New life of fishing village on Lam river

After many years of living on drifting boats, the lives of the people in Tien Phong fishing village, Quang Vinh commune, Duc Tho district ( Ha Tinh ) have now turned a new page.

Memories of a time of drifting

Tien Phong fishing village is located below Eo Bu creek, a branch of Lam river. Here, 24 households use boats as a means of earning a living by fishing, and also as houses for living.

For decades, the fishermen of Tien Phong village have lived here and there on boats going up and down the Lam River.

Drifting on narrow boats for so long that the people of the fishing village no longer remember when they started living on the river. They only know that generations of people here have seen their grandfathers and fathers live such a life since birth.

Generations of fishermen have lived their lives on small boats of about 15 square meters. Because they are connected to the river, their main source of income depends on fishing. The fish and shrimp they catch after hours of hard work are exchanged for rice, vegetables and other essential items for daily living.

Mr. Ngo Dinh Hiep (46 years old, Tien Phong village) recalls that his family had many children so his parents did not have enough land to divide among them to build a house. Therefore, more than 15 years ago, after getting married, he collected all the money from his wedding to buy a boat so that the couple could work as fishermen and live on the boat.

"My small family of 5 has to live, bathe, cook... in a small boat, which is very inconvenient. Because there is no electricity grid, fishermen in the fishing village have to use batteries for lighting. Each time they go ashore to charge the batteries, they can use them for about 10 days.

To save electricity, fishermen eat lunch at 9am, dinner at 4pm and go to bed early in the evening," Mr. Hiep recalls.

Similarly, generations of Nguyen Truong Sinh's family (40 years old, head of Tien Phong village) have spent decades adrift on a boat that is more than 3m wide, 7m long, and more than 1m high.

Mr. Sinh and his wife were neighbors, also fishermen. Understanding each other's circumstances, they got married and had 5 children together.

The couple's "private" asset is an old boat worth 6 million VND, which he bought from a sand dredger. The old boat is a shelter for 7 family members.

The people of Tien Phong fishing village not only face difficulties and hardships in making a living, but their biggest concern is their children's education. For generations, people here have barely been literate, and later generations have tried to improve themselves, but the number of people attending university is limited.

Joy burst

Going ashore has been the dream of fishermen who have lived on boats for generations. They hope to have a "place to settle down", to change their precarious lives, and to give their children a good education to reduce their future hardships.

24 spacious houses were built for the fishermen. This year, they do not have to struggle to escape the flood like in the past.

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2023, the dream of the residents came true when 24 adjacent houses with an area of ​​56m2 per floor were handed over and put into use. The project includes a 350m long road with drainage ditches and a complete power supply system.

The houses are designed with the first floor empty, used for storing vehicles, equipment, and production tools; the second floor is arranged with living room, bedroom, kitchen, and restroom. The project was built entirely with funding from sponsoring businesses with a total amount of more than 9 billion VND.

In his spacious house, Mr. Ngo Van Hiep (46 years old) shared: After 19 years of living on the river, he and his wife now officially have a house. "Since having a new house, life has been stable, the children have a place to study. Until now, I still think it's a dream," Mr. Hiep happily said.

Peace of mind to make a living

Standing on the second floor of a resident's house, looking into the distance, we felt that Tien Phong village was taking on a new look after days of actively building a new countryside. These were concrete roads, wide asphalt roads, the commune People's Committee headquarters, spacious schools, and green gardens with fruit trees.

While preparing fishing gear to catch shrimp and fish for the first crop of the new spring, Mr. Dinh Tien Cuong (Tien Phong village) excitedly said: "Before, because there was no land to "set up", the family often drifted together on the river. Now the children do not have to risk following their parents on the swaying boats anymore. They can go to school, and we feel more secure when making a living on the river."

According to Mr. Cuong, because he is familiar with the river job, his family continues to stick with the job; some others go ashore to work in nearby companies and industrial parks.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Viet, Chairman of Quang Vinh Commune People's Committee, recalled that in the past, every rainy season, the local government always had to worry about the safety of fishing households in Tien Phong village. Because all households lived on a small boat, which was both a means of fishing for a living and a place to live.

With financial support from the government and philanthropists to build flood-proof houses, households can now live in sturdy, tall houses, and the old worries are no longer there.

"Since coming ashore, people's lives have changed a lot. Many people have changed jobs to stabilize their lives. Especially students now have enough conditions to study, no longer uncertain like the days when they were friends with the river," said Mr. Viet.

The whole Tien Phong village has 92 households with 267 people. Of these, 24 households have been drifting on boats for many generations. Thanks to the appeal of Ha Tinh province, benefactors have supported 9 billion VND to build 24 houses, determined to bring the people of Tien Phong fishing village to shore.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/cuoc-song-moi-cua-lang-van-chai-ben-dong-lam-192250206193434885.htm