan

Update from: http://www.thanhniennews.com/travel/?catid=7&newsid=42163