Welcoming the golden harvest of the flood season.

Unlike the noisy and harsh flood season in other rural areas, the flood season in the Mekong Delta is gentle and quiet, flowing over the fields of the southwestern border region, bringing with it heavy red silt that washes away the worries of the fields, gardens, and riverbanks. Wherever the water flows, fish and shrimp follow. People in the upstream areas are busy setting traps, casting lines, and casting nets... welcoming the schools of fish and shrimp that come with the floodwaters.

The young snakehead fish have arrived.

From the border region of Hong Ngu, Dong Thap province, we followed the road along the So Thuong River to the Muong Dop rice fields (Thuong Phuoc commune) to join the locals in "welcoming" the first schools of young Linh fish of the flood season. The So Thuong River is a border river, dividing Dong Thap province (Vietnam) and Prey Veng province (Cambodia).

The upstream section of So Thuong is a distributary of the Mekong River, originating from Peam Ro town, Peam Ro district, Prey Veng province, and flowing into the Mekong River at Hong Ngu.

A farmer in Thuong Phuoc commune, Dong Thap province, catches fish and shrimp and sells them immediately upon bringing them ashore. Photo: NGOC PHUC

On the So Thuong River (Thuong Lac commune), people have started casting nets to catch catfish and snakehead fish. According to locals, snakehead fish is a delicacy, available only from June (lunar calendar) until the floodwaters inundate the fields.

Mr. Lam Van Teo (56 years old, Thuong Lac commune), who has earned his living by fishing in the Hong Nguy border region for nearly 40 years, said that in previous years, there were a lot of fish, and farmers made a lot of money during the flood season. This flood season, the special fish species is not abundant, but the price is high, sometimes reaching 300,000 VND/kg, so not only people in Thuong Lac but also people in Thuong Thoi Hau B are preparing boats, fishing gear, and nets to catch them and earn extra income.

Pouring the fish from the net bag into a basin to sell, Mr. Lam Van Teo said: "Every evening, we cast our nets until morning and can harvest 2-3 kg of catfish, in addition to many other types of fish."

"The fish fetch a high price, so we sort and sell them. The remaining smaller fish are used to make a light fish stew, served with purple water hyacinths, green water spinach, red morning glory... adding flavor and color to our meals during the flood season. The children, returning from school in the city, eagerly await the summer, while we elderly people are overjoyed because it's a precious gift that nature bestows annually upon the people of the Mekong Delta."

Floodwaters poured in, dyeing the recently harvested rice fields in Thuong Lac commune red. Local farmers, despite their weathered faces, were filled with excitement. With strong hands, they silently cast nets, set lines, and placed traps and snares to catch short-lived aquatic products carried by the floodwaters, filling the vast, expansive fields.

Following the border road along the So Thuong River, past the Cau Muong Border Guard Station, we reached the headwaters of the floodwaters pouring into the Muong Dop rice fields (Thuong Phuoc commune). Here, the sluice gates of Muong Dop had been opened, and the floodwaters were overflowing the fields.

At midday, Mr. Tran Chi Thanh (48 years old, Thuong Phuoc commune), along with his son, hunched over carrying a newly purchased set of fishing nets from Tan Chau ( An Giang province), wading through the water to the rice paddies to set up more than 20 nets and plant more than a dozen fishing rods along both banks.

Mr. Thanh said that this year the floods came early, and the snakehead fish also came early. "Since yesterday, I've sold nearly ten kilograms of young snakehead fish. Traders came right to my farm to buy them, which gives me extra money during my free time and also allows me to have a hot pot of snakehead fish with water spinach and braised eel for my family's meal."

With the price of young snakehead fish ranging from 100,000 to 120,000 VND/kg, many people in Thuong Phuoc can earn millions of VND per day if they strike it rich. Mr. Tran Van Keng (65 years old, Thuong Phuoc commune), known as a "genuine" farmer of the border region, excitedly pointed his dark, weathered hands to the fishing nets submerged in the water, saying that the water rose quickly, there were plenty of shrimp and fish, and this season the people are sure to make a good living.

