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Vietnam has recorded new Omicron sub-variants including the fast-spreading BA.2.75, which explains the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country, according to the Ministry of Health.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health has sent an urgent document to health departments in provinces and cities regarding the enhancement of COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

The number of cases has been rebounding in Vietnam and across the world, the department stated.

An average daily count of 2,000 new cases have been logged in the Southeast Asian country over the past weeks.

Vietnam has documented the appearance of the new Omicron sub-variants with the ability to spread rapidly.

Aside from the BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.12.1 sub-variants that were previously detected, the country recently recorded the BA.2.75 sub-lineage, which is considered to be more transmissible than the others.

In early July, many countries around the world reported the BA.2.75 sub-variant, with experts stating that it has multiple mutations, helping it evade immunity and easily penetrate human cells.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine asked the health departments in provinces and cities to provide constant updates on the number of new COVID-19 cases to facilitate the assessment and forecast of the pandemic situation.

Local health departments were also requested to take necessary measures to provide early detection and treatment for patients and minimize hospitalizations and mortalities.

Vietnam has documented 11,367,479 COVID-19 cases, with 10,029,826 recoveries and 43,098 deaths, since the pandemic first hit the country in early 2020, according to the Ministry of Health.

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Editor’s note: Jordy Comes Alive, from the U.S., has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for three years and become a big fan of local food after spending time wandering around local alleys and markets to discover the culinary scene.

His piece has been titled, subtitled, and edited by Tuoi Tre News .

I’ve noticed people can get a little jumpy when you talk about eating frogs. Not me though, I always leap at the opportunity.

When it comes to eating frog, I’m mainly familiar with it being batter-fried like chicken. Truth be told and I know this sounds strange to some but I honestly prefer fried frog over fried chicken on any given day.

Enjoying fried frog is the same kind of eating sensation as with fried chicken, only the meat has a cleaner taste (sans the flavor of fowl), and the white frog flesh is juicy with a buttery finish.

‘Water chicken,’ as funny as the term is, croaks partially true. I started thinking maybe it’s time I paddle my way to other ponds to broaden my horizons on Saigon’s specialty frog dishes.

After a journey, I can sum up my entire food adventure with just one word — unFROGgettable!

Frog in fish sauce

A dish of ‘ech chien nuoc mam’ (frog fried with fish sauce) is served at a shop in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Jordy Comes Alive

For my first stop, I hopped over to Ếch Chỉ Stall at 49/99 Dinh Tien Hoang Street in Binh Thanh District to sample their most popular dish ech chien nuoc mam (frog fried in fish sauce). The frog was cut up into nugget-size chunks and wok-fried with the skin still on until golden brown. The crispy frog was then shellacked with a mixture of pungent sweet umami-packed fish sauce accompanied by onion, garlic, sugar, lemon, and salt. It sounded like this meal would be ribbiting!

The dish was set in front of me and I could smell the fish sauce with hints of garlic immediately. The skin attached to the meat was a sliding scale of grays with a green camouflage overtone. There were large strips of skin curled up in a tube-like shape giving the appearance of a long dark Cheeto. Laced throughout the dish were slightly translucent onions topped with a garnish of leafy greens sitting on top of the frog.

There were two dipping sides, one was fish sauce, the other a pepper, salt, chili, and kumquat slurry.

Upon the first bite, I immediately knew I’d pick ech chien nuoc mam over the fried ‘chicken-like’ frog I’ve become so accustomed to eating. The crunchy skin protecting the soft sweet meat fell apart in your mouth releasing a bang off the fish sauce with nutty garlic top notes. The frog skin was interesting, sporting a styrofoam texture with a snap similar to shrimp chips that could pinch your tongue while you eat it. When I took the perfect proportional bite of meat, skin, and onion all at once, I got the full effect of the dish feeling the mouth texture as I inhaled the perfumed funky flavor.

The portion was a healthy size, plentiful for a solo eater but I know this meal would be better shared among friends and beer. I most definitely plan on returning here with a handful of crazy comrades. Ếch Chỉ was packed with patrons (rightly so) and the service was notably perfect.

