The burning desire to reach shore of the fishing village along Lam River

Wandering for a living

Nearly two weeks after storm No. 10, the small boat - which has been the shelter for many years of Mr. Pham Ngoc Hung (born in 1985) and his wife, Ms. Doan Thi Thanh (born in 1986) - is still lying on the bank, more than 50 meters from the edge of the Lam River. The dried mud stains are still scattered around the side of the boat, as evidence of the fierce water that just rolled past.

The boat of Ms. Doan Thi Thanh's family lies on the shore after storm No. 10. Photo: Minh Quan

Before the storm, when they heard that the river water was rising, Mr. Hung and some young men in the fishing village hurriedly tied ropes and used all their strength to push the boat, which was heavily laden with belongings, onto the shore to avoid the wind. That whole night, they struggled with the wind and rain, and only when the boat was still on the shore did they dare to breathe a sigh of relief.

Now, in the hot sun after the storm, the couple is busy repairing the roof of their makeshift "floating house". Holding their youngest child, only 8 months old, and rocking a hammock to lull their sick 3-year-old, Thanh smiles gently: "Bringing the boat to shore, traveling is really hard, every time we go to the river we have to put up planks and wade through the sand, but we don't have to worry about the children. In the middle of a storm, just being safe is the most important thing."

Ms. Doan Thi Thanh with her two children. Photo: Minh Quan

The life of Mr. Hung and Ms. Thanh's family is a typical example of a fate tied to the water. Since birth, they have followed their fathers and grandfathers on the water, and when they became husband and wife, they were also attached to the fishing profession.

They now have seven children, the eldest just started 12th grade, the youngest was born in early 2025. All of them struggle with their daily trips out to sea. When the weather is favorable, their nets can net a few hundred thousand dong; some days they drag the whole day without catching any fish.

“The job of making a living on the river is very erratic, the whole family just has enough to eat and wear,” Mr. Hung confided. Amidst the hardship, he and his wife were determined to let their children finish high school, hoping that one day their children would not have to “follow in their parents’ footsteps” as fishermen.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, who is considered by the locals as the head of the Xuan Lam 2 fishing village, the village currently has 14 households with nearly 80 people, of which 8 households with more than 40 people still live on the river, on old boat roofs, the rest build temporary houses with corrugated iron, bamboo or in the abandoned shacks of a sand mining unit. Some households pull their boats ashore to live temporarily, but their daily activities are still closely linked to the river. Each household has 1-2 small boats for fishing - the only source of income for the whole family.

Floating boats and houses of fishermen in Xuan Lam 2 hamlet, Hung Nguyen Nam commune, at the foot of Yen Xuan railway bridge. Photo: Minh Quan

"Never before has the life of the people in the fishing village been so turned upside down as this year," Mr. Toan sighed. "The two times we ran from storms, when storms No. 5 and No. 10 made landfall, people had to carry their belongings together, get on army vehicles and go to the village's cultural house for shelter."

Thanks to the proactive actions of the government and militia, everyone is safe, but the material damage is still not small: Nets, nets, fishing equipment were swept away; many small fishing boats capsized in the storm on October 5. The already precarious life became even more precarious...

Among the households still clinging to the river are Mr. Nguyen Hong Van (born in 1963) and Mrs. Pham Thi Huong (born in 1964) - a couple who have spent their whole lives with the water. They have 8 children, 4 daughters have started families on the shore, the remaining 4 sons still follow the fishing profession.

Ms. Pham Thi Huong on her floating house. Photo: Minh Quan

A few years ago, Mr. Van suffered a stroke and had difficulty walking. Mrs. Huong had to stay home to take care of her husband and stop fishing. “We fishermen are afraid of many things: storms, floods, but most of all, accidents on the river. I dare not take my eyes off my husband even for a moment,” Mrs. Huong shared.

Dream of settling down

Amidst the endless storms, the biggest dream of the people of Xuan Lam 2 fishing village is to go ashore and have a solid roof on land. “Living all our lives on the river, we only wish to have a place to shelter from the sun and rain without worrying about rising water levels,” confided Mr. Nguyen Van Toan – Head of the fishing village.

Temporary houses and boats pulled ashore by fishermen. Photo: Minh Quan

Not far from the fishing village, the resettlement area in Xuan Lam 9 hamlet was completed in 2021, and was planned to welcome about 100 households from the flood-affected area of the old Hung Nguyen district to live ashore. However, more than 3 years have passed and this resettlement area has been almost abandoned.

According to the leader of Hung Nguyen Nam commune, the resettlement area used to be part of the project of the old Hung Nguyen district before the organization of the 2-level local government, each plot of land was planned to be more than 300 square meters, exceeding the current regulations. Therefore, adjusting the area and preparing documents to allocate land to households encountered many obstacles. "The locality really wants to arrange stable housing for fishing households, but must ensure compliance with regulations to avoid procedural errors in the future," said Mr. Cao Anh Duc - Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Nguyen Nam commune.

While administrative procedures are still waiting to be resolved, nearly a dozen people still live in cramped houses on boats or temporary houses. In the dry season, they endure the scorching heat; in the rainy season, they worry about landslides and flooding. For households living on boats, on stormy nights, women hug their children and sit huddled in the corner of the boat, while men go to the shore to anchor the boat against the wind. "When the wind is strong, the floating house howls as if it wants to lift the roof off, all we can do is pray that it doesn't capsize," said Doan Thi Thanh, a mother of seven children.

Fishing boats of fishermen. Photo: Minh Quan

But no matter how stormy the weather is, people still do not give up hope. Mrs. Pham Thi Huong, a woman who has spent nearly 60 years drifting, said in tears: "Now I am old, I dare not dream of a big house, I just hope to have a dry place to put my bed, so I don't have to run when the water rises."

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Recently, Hung Nguyen Nam commune submitted a document to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, proposing to review the entire resettlement area to soon arrange for fishing households in Xuan Lam 2 hamlet.
Mr. Cao Anh Duc - Chairman of People's Committee of Hung Nguyen Nam commune.

Not only waiting for policies, the people of the fishing village are also finding ways to escape poverty themselves. Some households have boldly borrowed money to buy more small motorboats to expand their fishing range. Some families have children working far away, sending money back to repair the boat roofs and build corrugated iron shacks on the shore as temporary shelters. “Many children of the fishing village have now gone out to learn a trade and work as workers. With each child becoming a good person, the villagers have more confidence,” Mr. Toan said, his voice mixed with pride.

xom-van-chai(1).jpg — Children of Xuan Lam 2 fishing village. Photo: Minh Quan

In recent years, the local government and organizations have regularly supported the people with practical actions: giving life jackets, distributing necessities during storm season, granting scholarships to poor children, and mobilizing businesses to support materials for houseboats. Whenever a storm approaches, commune officials, police, and militia are present to help people evacuate and collect their belongings. Thanks to that, although life is still difficult, the fishing village people always feel the care of the government, like a rope holding them in the midst of many storms.

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Fishermen like us only hope for the day we can settle down on land. When that day comes, we will probably put down our fishing nets, build houses, grow vegetables, and live peacefully like everyone else.
Mr. Nguyen Van Toan - a resident of Xuan Lam 2 fishing village.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/dau-dau-khat-vong-len-bo-cua-xom-van-chai-ven-song-lam-10308100.html