Missed a trip to the beach...

(Baonghean) - The South Sea fishing season is receiving attention, support, and encouragement from the mainland. Journalists are also eagerly seeking ways to go on a fishing trip... Calls were made throughout Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, and Nghi Loc, and reports indicated that it was the full moon, so the large ships were still docked, preparing thoroughly for the sea voyage. So, let's take advantage of that and make a trip into the open sea...

But, I missed a sea trip...

The Vice Chairman of Nghi Thiet commune (Nghi Loc district), Bui Van Thanh, enthusiastically led me down to the fishing village, saying, "You can go on whichever boat you want. The villagers are very happy to have a journalist with them at sea!" The Cam River estuary shimmered in the afternoon sun. The sounds of small fishing boats filled the air. Many boats in the creek waited to resupply with food and fresh water, and to gather laborers for the night's fishing trip. Vice Chairman Thanh carefully "sent" me onto a newly built, sturdy boat. Mr. Ty, a fisherman from the Pham family, a man in his fifties who had lived on the sea for generations in Nghi Thiet (Nghi Loc), steered his 44-horsepower fishing boat swiftly towards the sea, with a red flag with a yellow star fluttering on the cabin roof. "With this sunny weather, we might not get a good catch, but the fishermen are still very enthusiastic about going out to sea!" Mr. Ty told me.

Having previously spent weeks sailing back and forth across the Gulf of Tonkin with the fishermen of Quynh Long commune (Quynh Luu district), I was somewhat overconfident, eagerly taking pictures of the waves. But as soon as the boat left the river mouth, fisherman Ty suddenly stopped, calling out: "Oh, I forgot, I have to go back! The southeast wind is strong, and at night the sea will be rough, reaching levels seven or eight; small boats will be very turbulent!" Despite my pleas, fisherman Ty refused, citing safety concerns for me. Disappointed, I went ashore. Vice Chairman Thanh, who hadn't yet returned to the commune headquarters, greeted me and comforted me: "You can stay overnight at the fishing village, and tomorrow when the fish come back, there will be plenty to write about. The strength of Nghi Thiet's livelihood now lies not only in seafood exploitation, but also in the development of various service models on shore. Women no longer have to rely solely on the income from the men's fishing trips!..." Well, I've had the opportunity to visit many fishing villages and witnessed the harmonious rhythm of the fishing industry today, with the coordinated logistical services on shore creating favorable conditions for the success of each fishing trip.

In Nghi Thiet, fishing boats mainly operate in inshore and offshore waters, catching squid or bottom-fishing with trawling nets. Fishing trips begin in the late afternoon and end at dawn the next day. The fish are quickly sorted by the women in their small boats; some are sold at the local market, while the more valuable ones are delivered to Cua Lo port for seafood restaurants serving the tourist season. “Each overnight fishing trip, after deducting expenses, brings in five or seven hundred dong in profit, sometimes even a million dong! If each boat has a nearly 50 horsepower engine and five or seven crew members, a profit of a few million dong is common,” said fisherman Son, as he quickly loaded his boat onto the main fishing spot. This means that, from the main fishing season, the fishermen of Nghi Thiet can think about prosperity and feel more secure in their livelihoods at sea.

I regretfully waved goodbye to the fishermen of Son and the other fishing boats of the local fishermen, all proudly displaying the national flag as they headed towards the river mouth. Each boat solemnly replaced its flag with a newly purchased one. I suddenly remembered that recently, the organizing committee of the Youth Football Tournament for provincial officials and civil servants, along with the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, in the spirit of supporting the homeland's islands and seas, visited and presented gifts to encourage and support the fishermen of Nghi Quang commune (Nghi Loc district), including 250 national flags. Those red flags with yellow stars, imbued with the spirit of national defense, reminded the fishermen of the province to focus on the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands, which are currently experiencing turbulent waters, and to strive to maintain their livelihoods at sea.

As I made my way through the narrow, winding paths characteristic of the fishing village, now solidly concreted as part of the new rural development program, on my way back to Nghi Thiet commune headquarters, I caught glimpses of the ancient, curved roofs of ancestral temples among the well-built houses, a testament to the long-standing connection of the fishermen here with the sea. Nghi Thiet is known for its Trung Kien boat-building and carpentry village, famous for centuries. Ships launched from Trung Kien are now found throughout the sacred fishing grounds of the entire country, contributing to the pride of the villagers. Many young people here have boldly established carpentry workshops, investing billions of dong to develop the traditional craft. While it's about economic development, creating jobs for dozens of young people in the commune is also a priority.

Meeting again with Nguyen Trong Hong, born in 1977 in Chua 2 hamlet, whom I had previously written about as a young entrepreneur in Nghi Thiet, he told me: "The facility still maintains 20 young workers and, after more than a year, has launched 7 fishing boats with 300-500 horsepower engines... The Trung Kien village area still has many ancient relics such as communal houses, temples, pagodas, and stone steles built during the Le Dynasty. The village has the Hoang Lao Temple, which worships the founder of the boat-building craft (Quan Hau), and the Trung Kien Pagoda, built during the reign of King Le Hy Tong (1662-1716) from the merits of the couple who founded the Trung Kien carpentry craft, Nguyen Quy Cong and his wife." Regarding the traditional cultural space of Trung Kien, the document states: “The Trung Kien stele, ‘Ancient God Stele,’ has a four-sided box-shaped body, made of marble from the Chinh Hoa era (1690). The tomb of the founder of the Trung Kien boatbuilding craft, the Trung Kien village festival... the cluster of relics including temples, communal houses, and pagodas in Trung Kien are located in the central area of ​​the village, along the foot of Dragon Mountain, with a boatbuilding workshop, a dense population, boats passing by, and picturesque waterways”...

The small market, nestled in the middle of a fishing village, operates twice a day. In the morning, it receives a steady stream of fish brought in by motorbikes belonging to villagers and traders from afar, who transport the seafood to nearby markets and restaurants. In the afternoon, the market displays vegetables, fruits, processed seafood, and seasonal snacks, with no need for bargaining, attracting women who have just seen their relatives off at sea. This market's way of life has probably existed for hundreds of years. Coincidentally, I met an acquaintance at the market – a fisherman and his wife from Phuc Tho, who were in Nghi Thiet buying fishing gear. He enthusiastically invited me: "How about you arrange to go on a fishing trip with us sometime? My boat has 40 horsepower and we fish near Hon Mat. A trip from dawn until noon, and we easily make a few hundred dong profit." The conversation then went on about the fishing season in the North and South. Then, the fisherman and his wife enthusiastically moved on to the South China Sea and territorial waters: "Honestly, if I had the money, I'd like to build a big fishing boat and recruit crew members to go out to sea with me." Mrs. Thanh, the wife of fisherman Ninh, glanced at her husband and interjected, "My husband has been acting strangely lately. On days he's not out at sea, he's at the dock at two or three in the morning, tidying up the boat and then sitting there smoking cigarettes!...". This is a common longing for the sea among fishermen, likely partly due to the current enthusiasm of fishermen nationwide to stay at sea.

Fishermen in Nghi Thiet (Nghi Loc) prepare for a fishing trip.

The people of Nghi Thiet coastal village easily celebrate... 12 Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays in a year! That's the analogy used during a meal featuring fresh squid and octopus at the home of Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuc, the Vice Chairwoman of the Fatherland Front in the commune, when her father told me that many Nghi Thiet residents work and do business in Vinh City and surrounding areas. Besides the Lunar New Year and the Trung Kien Village Festival, every month on the thirtieth day of the lunar calendar, regardless of whether they belong to the Van, Pham, or Nguyen families, the ancestral temples are lit with incense and candles to welcome their descendants, filling the village streets with cars and motorbikes. Fishing boats, whether far or near the sea, must return in time to anchor in the harbor.

The clan chief, dressed in his finest clothes, prepared himself the day before to sincerely report to his ancestors the day of the festival, welcoming his descendants back to offer incense and show filial piety. Throughout the night of the thirtieth and into the dawn of the first, the entire village bustled with laughter and greetings, the sounds of gongs and drums from the clan temples mingling with the scent of incense carried on the sea breeze. After the midnight prayers, a late-night feast was served, sharing blessings with sticky rice, chicken, cakes, fruits, and, of course, seafood delicacies from the open sea. Conversations about village life, work, studies, and the passing down of ancestral teachings flowed endlessly. A coastal village with mountains and rivers, where fishing thrives amidst a centuries-old woodworking tradition… perhaps Nghi Thiet is a unique coastal area, hence its distinctive community life?

There are so many more fascinating things to cherish about the coastal land and the people of Nghi Thiet. But I'll have to postpone my stay until another time to witness the joy of the fishing season or attend a solemn and cozy New Year's Eve celebration in the fishing village. Vice Chairman Thanh reminded me that in a few days, the southwest wind will come in, the waves will be calmer, and I should remember to contact him to return and "repay" my debt from the fishing trip. I recalled that fishing trip last year off the coast of the Gulf of Tonkin with the fishermen of Quynh Long, and realized that whether the fishermen in the village specialize in offshore or inshore fishing, I felt a love for the sea that became even more enduring and resolute the rougher the waves. Passing by Tiger Mountain and Dragon Mountain, looking towards the mouth of the Cam River to feel the salty sea breeze from the distant ocean, I vowed not to miss another fishing trip...

Mr. Vu