In recent years, people in the southwestern border region (Dong Thap province) have found it difficult to catch fish with nets in the Muong Dop rice fields, but many years ago, when the floods came, Mr. Keng would catch dozens of kilograms of snakehead fish every day.

"That's why I say, when floods inundate the fields, it's common for farmers to earn millions of dong," Mr. Keng asserted confidently.

According to Mr. Huynh Van Cuoc, an official from the Economic Department of Thuong Phuoc commune, the entire commune has 5 production embankments, with a total area of ​​over 5,200 hectares. Of these, 4 embankments are used for flood discharge to receive silt, creating favorable conditions for aquatic life to thrive. The embankment systems remain safe, and the people have finished harvesting rice and other crops, ready to enter the flood season.

In addition to supporting local people in exploiting aquatic resources during the flood season, the local government also proactively coordinates with relevant agencies to educate people about not using electric shock fishing, which depletes aquatic resources and endangers lives.

... and the season for many kinds of vegetables

The floodwaters inundating the fields symbolize prosperity and harmony. The flood season is also the season of the water hyacinth, which weaves its way along the water and blooms in vibrant yellow, attracting swarms of honeybees.

Blending with the golden hues are the vibrant pinkish-purple blossoms of water hyacinths and water lilies, proudly rising above the water's surface. The lush green water spinach, water morning glory, and other aquatic plants create a poetic rural scene at the headwaters of the floodwaters, dispelling the scorching sun amidst the sweltering heat of the southwestern border region.

People in the southwestern border region (Dong Thap province) cast nets to catch fish in the Muong Dop rice fields.

Paddling her small boat along the dike to cut water spinach, watching the water slowly rise, Mrs. Nam Nien (60 years old, Thuong Phuoc commune) hummed the folk song, "Thap Muoi has salty water and acidic soil. Half the season is scorching hot, the other half is flooded..."

In a few months, when the floodwaters recede, leaving behind fertile alluvial soil ready for a new planting season, farmers in the Mekong Delta hope for a bountiful harvest. Along the border roads, many collection points for flood-season produce have sprung up.

Ms. Le Thi Hoai (46 years old, Hong Ngu ward), a small trader specializing in buying and selling flood season produce in the Thuong Lac area, said, "Like a pre-arranged appointment, during the flood season, I prepare my temporary hut in the middle of the field to buy produce from the locals. This year, young snakehead fish arrived early; even at the beginning of the flood season, the yield is quite high. Besides that, there are also mudfish, eels, shrimp, crabs, snails, and various kinds of cool vegetables, water hyacinth flowers, and water lilies... These flood season specialties are purchased and supplied to provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City."

Dragging her bicycle loaded with water spinach and water lilies on the back, two bags of Sesbania grandiflora flowers dangling from the handlebars, and a heavy sack of snails weighing down the front basket, Mrs. Lam Thi Ly (65 years old, living near Muong Dop canal) brought her goods to sell to Ms. Hoai. Although her income was less than 100,000 dong, Mrs. Ly was very happy because the floodwaters had brought her extra income in her twilight years. For elderly people like Mrs. Ly, wading into the shallow fields to catch snails, cutting the newly sprouted, lush green vegetables, and watching her children and grandchildren – the older ones casting nets to catch fish and shrimp, the younger ones swimming – fills her heart with joy at this "beautiful" flood season.

Ms. Ly confided that in recent years, the local people have been "thirsty for floods." This thirst stems from upstream, climate change, unscientific interventions, and the imbalance of nature caused by humans. Nevertheless, nature still bestows upon the farmers in the flood-prone areas a touch of fertile soil and produce, as if to reciprocate their longing for the flood season.

After collecting the money, Mrs. Ly carefully pinned the bag shut and climbed onto her old, rickety bicycle, riding towards the Muong Dop fields. In the distance, the floodwaters flowed ceaselessly, and the people of the border region of Dong Thap still maintained a way of life in harmony with nature and the rising water. That's the nature of the flood season in the Mekong Delta: gentle, offering to life the fragrance of alluvial soil and unique products found nowhere else.

NGOC PHUC

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/don-loc-vang-mua-nuoc-noi-post808630.html