The fishing village along the Lam River yearns to move ashore.

Drifting aimlessly to make a living.

Nearly two weeks after Typhoon No. 10, the small boat – the shelter of Pham Ngoc Hung (born in 1985) and his wife Doan Thi Thanh (born in 1986) for many years – still lies tilted on the bank, more than 50 meters from the edge of the Lam River. Dried mud stains are still visible around the sides of the boat, a testament to the fierce currents that just swept through.

Before the storm, upon hearing that the river was rising, Hung and several young men from the fishing village hurriedly tied ropes and strained to push the heavily laden boat ashore to protect it from the wind. They struggled with the rain and wind all night, only daring to breathe a sigh of relief when the boat was finally safely on the shore.

Now, in the sweltering heat after the storm, the couple is busy repairing their makeshift "floating house." Holding their 8-month-old youngest child in one arm and rocking their sick 3-year-old in a hammock with the other, Mrs. Thanh smiled gently: "Bringing the boat ashore and getting around is really hard work. Every time we go to the river, we have to use planks and wade through the sand, but it's less worrying for the children. In the midst of a storm, safety is all that matters."

The life of Hung and Thanh's family is a typical example of a destiny intertwined with the water. From the moment they were born, they followed their ancestors on the waterways, and even after getting married, they remained committed to the fishing profession.

To date, they have seven children; the eldest just entered 12th grade, and the youngest was born at the beginning of 2025. All of them struggle with their daily fishing trips. When the weather is favorable, they can earn a few hundred thousand dong from their nets; some days they fish all day without catching a single fish.

"Life on the river is very unpredictable; the whole family only has enough to eat and wear," Hung confided. Amidst hardship, he and his wife are determined to let their children finish high school, hoping that one day their children will not have to follow in their footsteps as fishermen.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, considered by the locals as the head of the Xuan Lam 2 fishing village, the village currently has 14 households with nearly 80 people. Of these, 8 households with more than 40 people still live on the river, on old, dilapidated boats, while the rest have built temporary houses with corrugated iron and bamboo or live in abandoned shacks left behind by a sand mining company. Some households have pulled their boats ashore to live temporarily, but their lives remain closely tied to the river. Each household owns 1-2 small boats for fishing – the sole source of livelihood for the entire family.

"Never before has the life of the people in this fishing village been turned upside down as this year," Mr. Toan sighed. "Twice."running from the storm"When typhoon number 5 and then typhoon number 10 hit, the villagers would gather their few belongings and board the army's vehicles to take shelter at the village's cultural center."

Thanks to the proactive efforts of the authorities and militia forces, everyone is safe, but the material damage is still considerable: nets, traps, and fishing gear were swept away; many small fishing boats capsized in the storm on October 5th. Livelihoods, already precarious, have become even more uncertain...

Among the families still clinging to life on the river are Mr. Nguyen Hong Van (born in 1963) and Mrs. Pham Thi Huong (born in 1964) - a couple who have spent their entire lives connected to the water. They have eight children; four daughters have married and settled on land, while the remaining four sons continue the fishing trade.

A few years ago, Mr. Van suffered a stroke, making it difficult for him to walk, so Mrs. Huong had to stay home to take care of him, abandoning her fishing trips to earn a living. “We fishermen are afraid of many things: storms, floods, but most of all, accidents on the river. I don’t dare take my eyes off my husband for even a moment,” Mrs. Huong shared.

The dream of owning a home.

Amidst the incessant thunderstorms, the greatest dream of the people in Xuan Lam 2 fishing village is to move ashore and have a sturdy house on land. "We've lived on the river our whole lives, and all we want is a place to shelter from the sun and rain without worrying about rising water levels," shared Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, the head of the fishing village.

Not far from the fishing village, the resettlement area in Xuan Lam 9 hamlet, completed in 2021, was originally planned to accommodate about 100 flood-prone households from the former Hung Nguyen district. However, more than three years have passed, and this resettlement area has been largely abandoned.

According to the leaders of Hung Nguyen Nam commune, the resettlement area was formerly part of a project of the old Hung Nguyen district before the establishment of a two-tiered local government. Each plot of land was then planned to be over 300m², exceeding current regulations. Therefore, adjusting the area and preparing land allocation documents for the households has encountered many obstacles. "The local authorities are very keen to provide stable housing for the fishing families, but we must ensure compliance with regulations and avoid procedural errors later," said Mr. Cao Anh Duc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Nguyen Nam commune.

While administrative procedures remain unresolved, nearly a dozen people still struggle to survive in makeshift houses or floating homes. During the dry season, they endure the stifling heat; during the rainy season, they worry about landslides and flooding. For those living on boats, on stormy nights, women huddle in a corner of the boat with their children while the men go ashore to anchor the boat and protect it from the wind. “When the wind is strong, the floating house howls as if it wants to lift the roof off; all we can do is pray it doesn’t capsize,” says Ms. Doan Thi Thanh, a mother of seven young children.

But no matter how stormy the weather, the people never give up hope. Mrs. Pham Thi Huong, a woman who has spent nearly 60 years adrift, said tearfully, "Now that I'm old, I don't dare dream of a big house; I just hope to have a dry place to put my bed so I don't have to run when the water rises."

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Recently, Hung Nguyen Nam commune submitted a proposal to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, suggesting a review of the entire resettlement area to promptly allocate land for the fishing families in Xuan Lam 2 hamlet.

Mr. Cao Anh Duc - Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Nguyen Nam Commune.

Instead of waiting for government policies, the people of the fishing village are also finding their own ways to escape poverty. Some households have boldly borrowed capital to buy more small motorboats to expand their fishing grounds. Some families whose children work far away send money back to repair their boats and build temporary shelters on the shore. “Many of the children from the fishing village have now gone out to learn trades and work as factory workers. With each successful person, the villagers gain more confidence,” Mr. Toan said, his voice tinged with pride.

In recent years, local authorities and organizations have consistently provided practical support to the people: donating life jackets, distributing essential supplies during storm seasons, granting scholarships to poor children, and mobilizing businesses to donate materials for reinforcing houses and boats. Whenever a storm approaches, commune officials, police, and militia are always present to help people evacuate and clean up their belongings. Thanks to this, despite the many difficulties in their lives, the fishermen always feel the concern of the government, like a lifeline holding them together amidst the storms.

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Fishermen like us just long for the day we can set foot on land. When that day comes, we'll probably abandon all our fishing nets, build houses, grow vegetables, and live peacefully like everyone else.

Mr. Nguyen Van Toan - a resident of Xuan Lam 2 fishing village.