The "miracle" of a fishing village escaping poverty after 6 years of resettlement ashore

Tan Lam fishing village, Nam Loc commune, is located near Lam river. Below the wharf, there are dozens of boats lying sideways close to each other, gathered at a wharf. Photo: Trung Ha

Leading us on the straight concrete roads, Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh - the person assigned by the People's Committee of Nam Loc commune (Nam Dan) to manage Tan Lam fishing village said: "The resettlement project of Tan Lam fishing village was implemented since 2007, by June 2012, 53 households had received land with an area of ​​260 - 300 m²with 10 million VND to support house building".

According to Mr. Ninh, Tan Lam fishing village has 64 households, of which 53 were granted land. The remaining households were not granted land because they bought land before the resettlement project was implemented or because they separated late, when the project was already implemented.

Tan Lam fishing village used to be a row of dilapidated boats on the Lam River in Nam Dan district. Now it is a row of well-built houses with concrete roads leading to the alley. Photo: Laodong/Diep Phuong.

From an empty land, after receiving resettlement land, people gradually built new, spacious houses. With the support of the government and socialized resources, the resettlement area gradually changed day by day. The resettlement village became the pride of the fishing village people who had drifted on the river for many generations. People have gradually "settled down" to "make a living".

In her small house, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (born in 1979) shared: “Since we were able to go ashore, have land to build a house, and not have to live on the river, my family has had less hardship. Roads, schools, and children’s education are all convenient. My husband and I have 4 children who are all going to school. All of them are well-behaved, good students, and receive certificates of merit every year.”

In the past, the residents of the fishing village lived on the river all year round, temporarily living on boats, but now, people have built spacious houses. Photo: Ngoc Anh/Diep Phuong.

Not far away is a spacious house with a lush green vegetable garden and a chicken coop surrounded by steel, owned by Mrs. Nguyen Thi Duong (born in 1969). Mrs. Duong recalls: “For a long time I thought I was dreaming, drifting on the river for most of my life, not daring to think that at the end of my life I would have a spacious house and a stable life like this. Now I no longer have to worry about storms and floods…”.

Life is hard, often facing the danger of floods, so since being able to settle on land and being given capital to do business, the people of Tan Lam fishing village have treasured and used the money for the right purpose to bring economic efficiency. The determined and hard-working people over time have been building a "fishing village on land" with freshness, civilization and full of love.

In the past, children in the fishing village lived and studied on small boats all year round. Since settling ashore, children of Tam Lam fishing village residents have had more convenient access to education. Photo: Dantri/Diep Phuong.

With the help from the authorities at all levels, after 6 years of implementing the project, the most encouraging thing to date is that 100% of households in Tan Lam fishing village have escaped poverty, with an average income of 3.2 million VND/month, which is truly a "miracle".

Most people still work on the river, some households work in sand and gravel mining and many children in the village are working abroad, bringing in a large income for their families.

All residents of Tan Lam fishing village are parishioners of Van Loc Parish. Along with the changes and improvements in life, people always remind each other to live a good life, "Respect God, love the country", and build their homeland and village to become increasingly prosperous.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Loc - Chairman of Nam Loc Commune People's Committee said: "After the project was implemented, in order for the fishing village residents to soon stabilize their lives, the local government has promoted and created conditions for their children to work abroad and borrow bank loans to develop the economy. At the same time, it has encouraged and motivated people to overcome difficulties, rise out of poverty, and gradually build a civilized life."

Diep Phuong