"Knight" on Lam River

(Baonghean) - With a small stature and often shy when communicating with strangers, few people would think that Nguyen Van Sang (born in 1970) is the savior who saved the lives of dozens of people on the Lam River when they unfortunately encountered an accident and drowned under the water. Certified as a "Traffic Knight", but for Sang, the joy of saving people is greater than anything, even when someone reminds him of the curse of the river "saving others' lives will be captured by the water god".

Son of the river

Asking for the house of “Knight” Nguyen Van Sang, a resident of Hamlet 7, Thach Son Commune (Anh Son) enthusiastically gave directions. His house is precariously located on the edge of Lam River, and in the quiet of the night you can hear the whispering sound of the river. The man confided at the beginning of the story: “I was born on the river, then grew up day by day following the ebb and flow of the water, and until now I still cannot leave the river. Perhaps, to me, the river is flesh and blood, is life...”.

Mr. Nguyen Van Sang makes a living every day on a simple fishing boat.

Nguyen Van Sang cried out at birth on a small boat floating on the Lam River, flowing through Nam Tan Commune (Nam Dan). This is also his hometown, where his grandfather and father lived and were attached, the place to return after each trip to make a living. The family had many siblings, over 10 people, so making a living every day was very difficult. From a very young age, one followed his father, the other followed his mother, struggling every day in the middle of the river to make a living. When he was still a young man, Sang often followed his father up and down the Lam River to cast nets and fish.

From Nam Dan, the boat went down to Ben Thuy (Vinh City), then up to Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, Anh Son, Con Cuong and Tuong Duong - where the Lam River originates. Sometimes from Cay Chanh intersection (Dinh Son commune - Anh Son), the father and son went up the Con River to Tan Ky to catch shrimp and fish. That is to say, to this man, the Lam River has become very familiar from the upstream at Cua Rao intersection to the downstream at Cua Hoi area (Cua Lo Town). Until one day, the father and son were anchoring the boat at the river wharf in Hamlet 7, Thach Son commune (Anh Son), hearing the bell of Lang Dien parish church.

The bell evokes peace and intimacy, as a Christian, Mr. Sang decided to go ashore to find a place of peace, tranquility and pray for God's protection. And then this place became a regular stop on his journey back and forth to make a living. That was also the source that helped Nguyen Van Sang meet, love and fall in love with a girl from Lang Dien parish named Thai Thi Hong (born in 1973). After getting married, his wife's parents gave him and his wife a plot of land next to the river to build a house and find a way to make a living. Although they built a house on the shore, Nguyen Van Sang's daily livelihood was still on the river, the small fishing boat and fishing tools were still attached and loyal to him. After more than 20 years of anchoring in this land, Mr. Sang and his wife have built a fairly solid house, and their family life has become more and more prosperous.

On his journey to make a living, Nguyen Van Sang's joys and sorrows filled with the water. His heart suddenly became cheerful when he saw the peaceful riverbank, the lush fields, and the prosperous villages. And every time the river water surged, submerging the banks and trees, his heart could not help but feel anxious and worried. On that journey, Mr. Sang witnessed many heartbreaking scenes when the water submerged fragile boats and rafts and the lives of people were taken away by the "water god". Every time he witnessed it, Nguyen Van Sang always tried to find a way to save the lives of those who were about to be submerged and swept away by the water.

Until now, he cannot remember how many people he has saved from drowning. Because when he saw someone in distress, he immediately approached them, brought them to shore, gave them CPR, and continued his journey to make a living, without asking for their address or leaving their names so that the victims could thank him. But he cannot forget 26-27 years ago, when he and his father were sailing across a river wharf on the border between Nam Dan and Thanh Chuong, two passenger boats suddenly collided and sank in the rushing water. Hearing the cries for help, he and his father immediately rowed to the scene and brought 44 people to shore safely, only 2 people could not be saved because they were swept away too far by the water. Like many other times, when they brought everyone to shore, their lives were no longer in danger, the father and son continued to go upstream to cast their nets and cast their nets.

Nguyen Van Sang's daily job is to cast nets and cast nets.

“Love others as you love yourself”

It seems that Nguyen Van Sang was born to be a fisherman and to save people in distress on the river. Because, just since he got married and settled in Anh Son, he has saved 16 people from drowning, most of them from Thach Son commune (10 people). One night in 2006, the sky was calm when suddenly the clouds turned dark, the wind blew loudly, signaling a tornado was coming. Remembering the boat at the river wharf, he quickly ran down to anchor it tightly, in case it was swept away by the tornado.

