Fishing in Hua Na Lake

(Baonghean) - The scorching sun in Dong Van commune (Que Phong district) is blazing, but many people in the villages of Pieng Van, Pu Duoc, etc., are still diligently casting their nets in the reservoir of the Hua Na hydroelectric power plant...

We arrived in Dong Van commune (Que Phong district) before 8 a.m., but the sun was already blazing. Occasionally, we'd see a few people carrying fishing nets on their shoulders walking in the opposite direction; some looked happy, others sad. Ms. Loc said, "The people fish from the lake out there. Before we had farmland, we only knew how to go into the forest and fish. It's about 3 kilometers from here to the lake." "With this intense sun, are there still people fishing, Ms. Loc?" "There are still some, but not as many as early morning. If you want to go now, there are still people casting nets out there." "Have you been fishing lately, Ms. Loc?" "Of course, if I didn't fish, where would I get the money to buy rice? Even those over 70 still go into the forest to fish; it's normal. In the summer, people start fishing at 4 a.m. and come back at 7 a.m., then some go into the forest, others go fetching water... Before we had farmland, fishing was the lifeline for the villagers."

Casting nets on Hua Na Lake. Photo: Sy Minh

Unable to find a motorbike taxi, we had to walk. The road through the villages of Pù Duộc, Pù Khón... was sparsely populated, and the houses were silent. Occasionally, a few old women sat watching their grandchildren. In front of the houses, the cassava plants withered from the prolonged heat, and the ground was cracked. "How many people in your family go fishing?" "Except for the children who go to school, everyone else goes fishing. We fish to save money to buy rice, fish sauce, and salt..." Mrs. Lộc, over 60 years old, still looked healthy, with rosy cheeks. She said: "Back in the old village, we never went hungry because we had plenty of land for farming, and every household had at least five or seven buffaloes and cows. In this new place, there's no land for farming, so we only know how to go into the forest or to the lake to cast our nets. In the old village, this season the rice harvest fills the houses and yards. In this new village, we have to wait for land for farming forever like this, and it's so sad..."

While the village was still shrouded in darkness, they were already at the Hua Na hydroelectric reservoir casting their nets. Ms. Loc said that in the hot summer, the earlier they went fishing, the cooler it was. Some diligent people would carry their nets out to the reservoir at 3 or 4 in the morning. Her husband, nearly 70 years old, goes fishing every day from 4 a.m., returning home by 6 a.m. It's as if he has a special connection with fish; every day he goes, he catches fish to sell and eat. Some people spend all day pulling nets until their arms ache, yet still don't catch a single kilogram of fish, and even if they sell them, they only earn a few tens of thousands of dong…

The road to the lake is steep in many sections, bordered by mountains and rivers, with few people passing by, only the sound of the stream audible. Ms. Loc said that during the rainy season, this red dirt road is very slippery; barefoot pedestrians could fall at any moment, let alone vehicles.

It was midday. The lake was getting hotter and hotter. A sudden rain shower passed quickly, leaving behind a stifling heat. A few people were still casting their nets around the lake despite the scorching sun. Ms. Lo Thi Que from Pieng Van village said, "My father and I earned a few tens of thousands of dong fishing. When I got home, I felt bored, so I came back to cast a few nets to relieve boredom and earn some extra food. Since we don't have land to cultivate, we have to find work to do." Above the lake, a two-year-old girl sat on a net, looking out at the water, wearing an adult's shirt. "Why don't you leave your child at home to avoid the sun?" "When my parents go fishing, we have to bring our catch along. My older siblings are also on summer vacation and have gone fishing with their parents. I don't dare let my young nephew go on the raft; any mistake could be dangerous, so I only cast my nets nearby. Besides, many people cast their nets near the shore anyway, and on a raft, a slip and fall is very dangerous. If we had a small boat, fishing would be more convenient; the whole family could go fishing together. But buying a small boat is very expensive, at least tens of millions of dong. Here, some people buy boats to serve people traveling on the lake, but fishing is mainly done using bamboo rafts."

The advantage of the large and deep reservoir of the hydroelectric dam is that it is home to many types of fish, most notably the catfish. Occasionally, locals catch catfish weighing up to 3-4 kg. The fish are brought ashore and sold immediately in the early morning before dawn. Buyers of the fish at the reservoir are mainly from Kim Son town, with some opening restaurants in the center of Dong Van commune.

Despite the scorching heat, a man named Kim from Pieng Van village still tried his best to cast one more net before heading home. He stretched his arms to cast his net into the lake. He shared: "In winter, around 7 a.m., customers have already arrived at the lake to wait to buy fish. In summer, by 5 a.m., the fish buyers are already waiting at the lake. When the nets are pulled up, they buy everything, from large to small fish. Prices are mostly fixed beforehand, fluctuating according to the season and the weight of the fish, so buyers, whether familiar or new, rarely haggle. Fishing also depends on luck. Sometimes, after a whole day out, waking up at 2 or 3 a.m. to cast the net, I only get a few kilograms of fish. There are fewer fish in summer than in winter." Then Mr. Kim smiled brightly: "But sometimes, when I cast the net, I hit the jackpot, getting two or three kilograms in one net."

Ms. Que spends all day fishing, except for meal breaks. Because of their children's education and lack of farmland, she and her husband take turns fishing and working in the forest to support their family of seven. In return for their hard work, they earn about 50,000 dong a day, sometimes even a hundred thousand, never returning empty-handed. There are more fish in winter, especially on cold days. There are fewer in summer, but everyone is happy; besides having fish to eat, they also have money to buy rice, so they don't worry about coming home early or late.

Then her voice softened, sounding sad: "Going fishing is just a temporary solution. Having land, being able to produce with peace of mind, is what will bring stability to life… I really wish I had land!"

Mr. Lang Van Tuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Van commune, shared: "Going fishing and going into the forest are temporary solutions; if we don't go, we won't have money or food. Moving to the new village offers advantages like electricity, roads, schools, and health stations, but there are also many shortcomings. Even now, the villagers don't have land for production, and the only place with sufficient water is Pieng Van village. More than ever, the villagers want to have land for production and clean water soon so they can focus on growing rice, other crops, and raising buffalo and cattle, just like they did in the old village..."

Thu Huong