Family clinging to the sea

It is now the rough sea season with white-capped waves stretching across the mouth of Cua Viet in the pouring rain and wind, and the cold. However, that weather still cannot stop the offshore fishing fleet of Cua Viet town, Gio Linh district from cutting through the waves and heading out to sea. On the deck of the offshore fishing boats, there are always many fishermen of the Bui family who bravely stick to the sea, stick to the fishing grounds to catch seafood, contributing to protecting the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Many offshore fishing boats of fishermen in the Bui family return from the open sea - Photo: HAI AN

Rescue people in the middle of the ocean

When I mentioned that many offshore fishing boats of the Bui family in Ward 5 are always ready to go out to sea to rescue ships and boats in distress at sea, old fisherman Bui Dinh Sanh (70 years old) smiled kindly and said that from ancient times until now, coastal fishermen have always had the concept that rescuing people at sea and on rivers is "robbing the River God's rice", so many fishermen often hesitate when rescuing ships and boats in distress at sea and on rivers.

No one knows where, but the offshore fishing fleet of Ward 5, including the offshore fishing boats of many fishermen with the last name Bui, only needs information about a ship or boat in distress at sea or on the river to immediately set out to rescue. Sharing the same seafaring profession, saving people is a duty that any fisherman must do.

Remember, around the end of February 2023, the fishing boat of fisherman Nguyen Van Vinh (born in 1976) and Vo Quang Bac (born in 1972), both residing in Village 4, Gio Hai Commune, Gio Linh District, encountered an accident while fishing on the way back to Cua Viet Port area and was sunk by waves. Fisherman Bui Dinh Hien, residing in Quarter 5, Cua Viet Town, immediately went out to sea to rescue fishermen in distress at sea. Fisherman Bui Dinh Hien's offshore fishing boat successfully rescued the fishing boat of fisherman Nguyen Duc Huan (born in 1982), residing in Quarter 5, Cua Viet Town, which encountered an accident and was sunk by waves...

The very next day, when mobilized by the Border Guard Station of Cua Viet Port, the offshore fishing boat of fisherman Bui Dinh Hien continued to go with the offshore fishing boat QT - 92567 TS of fisherman Vo Van Thuc residing in Xuan Ngoc village, Gio Viet commune, Gio Linh district, to sea to tow the sinking fishermen's boat to shore in the weather conditions of big waves and strong winds and then hand it over to the fishermen for repair.

Mr. Bui Dinh Sanh added that in nearly 14 years as the Head of the Self-Managed Boat Safety Team in Ward 5, he has witnessed dozens of times when fishermen helped each other in the midst of storms in the vast ocean. The self-managed team alone has 35 offshore fishing boats, of which 6-7 have ventured into the big waves and strong winds to rescue people at sea, including the offshore fishing boats of many fishermen with the last name Bui.

For example, the offshore fishing boats of fishermen Bui Dinh Dung, Bui Dinh Hue, Bui Dinh Tan, Bui Van Bien, Bui Dinh Hien... in Ward 5. A lifetime of being a fisherman diving in the open sea requires a humane heart. Not only fishermen in Ward 5 but also fishermen in coastal areas always have the awareness to rescue people in distress at sea or share and help their fellow fishermen's families in trouble and difficulty... to together cling to the sea and sky of the Fatherland.

Determined to stay at sea

In the memories of the years when he was a fisherman in fishing grounds such as Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Bac Bo Gulf, South Central Coast, Southwest... old fisherman Bui Dinh Chinh (75 years old) in Ward 5 recalls that since he was 15 years old, he followed his father to get acquainted with the waves and winds of the sea. In the past, fishermen working at sea had to endure many hardships.

How can one not suffer when one has to go out to sea on a bamboo boat rowed by hand? To catch fish or shrimp, one must look at the stars, the waves, and the direction of the ocean currents to predict the direction of the fish or shrimp, and then cast one’s net and bait. It all depends on the experience of a lifetime at sea that a fisherman has accumulated.

Family clinging to the sea

Mr. Bui Dinh Chinh meticulously helps his children mend each mesh of the tangled trawl net - Photo: HAI AN

It was not until 2006 that Mr. Chinh was able to build a new offshore fishing boat with a capacity of over 400 CV equipped with modern fishing gear to go out to sea with his children. With his knowledge and experience of decades of being attached to the sea, Mr. Chinh was able to pass on to his three children, fishermen Bui Dinh Chien (49 years old), Bui Dinh Hue (47 years old), and Bui Dinh Muoi (34 years old), all the knowledge about the channels and ocean currents that schools of fish and squid follow as well as the fishing grounds that can catch large quantities of seafood depending on the season of the year.

Around 2009, when he was old and weak, Mr. Bui Dinh Chinh could no longer hold the steering wheel to control the offshore fishing boat, so he decided not to follow his children out to sea and stick to the sea. He stayed home and meticulously helped his children patch each knot of the tangled trawl net so that he could bring it back to the boat to go out to sea to catch seafood.

His children now own offshore fishing boats with capacities ranging from 450 CV to nearly 800 CV, equipped with modern fishing gear; earning hundreds of millions of VND after each offshore fishing trip. Among Mr. Chinh's three sons, the second son, fisherman Bui Dinh Hue, owns a large steel-hulled boat in Cua Viet town. The "fleet" of the old fisherman Bui Dinh Chinh's children is currently at sea day and night, catching seafood in distant fishing grounds.

Ward 5 (formerly Tan Loi village) has always had a tradition of going far out to sea with the largest offshore fishing fleet in Cua Viet town. The Bui family alone has an offshore fishing fleet that accounts for about 2/3 of the total offshore fishing fleet in Cua Viet town, specializing in catching seafood in the fishing grounds of Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Bac Bo Gulf, South Central Coast, and Southwest.

The "sea opening" season of 2024 is approaching with the "sea opening" ceremony at the beginning of the new year, a unique cultural beauty that has existed for hundreds of years in the fishing villages. After the "sea opening" ceremony at the beginning of the year, joining the offshore fishing fleet of Cua Viet town are many offshore fishing vessels of the brave fishermen of the Bui family in Ward 5. And in the distant fishing grounds of the Fatherland such as Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Bac Bo Gulf, South Central Coast, Southwest... with the presence of Cua Viet fishermen, they have contributed to affirming the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Hai An

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