Just reaching the anchorage, Mr. Sang heard the sound of a motorboat going up the river, then suddenly the sound of the engine stopped, followed by a desperate cry for help coming from the middle of the river. At this time, the wind was blowing strongly, the river water was rising rapidly, Nguyen Van Sang called another friend and decided to steer the boat to save them. The night was pitch black, using his senses, he followed the desperate cry and pulled up 2 people. The cry for help echoed again in the fast flowing water, he continued to move forward and pulled 2 more people onto the boat and ran straight to the shore. After giving artificial respiration, Mr. Sang ran to the house of a doctor in the village to give first aid to the victims and prepare food to help them regain their strength and spirit.

In 2008, while he was fishing on the river, Nguyen Van Sang saw a basket boat from the other side starting to move towards him, carrying 4 people and some bundles of grass. In the middle of the river, the basket boat gradually sank, the bundles of grass drifted on the river, and the 4 people suddenly disappeared. Knowing that something bad had happened, he immediately steered the boat to the boat that had crashed, but no one was floating on the river. With decades of experience as a fisherman, which his father had taught him, he followed the shadows floating on the water and dived down to find the victims. Finally, he pulled up 4 people clinging to each other in the middle of the river and brought them onto the boat to the shore. The next task was to perform artificial respiration and call a doctor to come and treat them. The victims were all Sang's neighbors, and now they have their own families and children, and no one has forgotten the life-saving grace of the man who worked as a fisherman on the river.

One winter afternoon in 2011, while fishing his last net on the river, Mr. Sang suddenly saw a boat rocking and sinking below him. Throwing his net, he immediately rushed to the boat in distress and pulled up 5 people who were sinking into the river. Despite the cold wind and freezing water, Mr. Sang still decided to jump in to pull the remaining person onto his boat. All 5 people were brought to shore in a state of fainting, partly because they drank too much water, partly because the river water was too cold. They were all Mr. Sang's neighbors, including 3 people from Mrs. Ho Thi Ly's family who were in distress. Mr. Thai Ba Thuc - Mrs. Ly's husband recalled: "That afternoon it was very cold, I stayed home to pave the floor, the three of us went to the other side of the river to get sugarcane leaves to feed the buffalo. Late in the afternoon, when we didn't see them return, I anxiously ran to the river to see what was going on, halfway there we heard that they had met with an accident and were saved by Mr. Sang. My family will never forget this kindness."

Nguyen Van Sang and Mrs. Phan Thi Mai (whom he saved)

Also on the boat that met with the accident, Mrs. Pham Thi Mai is still in shock: “That near-death experience still haunts me. I thought I was very close to death, but... Being saved and returning to my family is extremely lucky. I am always grateful to Mr. Sang and consider him as giving birth to me a second time.”

There is one special thing, when he was saved, many people brought gifts to thank him but Nguyen Van Sang refused, even though his life could not be said to be free of difficulties and hardships. Therefore, he received more respect and love from the people around him. Mr. Sang confided: "Normally, when fishermen see someone in distress on the river, few people dare to save them, because for a long time, fishermen have had the concept of life for life, if you save someone else, the water god will take you.

But I always act according to my conscience and according to God's teachings: Love others as you love yourself. When I see someone in trouble, I cannot ignore it..." And Sang's kind heart, altruism, and willingness to sacrifice himself to save people in trouble has been passed on to his eldest son, Nguyen Van Khanh (born in 1996). About 2 weeks ago, a neighbor girl was busy playing at the riverbank and unfortunately slipped and drowned. Hearing the cry for help, Khanh quickly ran from his house and dived into the river to look for her. A moment later, the neighbor girl was brought to shore by Khanh in a state of fainting. But fortunately, thanks to timely emergency care, she was saved...

Saying goodbye to Mr. Nguyen Van Sang, we followed the simple fishing boat anchored. He was busy preparing for tonight's fishing trip, hoping to return early the next morning with a few kilos of small fish for his wife to buy at the market, earning a few hundred thousand dong to support his family. The most solemn thing in his simple house is the Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, the Minister of Transport and the Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister. There is also the "Traffic Knight" Certificate awarded to Nguyen Van Sang by the Total program.

Cong Kien