Co Lung duck is a specialty that tourists cannot miss when traveling to Pu Luong (Thanh Hoa). This duck breed is famous for its delicious taste, firm meat, sweet, fragrant, low fat, and unique flavor.

The purebred ducks here have absolutely no foul odor. When boiled, even without spices, the duck is still fragrant and sweet.

The Co Lung duck originates from Co Lung commune, Ba Thuoc mountainous district, Thanh Hoa province. This is a rare duck breed, which has existed for a long time, and has been preserved and developed by generations of Ba Thuoc people.

When newly hatched, ducks have dark gray feathers interspersed with light yellow. When mature, male ducks have blue feathers on the head, reddish brown feathers mixed with white on the neck, chest and back, and a white circle on the neck. Females have dark sparrow-colored feathers, a slightly constricted white circle of feathers, and blue-black wing tips.

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Rare duck breed in Thanh Hoa used to be offered to the king (Photo: Vietnam Agriculture)

This breed of duck has a round body, short legs, a large, retracted neck, and a sparrow-like plumage color, with a distinctive white border around the neck.

The area where Co Lung ducks live is located in Pu Luong nature reserve, between the Nam Ba, Nam Muoi, Pha Le, Pu Luong mountain ranges, with a cool climate all year round.

Along with that are clean, clear streams, abundant natural food sources such as stream snails, small fish, shrimp... Therefore, Co Lung duck is considered to have a unique flavor that cannot be confused with any other duck species.

In recent years, tourism in Pu Luong has developed strongly. Many resorts, restaurants, and community tourism areas have been established, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. Thanks to that, all the ducks raised are sold out, and traders come to the house to buy them.

The price of Co Lung duck sold on the market is quite expensive, ranging from 100,000-120,000 VND/kg, sometimes even up to 150,000 VND/kg. This price is equal to the price of free-range chicken.

According to the owner of a resort in Pu Luong, the price of Co Lung duck is increasing because it is becoming more popular. It is not easy to buy the right duck, so diners need to find a reputable source or ask relatives.

Mr. Lo Van Huyen, head of Hieu village - one of the most famous tourist villages in Pu Luong - said that in recent years, people have raised more ducks to serve the needs of tourists. Co Lung ducks are in high demand, even in a state of scarcity.

This breed of duck was previously raised by the highlanders in Ba Thuoc on a small scale in rivers, streams, and rice fields near their homes, mainly eating corn, rice from the rice fields or small fish, shrimp, and prawns. Co Lung ducks can be raised for free range for 4 months before being sold.

However, due to small-scale farming and cross-breeding, the breed is at risk of extinction. Currently, in Thanh Hoa, some farms have focused on research to successfully restore the Co Lung duck breed.

Over the past 10 years, the People's Committee of Ba Thuoc district has actively developed and implemented the project "Application of scientific and technological advances to restore and develop high-quality native Co Lung duck breeds". Accordingly, many households have actively participated in this project and have stable economies. This model brings high economic value compared to the traditional model.

Many households have escaped poverty and become rich by participating in the project. Some households earn hundreds of millions of dong each year, many households have invested in buying duck egg incubators with a capacity of 5,000 eggs/machine, with an annual income of 300 million dong.

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Co Lung duck has a unique flavor that cannot be confused with any other duck species (Photo: Dan Tri)

Now, Co Lung ducks are not only raised in Ba Thuoc but also spread to other districts such as Quan Son, Vinh Loc, Thach Thanh, Hoang Hoa...

According to VNA, with a special passion for preserving and developing Thanh Hoa's specialty poultry and waterfowl, Mr. Truong Tien Hai, Quang Thanh Ward, Thanh Hoa City, has successfully restored the Co Lung duck breed. Thereby, developing Co Lung duck farming according to the value chain brings high economic benefits.

Starting with 120 original Co Lung ducks, after a long period of research and breeding, Mr. Hai is now the owner of the Co Lung duck farm with tens of thousands of purebred ducks. Every year, after deducting expenses, Mr. Hai earns about 300-400 million VND from raising Co Lung ducks.

The purebred Co Lung duck breed bred by Mr. Hai has a uniform color of 95-97%, a large and short neck, short legs, the male duck has a green head and a neck stripe, the female duck has a sparrow color and a neck stripe. The duck has better resistance than the old original duck breed, weighing 1.8 kg, an increase of 0.5 kg compared to the old duck breed.

The 50 million VND 'royal chicken' is still sought after by the rich on the eve of Tet . Near Tet, the legendary royal chicken is sought after by everyone despite its high price. Many tycoons are willing to pay 50 million VND to buy a nine-spurred chicken to eat during Tet.