Frog in porridge

A set of Singaporean frog porridge is served at a restaurant in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Jordy Comes Alive

It was now time to check out and splash around at Lion City restaurant who specializes in Singaporean braised frog porridge at 45 Le Anh Xuan in District 1. Not only was this a first-time experience eating this dish but it would be my first time eating a frog that wasn’t fried. I was in for a total surprise! Obviously, this is a dish from Singapore, but over the years it’s become extremely popular in Vietnam. Saigonese love it.

The restaurant is tasteful, comfortable, and welcoming. I made my way to the very back where I slid into a posh booth. The server appeared immediately and I ordered ech cay voi ot say kho va chao (spicy frog with dried chili and rice porridge) then sat back excited to see what would arrive at the table.

Less than 15 minutes later my meal came in two covered rustic brown clay pots. The lids were lifted releasing a cloud of stream followed by a drifting whiff of what I can only describe as an enchanting frog-rance.

The pot to my left was filled with what looked similar to Cream Of Wheat speckled with green jewel tone scallions. It looked simple and basic yet it’s incredibly aromatic but not in an overpowering way. It smelled as if somebody toasted sesame seeds over a small campfire.

The pot to my right had a single frog chopped up and covered in what looked like caramel, mixed with maple syrup. I smelled garlic and pepper with fish sauce essence. There were a lot of flavors floating in the air and it seemed like all my senses were switched on.

An frog leg served in Singaporean frog porridge at a restaurant in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Jordy Comes Alive

I scooped a ladle of porridge and it oozed slowly into my bowl. It’s gelatinous, shiny, and steamy. I dipped into it and it tasted like it smelled with a creamy thick feel making the chives twinkle on your tongue.

I grabbed my chopsticks and plucked a small piece of the braised frog. The meat melted off the bone and glided across my tongue. I assumed by the looks of the sauce it would feel tar-like and be super salty à la soy sauce style. It’s exactly the opposite, it had a silky lube-like vibe that’s slightly sweet. It made my mouth squirm in delight.

The taste of the sauce was unlike anything I’d had before with or without the delicate frog meat. It’s intoxicating with its application of black pepper, garlic, and maybe a hint of coconut chased by a sweet smack that ends in a spicy pepper finish. The real wiz bang happens though when you combines the porridge with the braised frog.

The thick cotton white porridge acted as the canvas base for the frog’s sauce producing a wallop of an effect. It seemed as if the flavors were amplified. The frog was engulfed by a marmalade looking glaze that splattered and sat on top of the porridge. The consistency of both dishes remains separate in your spoon but joins together complementing both in flavor and mouthfeel. It’s truly unique.

As I was gulping down my food, muttering to myself in awe and spying on a man standing off to the side of my table chuckling at my enthusiasm. He asked if I was enjoying my meal and I assumed he was a patron. I began to rave about the food and how pleasantly surprised I was, then I asked him if he’d ever eaten here before and tried the frog porridge. This made the man laugh out loud saying ‘yes’ several times and he introduced himself to me as Harry Ang, the founder of Lion City.

Ang ended up in Saigon as a builder and by taking a chance he opened Lion City because he missed his favorite Singaporean dish, frog porridge. His venture started just for fun driven by his passion for frog. Harry Ang became an accidental pioneer, opening 17 years ago and being the very first restaurant offering frog porridge in Ho Chi Minh City.

He proceeded to tell me that frog is one of the most nutritious meats one could eat. It has zero fat, making it extremely low in cholesterol plus it’s super high in calcium.

Ang also told me the key to creating great frog porridge is that fresh frog is a must, claiming to have close to 300 live frogs on hand at his restaurant daily. He also imports certain secret ingredients from Singapore that he has been using in his original recipe over the past 17 years.

I asked Harry Ang if he still eats frog porridge after being the owner of the restaurant for so many years and without hesitation, he told me he eats it at least once a week if not more!

He then asked me what I thought about my first-time eating Singaporean frog porridge and I told him I made a mistake ordering the dishes. I wished I had ordered two frogs.

The Vietnamese Directorate of Fisheries required its subordinates in Ho Chi Minh City to verify whether a recently-circulated video capturing the release of an arapaima gigas that allegedly took place at a wharf in the city is true or not.

