Understanding the relationship between fish parental age and offspring performance over their life cycle is crucial for aquaculturists. This study investigates the effect of parental age for both 1- and 2-year-old fish on the growth and survival rates of their larval to grow-out stages for two wild and domesticated strains of bighead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus). Fish were sampled from the Vietnamese Mekong Delta where wild adult fish were collected from a conservation area in Ca Mau Province and domesticated fish were taken from a hatchery in Can Tho. Four offspring treatments of 1- and 2-year-old broodstock strains were reared for 3 successive periods: 40 days for fingerling rearing in static tanks with water exchange, 60 days for juveniles, and 90 days for grow-out in recirculating systems. The final weight of fish at 190 days varied from 96.7 to 144.7 g. The growth of offspring was not affected by parental age (P > 0.05), over the 3 rearing periods. However, the domesticated fish strain showed significantly better growth rates than the wild fish strain (P < 0.05). Feed conversion ratios were comparable across fish treatments. Survival rates did not differ at the fingerling (21.8%–36.4%) and juvenile (69.0%–73.3%) stages. However, significant differences were found at the grow-out stage (69.3%–84.0%), with offspring from 2-year-old parents of both strains having greater survival rates. Overall, 1- and 2-year-old fish appear to be suitable for bighead catfish breeders.