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Staying up all night fishing for sardines on Lam River

Huy Thu • March 22, 2025 20:57

Sardine season, although it is hard to stay up all night, but in return, people in fishing villages along Lam River have more income. This year, sardine prices are high, the joy of the people is doubled.

bna_1(1).jpg — These days, people in localities such as Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong, Do Luong... who fish on the Lam River are in the season of catching sardines. At night, the river surface sparkles with the flashlights and signal lights of fishermen. Photo: Huy Thu

Sardines in the sea only go upstream on the Lam River once a year in the spring. Some years the fish come early, some years late. For people who work on the river, around March is the sardine fishing season. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Nguyen Cong Tinh (58 years old) - a fisherman with many years of experience in catching sardines in Thanh Tan hamlet, Thuong Tan Loc commune (Nam Dan) shared: Sardines go upstream all day and night. However, catching more fish at night is better, so people here mainly go fishing at night. Photo: Huy Thu

Each Thanh Tan hamlet in Thuong Tan Loc commune has dozens of sardine fishing boats. Small households have 1-2 boats, large households have 3-4 boats. Depending on their preferences, people leave the wharf early in the morning or at midnight. Whether they leave early or late, the boats only fish for about 4-5 hours and then return to the wharf. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_5..jpg — Sardine fishing boats from Thuong Tan Loc commune can go all the way up to Phuong (Thanh Chuong) or down to Lieu market area (Hung Nguyen). Each boat usually carries a few nets about 100 - 300 m long. After dropping the net, the fishermen will anchor the boat, take a nap on the boat's roof or lie down and surf the phone for about 1 - 1.5 hours before collecting the net to catch fish. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_6..jpg — At around 5-6am, the boats that go fishing for sardines at night in Thuong Tan Loc commune will dock one by one. At dawn, many fishing boats are still trying to pull in the last net. Photo: Huy Thu

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (58 years old), a sardine fisherman in Thuong Tan Loc commune, said: Going sardine fishing requires staying up all night to cast the net, which is quite hard, especially on drizzly, cold, windy nights. On a stretch of river, many fishing boats cast their nets at the same time, and sometimes the nets drift and get stuck together, making untangling very difficult. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Loan (65 years old), Mrs. Lan's husband, shared: During the sardine season, he and his wife often go fishing at 12 midnight and return in the morning. Each time they go fishing, they also catch 3-5 kg of fish. On "stormy" days, when it rains or is sunny, they catch more, about 7-8 kg or 1 yen. Photo: Huy Thu

According to Mr. Loan, people here often sell sardines caught on the Lam River at Sa Nam market, online, or to traders who come to the wharf to buy them. Many households store a lot of fish in the refrigerator to sell to acquaintances in the South and the North. Photo: Huy Thu

This year, the price of sardines in Nam Dan fluctuates between 80,000 and 100,000 VND/kg, nearly double that of last year. With good prices and good sales, sardines are bringing joy and a good income to people in fishing villages on the Lam River. Photo: Huy Thu

Retrieving sardines from the net tomorrow morning. Video: Huy Thu

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Staying up all night fishing for sardines on Lam River

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