Catching 'heavenly gifts' on Ba Be Lake

For many years, many households living along Ba Be Lake in Ba Be Commune have been engaged in fishing. For them, the abundant aquatic resources in the lake are a gift from heaven, helping them earn more income and maintain a stable life. Fishing is not only a means of livelihood but also a familiar part of the life of people living along the lake.

Fishing on Ba Be Lake has long been associated with local people.

Whenever the weather is favorable and the lake surface is calm, people in Pac Ngoi village, Ba Be commune, take the opportunity to prepare fishing nets, nets, and traps to go fishing on the lake. The nets are thrown into the dark blue water, then pulled up full of fish, shrimp, and prawns, making the working atmosphere more bustling. For many years, fishing on Ba Be lake has helped people here have a stable income.

Around 4 pm, when the sunlight was gradually fading, we were rowed out to the lake by Ms. Hua Thi Tham, a resident of Pac Ngoi village, to see the fishing scene. The lake surface was vast, each stroke of the oars gently splashing on the waves brought us closer to the area where people were casting their nets. The first person we met was Mr. Hua Van Tuyen, also from Pac Ngoi village, who was carefully removing each section of net that had just been pulled up from the lake.

While working, Mr. Tuyen shared: I have been fishing on Ba Be Lake for more than 20 years. Before, my family only lived on a few fields. When tourism gradually developed, I chose this job to earn a living, improve my life and have been doing it until now. Although the work is hard, it also brings in extra income.

To learn more, we met Mr. Duong Van Sao, a resident of the same village who was also fishing not far away. While pulling the oars to anchor the boat, he shared about his daily work: At around 3 pm, I prepare the buoy, boat, fishing net, and row out to the lake to choose a favorable location to drop the net. At around 2-3 am the next morning, I return to put the net away. If the weather is calm, I can catch about 20 kg of fish each night. Small ditch fish are sold to traders at the wharf for about 30,000 VND/kg, and retail at the market for 40,000 VND/kg. Carp is more expensive, about 100,000 VND/kg. Thanks to this job, my family has a stable additional income.

The rich aquatic resources in Ba Be Lake are a "heavenly gift" to the people of the lake area.

Nowadays, along with the development of Ba Be Lake tourism, many households have participated in service businesses to improve their lives. However, many families still maintain fishing as an additional source of income. Thanks to the vibrant tourism activities, seafood caught from the lake is also consumed more conveniently, traders come to the wharf to buy, so people no longer have to bring it to the retail market as hard as before.

Carp, anchovy, tilapia, shrimp, prawns… from Ba Be Lake therefore always have a stable output, and at the same time become familiar ingredients in many dishes loved by tourists. During flood season, fishing activities on the lake become even more bustling.

Through a conversation with Ms. Hua Thi Tham, we learned that in recent years, fishing on the lake has become an important source of income for many households in the commune. It is worth noting that people still stick to traditional means, using fishing nets, nets, and traps to fish, absolutely do not use explosives, toxic chemicals or electric shock, and limit fishing during the breeding season.

Ba Be Lake tourism has developed, many households have switched to providing services, but the fishing profession is still maintained by the people. Each haul of nets not only helps bring a stable source of income for the people, but also contributes to preserving the unique culture, associated with the long-standing living habits of the Tay ethnic people living along Ba Be Lake.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/dat-va-nguoi-thai-nguyen/202509/danh-bat-loc-troi-tren-ho-ba-be-6f84444/