'Earning money brings tears to the eyes'

TPO - Although this year's flood season in the Mekong Delta arrived earlier and was higher than in previous years, natural resources are increasingly depleted, and with so many fishermen, those who make a living during the flood season have inconsistent results. "In this profession, people are on the boat, some rowing, some pushing, some pushing, day and night. Earning even a penny brings tears to my eyes," shared Le Van Thao, a fisherman living upstream in An Giang province.

October 25, 2024 | 11:49 AM

TPO - Although this year's flood season in the Mekong Delta arrived earlier and was higher than in previous years, natural resources are increasingly depleted, and with so many fishermen, those who make a living during the flood season have inconsistent results. "In this profession, people are on the boat, some rowing, some pushing, some pushing, day and night. Earning even a penny brings tears to my eyes," shared Le Van Thao, a fisherman living upstream in An Giang province.

At over 2 AM on the last day of October, Mr. Le Van Thao (left) from Phu Hiep commune, Phu Tan district (An Giang province) woke up to prepare to go to the border fields to cast nets and fish. Mr. Thao and his group of friends cast nets and fish with six boats rowed together. The whole group woke up, lit a fire, brewed a pot of tea, and discussed fishing. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Ms. Lu Thi Phan (61 years old) checks her fishing gear before casting it into the water. Despite her age, Ms. Phan is acknowledged by the entire group as a professional net caster, no less skilled than younger people. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Mr. Ta Van Ut inspects his fishing gear before setting his nets. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Around 3 a.m., while it was still pitch dark, people began to spread out in various directions across the vast, waterlogged fields to cast their nets. In the photo, Mr. Le Van Thuan and Mrs. Truong Ngoc Hien are casting their nets. Mr. Thuan, wearing a headlamp, stands behind the boat, rowing to illuminate the area while his wife sits at the front casting her net. Mrs. Hien skillfully and quickly moves from one net to another. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

The upstream border area of ​​the Mekong River, bordering Cambodia, is one of the first places where fish "enter" Vietnam, also known as the "fish hub". Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Around 5 a.m., as the sun gradually rose above the horizon, the water shimmered with gold and silver, and the boats in Mr. Thao's group had finished casting their nets and gathered at the designated meeting point to rest. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

After casting their nets, everyone paddled back to the pre-arranged meeting point, happily chatting and having breakfast. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Mr. Ta Van Ut takes the opportunity to browse information online. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Mr. Ta Van Thuong - son of Mr. Ut - goes to the fields to check his nets and harvest his catch. Taking advantage of the flood season, people in the border region stay up all night casting nets and fishing to harvest the gifts of nature to earn extra income. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

On average, locals catch 1-2 kg of mud eels per day using their nets; some days they catch 3-4 kg, but this is rare, and they sell for 120,000 VND/kg. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

In recent years, the flood season has seen fewer and fewer fish due to the dense use of nets and traps across the fields, not to mention trawling and electric fishing, leading to the depletion of aquatic resources. This is similar to how floods in the delta region are becoming less frequent due to upstream hydroelectric dams blocking the flow. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Each person on the boat has all the necessary kitchen equipment such as a rice cooker, rice, cooking pot, gas stove, instant noodles, various root vegetables, etc., to sustain them for extended periods on the water. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

As for savory dishes, there's shrimp and fish caught from the fields, and vegetables like water lilies, wild spinach, and water morning glory are also readily available in the fields, so there's never a shortage of food at any meal. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

A meal in the middle of a flooded field. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

After 30 minutes of cooking, Mrs. Hien and her husband had breakfast on their boat with braised fish and a pot of soup; next to them was Mrs. Phan's boat with fried dried fish and braised fish with dipping vegetables; and Mr. Ta Van Ut's boat had fried dried fish, braised fish, and vegetables… Photo: Hoa Hoi.

After finishing his meal, Mr. Le Van Thao went outside to rest. He sighed, "There are few fish this year; some days we catch a lot, some days we don't, only a few hundred thousand dong. Working this job on the boat, one person steering, the other rowing day and night, earning just a penny brings tears to my eyes." (Photo: Hoa Hoi)

Locals set up fishing nets in the vast, waterlogged fields of An Giang province. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Around 9 am, the group disperses to check the nets, finishing around 3 pm. Afterward, they bring the fish to the newly established floating markets at the beginning of the rainy season to sell to traders, completing their work around 4 pm. Photo: Hoa Hoi.

Hoa Hoi

Source: https://tienphong.vn/muu-sinh-mua-nuoc-noi-kiem-duoc-dong-tien-roi-nuoc-mat-post1685412.tpo