Captioned ‘Releasing 90-kilogram (198 pounds) arapaima gigas,’ the 30-second video showed about 10 people on a boat returning a large arapaima back to the water.

The location of the boat was believed to be at a wharf in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City.

Arapaima gigas, also known as pirarucu, is an air-breathing fish that is native to the rainforest rivers of South America’s Amazon Basin and nearby lakes and swamps, according to National Geographic .

Among the largest freshwater fish species, it can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh up to 440 pounds, though fish that big have not been reported for many years.

It preys mainly on smaller fish, but can eat many other creatures given its size.

The species has been introduced to parts of East Asia for fishing, pets, and accidentally.

Arapaima are listed as endangered according to the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), thus their international trade is regulated by non-detriment finding (NDF) procedures.

The video in question quickly went viral after being uploaded on social media and stirred mixed opinions.

Some netizens commented that the arapaima in question could cause harm to other fish species in the area, given its diet and enormous size, which could create an ecological imbalance.

Some others went as far as stating that the fish could pose a danger to humans.

During a discussion with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday afternoon, Tran Dinh Luan, general director of the Directorate of Fisheries, said that the agency ordered the Sub-Department of Fisheries under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to verify the authenticity of the video.

In Vietnam, arapaima is neither on the list of aquatic species permitted for trading nor the lists of invasive alien species or potentially invasive alien species, according to Luan.

Therefore, there has been no official assessment on the risk of arapaima causing ecological imbalances or threatening human life, the official stated.

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Rain is expected to continue lashing southern Vietnam in the coming days as the southwest monsoon becomes stronger due to the influence of a low-pressure area.

It is expected to keep raining in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities on Tuesday and for the rest of the week, the southern hydro-meteorological station stated, citing the southwest monsoon strengthening due to the effect of a low-pressure area in the East Vietnam Sea.

The sky will remain sunny in the morning, but rains and thunderstorms are likely to occur in the afternoon and evening.

The average temperature in the region will range from 24 to 34 degrees Celsius.

From August 19 to 21, downpours are forecast to increase in intensity and will be accompanied by strong gusts and lightning.

As of Tuesday morning, the low-pressure area was active in the northeastern part of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

Due to the combined effect of the low-pressure area and southwest monsoon, showers and strong thunderstorms are forecast to hit the central and southern sections of the East Vietnam Sea, as well as the sea between south-central Binh Dinh Province and southern Ca Mau Province.

Meanwhile, rains in northern Vietnam were forecast to decrease in intensity starting Tuesday as a trough above the region has weakened.

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Medical staff at Hoc Mon General Hospital were forced to work in a flood while many patients had to endure both their sickness and the inundation as a heavy rainstorm battered Ho Chi Minh City on Monday afternoon and lingered until the evening.

The torrential downpour started inundating the Hoc Mon District-based hospital’s emergency department around 5:00 pm, according to a nurse, and remained until around 8:15 pm when Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s correspondent arrived at the scene.

Doctors and nurses at the hospital had to wear rubber boots while continuing their work.

The hospital’s parking lot was the most flooded place.

A doctor and a nurse wearing rubber boots give treatment to a patient at the inundated emergency department of Hoc Mon General Hospital in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 15, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

While a nurse presumed that the rainwater would recede in a few hours after the rain stopped, a number of locals living near the hospital said the flooding is commonplace here.

“I’m worried whenever my relatives must visit the hospital in the rain,” said Ha Van Minh, a local man who took his grandchild with a stomach ache to the hospital on Monday evening.

“It is heartbreaking to see sick people wading in the rainwater.

“I just hope this hospital will not be inundated anymore.”

Vehicles drive through rainwater past the parking lot of Hoc Mon General Hospital in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 15, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

A patient’s relative wades through rainwater at Hoc Mon General Hospital in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 15, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

A janitor picks rubbish at the inundated Hoc Mon General Hospital in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 15, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

Rainwater floods the parking lot of Hoc Mon General Hospital in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 15, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

Men wade through rainwater at Hoc Mon General Hospital in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 15, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

Rainwater floods the entrance to the emergency department of Hoc Mon General Hospital in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 15, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

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