Objective To understand the distribution characteristics of serogroups and the heat resistant direct hemolysin (TDH) and TDH related hemolysin (TRH) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains from different sources in Pingyang County, Wenzhou City. Methods Fifty-nine food isolates and 39 clinical isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were selected as the research objects. Serological grouping was performed with standard serum. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect tdh gene and trh gene. Results There were 9 serogroups in the food isolates with no dominant serogroup. O1, O3 and O4 were detected in the clinical isolates, with O3 and O4 accounting for 48.7%(19/39) and 46.2%(18/39) respectively. The detection of virulence genes of isolates from foodborne diseases showed that 38 strains contained only tdh gene and 1 strain contained only trh gene. There was only one strain contained tdh gene detected from the food isolates. Conclusion There were differences of the major serotypes and the virulence genes between Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from the food and hospital in Pingyang County. This work provided a scientific basis for the prevention and rapid test of foodborne diseases caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus.