Minh "the legendary" - a famous seafarer

(Baonghean) - People throughout the coastal areas of Nghe An province are familiar with the name Minh "Lừng" (Minh the Famous). He is famous for his skill in purse seine fishing. When asked about it, Nguyen Van Minh laughed heartily: "That's not true. My father's name is Lừng, so the fishermen still call me Minh 'Lừng'. But in reality, people call me that because of my fishing skills."

Bringing the purse seine fishing method back to Quynh Beach.

They say that working at sea means "eating the waves and speaking the wind," and it's certainly true. I've been startled several times by Captain Nguyen Van Minh's shouts to one person, then commands another. From flashing lights to casting nets, loosening cables, adding lead weights, and raising the fishing rods to reel in the catch... In the darkness and vastness of the sea, the eardrums of the crew members are constantly assaulted by the roar of the waves and wind, mixed with the roar of the 650-horsepower fishing vessel's engine; not to mention the constant buzzing of the Icom radio. Above all these sounds, Captain Nguyen Van Minh's commands stand out, like those of a commander leading an entire "fleet" amidst the relentless storm. In his hands, the rudder of the vessel, numbered NA 90802 TS, constantly turns left, then right. The ship relentlessly crushes the waves, pulling taut the nets to encircle schools of fish in the middle of the ocean.

Mr. Nguyen Van Minh (center) and his crew members repair fishing nets in preparation for heading out to sea.

Many stories of Minh "Lừng"'s successful purse seine fishing are recounted among most fishermen in Quỳnh Long (Quỳnh Lưu). Among them, the event of Nguyễn Văn Minh commanding a purse seine fishing vessel to successfully catch over 6 tons of tuna has earned him endless praise and admiration. That night, three years ago, the fishing vessel NA 90248 TS, captained by Bùi Đức Tuấn, was searching for fishing grounds when its sonar detected an extremely large school of tuna. It was the first time such a large school of tuna had been discovered, causing the captain, new to purse seine fishing, to panic and become flustered. Through the radio communication system, Tuấn requested Minh "Lừng" to provide reinforcement and assistance.

After instructing vessel 90248 to cast its seine net to contain the school of fish, Nguyen Van Minh decided to do something "crazy" rarely seen among professional fishermen. He commanded his ship to increase speed to 40 nautical miles (nearly 80 km) to assist Bui Duc Tuan's vessel. Approaching his friend's ship in the dark, Nguyen Van Minh confidently jumped onto the helm, directly directing both ships to circle around and completely encircle the school of tuna weighing over 6 tons. After that trip, Bui Duc Tuan was deeply impressed by his fellow fisherman. Tuan honestly said: "If it weren't for Minh's support that trip, two scenarios could have happened: firstly, we would have lost the school of fish; secondly, even if we had succeeded in encircling them, the net would have been destroyed, because tuna are very strong. Meanwhile, a single seine net is worth hundreds of millions of dong..."

In the coastal commune of Quỳnh Long, people talk about Minh "Lừng" as a brilliant leader in the purse seine fishing profession. He was the first person in the Quỳnh Lưu coastal area, and Nghệ An province in general, to introduce purse seine fishing and create a new, effective method of exploitation and fishing throughout the Gulf of Tonkin... Nguyễn Văn Minh grew up during a period when many fishing cooperative economic models collapsed. Meanwhile, generations of fishermen relied solely on the sea for their livelihood. His parents died early, and he had many siblings. Unlike many in his village and commune who left to seek their fortune elsewhere, young Nguyễn Văn Minh never once considered leaving this land to make a living elsewhere. “Life gives everyone a skill to master, especially since I only know how to fish. At that time, young people in the village flocked to Châu Bình and Quỳ Châu to seek their fortune with red stones. Many people thought I wasn't adaptable. There were even some 'bosses' in the area who tried to smuggle goods from China across the sea. I refused.”

Minh "Lừng" remained steadfast in his aspirations. In 1988, at just over 17 years old, he was already a captain – the youngest person in the region to hold this position. But according to him, back then, a 30-meter fishing boat didn't even have a compass or a geomantic compass, so they had to "navigate by chance." From 1990, Nguyen Van Minh switched to squid fishing. He also ventured across all the fishing grounds in the Gulf of Tonkin, such as Co To, Cat Ba, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, and even as far as Quang Tri and Quang Ngai. "The strangest thing is that when I'm fishing for squid, there are so many fish that jump in. I can't stand the waste."

Seeing the advantages of the fishing grounds, Minh switched to purse seine fishing. This process lasted from 1994 to 2000. Minh "Lừng"'s foresight in this period was evident in his being the first in Nghe An to purchase and develop communication radios and GPS devices for fishing boats. The decision to invest in purse seine fishing can be considered the most important milestone in Minh "Lừng"'s seafaring career. In early 2000, Nguyen Van Minh packed his bags and traveled to Quang Tri and Quang Ngai to learn purse seine fishing. Minh confided: "I didn't have the opportunity to go out to sea with them firsthand, but I took notes on everything new and interesting about purse seine fishing. They were also very enthusiastic in teaching me..."

But the founder of the trade never treated anyone lightly. Nguyen Van Minh's sea voyage log still records: On the dark day of June 22, 2000 (lunar calendar), the weather was characterized by southeast winds of force 4-5, with slightly rough seas. The weather didn't significantly affect the voyage. At night, the lights on the ship shone brightly. Just as the long, 500-meter-long, 150-meter-high seine nets were lowered, the sea began to cool, a storm brewing with strong winds and fierce waves. The excitement of their first attempt at purse seine fishing was quickly dispelled when the nets became entangled in the ship's propeller. The ship rocked precariously amidst the roaring sounds of the waves. With no other option, Minh and the crew had to plunge into the sea, diving into the raging currents and forced to cut the nets that he had borrowed hundreds of millions of dong to buy.

After that trip, feelings of discouragement began to creep into the minds of many crew members. Some even gave up. Captain Nguyen Van Minh, however, learned a great deal from this failure. It all stemmed from a lack of experience; the crew members had very limited grasp of the techniques of purse seine fishing. According to Minh, the cause also originated from overconfidence, arrogance, and an inflated sense of their own seafaring abilities. From that painful lesson, Minh "Lừng" refused to give up, determined to pursue purse seine fishing to the end. Before even paying off his old debts, he borrowed money to buy nets and fishing gear, and meticulously adjusted every knot, cable, and bottom ring. But most importantly, he motivated and encouraged the workers and crew members on board.

By the second month after his initial failure, Nguyen Van Minh's boat began to succeed. Each trip yielded more than the last. Going out three times a month, even during the darkest hours, his boat consistently brought back 70-100 tons of fish. The fishermen of Quynh Luu were astonished. But making a living was never simple. Nguyen Van Minh recalled: “We caught a lot of fish, but it was very difficult to sell. The boat would only be out for a few days before bringing in dozens of tons. Upon returning to Lach Quen, the entire family of the crew and the captain would frantically rush to sell it, taking a whole week. There was no market back then; there were many times we had to buy at low prices from seafood companies.” However, with the young captain's calculations: “There was no other way. Seine fishing remained the main long-term solution.” Minh “Lừng”'s prediction proved incredibly accurate, as just a few years later, the market began to develop, and traders rushed in. Everything caught was sold. Minh "Lừng," who initially owned one ship, partnered with a friend to build four more. Each ship had a power output of 500 horsepower or more. As a result, Minh "Lừng" achieved a monthly revenue of no less than 300 million VND.

But Minh "Lừng"'s achievements don't end there. He also introduced many bold innovations to strengthen the purse seine fishing industry, such as improving bottom winches, net lifting shafts, buoy retrieval cables, mooring cables, and bottom lead weights for purse seine vessels. This reduced the hardship for crew members while maximizing fishing efficiency. Many fishermen in the Central region have benefited from Minh "Lừng"'s innovative ideas and experiences.

Epilogue

Only "special" people are allowed to work on Minh "Lừng"'s ships. This is because the average income of laborers and crew members on ships owned by Nguyen Van Minh has never been less than 20 million VND per person per month. All risk insurance benefits are fully covered by the ship owner. When asked about this, Nguyen Van Minh laughed heartily: "It's not that they're special. They trust me, that's why they come to me. Unfortunately, I don't have the resources to hire everyone. Therefore, I only hire those who are in difficult circumstances, poor, but hardworking."

It's a fact that nearly 60% of the crew members and 50% of the owners of purse seine fishing boats in Quynh Long today have learned from the experience of Minh "Lừng". Tran Van Thia, from Dai Hai hamlet, Quynh Long commune – a crew member of the NA 90802 TS vessel – said: In 2005, his family borrowed money to send him to Taiwan to work. He thought he would have a better life, but instead, he spent year after year fishing on the sea for a meager salary of 1.2 million dong per month. After 7 years abroad, Thia returned home almost empty-handed. He sought out Uncle Minh, who simply said: "Why worry about searching in foreign lands? Our sea is here; if you work hard, you'll have food and clothing. Where else would you need to go?" – Thia recounted with a gentle smile. And then, after two years as a crew member on Nguyen Van Minh's boat, Thia built a house and earned an average income of 15 to 20 million dong per month.

Unlike Tran Van Thia, Nguyen Viet Xuan used to be a businessman in Cau Giat. He encountered misfortune; his business failed, his capital dwindled, and he thought he wouldn't survive. Understanding his situation, Nguyen Van Minh took him in as a worker on a fishing boat...

The crew members also recounted that everyone on Minh's ship always treated each other like brothers. Although he was the owner and captain, when out at sea, Minh was just an ordinary worker like everyone else. Thanks to this close relationship, fostering a spirit of unity, cooperation, and responsibility among the crew, the ship's fishing efficiency was always the highest in the district and province. The average annual income of each crew member reached over 200 million VND. Minh "Lừng" said that after a period of working together, if anyone "got used to the trade," he would replace them. Explaining this, Captain Nguyen Van Minh said that once the crew members were proficient, he had to encourage them to be self-reliant and become the core group for other ships to expand their skills. Therefore, every two years, half of the crew and workers on Minh "Lừng"'s ship would continue their journey in purse seine fishing on other ships, while he would recruit new members, then train and mentor them.

From his seine fishing career, Minh "Lừng"'s fame spread far and wide, from the South to the North. But to me, he remained the same – a short, sturdy, and down-to-earth Nguyen Van Minh. Minh "Lừng" even asserted with absolute certainty that he would soon build an even larger ship to venture further out to sea and catch more shrimp and fish. He declared confidently: "I'm no stranger to the 'blood' of the Vietnamese people. In normal times, we focus on doing business, but when problems arise at sea, when others block our livelihoods, our patriotism and desire to protect the sea increase exponentially. We must encourage each other to both improve the efficiency of our work and protect our seas and islands. That's all!"

The two words "That's all" brought tears to my eyes. The captain, renowned far and wide, was so down-to-earth and passionate about the sea. Minh "Lừng" was loved and respected by everyone for such simple, genuine qualities.

November 2014

Dao Tuan