Amidst the waves of the Da River

Amidst its vastness, the Da River not only possesses a majestic and poetic beauty, with mountains and rivers blending together to attract travelers, but also harbors the fierce wrath of nature. Sudden storms and floods can turn the tranquil waters into ferocious waves, capable of engulfing the hopes and possessions accumulated over a lifetime.

Merchant ships traveling upstream on the Da River must meet all registration requirements and ensure safety throughout the 10 market sessions, spanning 7 days and nights. (Photo by Bao Long)

However, along their journey along this majestic yet treacherous river, the lives of the people quietly eking out a living on rafts and trading boats are filled with stories of unity, resilience, and aspiration.

They consider the water their home, hardship their companion, and stand strong amidst the vast expanse of the Northwest region of our country.

Looking at the sky, looking at the water

On a cargo ship sailing upstream on the Da River, Ms. Binh – a middle-aged woman from Hanoi , with a tanned face and calloused skin – stands precariously at the bow of the ship, arranging goods and preparing for the journey. For 30 years, her life has been a journey on the waves.

Previously, Ms. Binh only dared to rent a small space to trade on boats. Seven years ago, with all her savings and borrowed money, she bought a boat worth nearly one billion dong to truly be her own boss. Now, she and her daughter, along with four workers, regularly make their way to 10 market docks to sell necessities, groceries, and building materials to people in remote areas, creating bustling floating markets.

At the dock, hearing the crisp sound of the engine, Tan Hoang, a wholesaler of instant noodles from Phu Tho province, busily climbed onto the boat, hawking his wares to Ms. Binh. He considered it "meeting his KPI" if each trip completed its journey and he sold 3-4 million dong worth of goods. For the past 15 years, Hoang has become a familiar face on all the trading boats on the Da River. Even with a stable customer base on shore, he couldn't forget his "business partners" at sea, because it was both a business matter and a bond of camaraderie among those who shared the same struggle for survival on the river.

This majestic river is home not only to cargo ships but also to "empires" of cage fish farms built with sweat and tears. The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung (born in 1988), CEO of Hai Dang Seafood Company, is originally from Phu Tho province. Decades ago, her parents traveled upstream to the Hoa Binh (formerly) reservoir area to start a new life . In those years, there was still plenty of natural fish, and her parents mainly caught them themselves and bought them from local fishermen.

Ms. Dung recalls seeing her parents begin raising fish in rudimentary bamboo rafts when she was very young. The bamboo huts were tied together with rattan and wire, floating on the water. Back then, fish farming relied entirely on experience, observing the weather and the water; there was no sign of modern technology or machinery.

Caring for fish in cages in the middle of the Da River. (Photo by Bao Long)

In 2010, a major turning point came for Ms. Dung's family's fish farming business when they decided to switch from bamboo rafts to sturdy iron cages. From the initial eight cages, the scale gradually increased over the years. Each iron cage cost 60-70 million VND to build. In 2017, Ms. Dung's family decided to move to their current location, which at that time was still a pristine, uninhabited area of ​​the lake. "Back then, there were no floating rafts here; only my parents came to clear the land. Fish farming here could develop on a large scale because it's near the port and nestled against the mountains, protecting it from rough waves," Ms. Dung recounted.

Currently, the Hai Dang fish cage farm has up to 200 fish cages. The facility employs eight workers, most of whom have come to regard these fish cages as their second home. Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh has been working with Ms. Dung's family since 2010. Mr. Vinh's life unfolds entirely on these floating houses constructed from iron and buoys. Wherever the wind blows, the fish cages sway, and so does the floating raft. Yet, on the precarious surface of the lake, they still manage to decorate everything from freshwater tanks and potted plants to simple household items, creating a miniature "floating village" in the middle of the lake. Early in the morning, before the fog dissipates from the waves, the fishermen feed the fish, check each mesh of the nets, and monitor changes in the water. The relationship between owner and workers here is one of close bond and sharing that has lasted for decades, working together to overcome the harshness of nature.

Subsequent generations

The river sustains the people, but it has also never ceased to challenge them. Ms. Binh sighed as she recounted how, when she first bought the boat, small traders used to rent it to transport goods. Some sold clothes and shoes; others even sold pigs and chickens... But in recent years, the number of customers has dwindled. Now, it's just the two of them, mother and daughter, struggling to make ends meet on the large boat. There were times when difficulties overwhelmed her, and she considered going ashore, finding a quiet corner to sell her goods and escape the ever-present dangers. However, captivated by the boat that had been her livelihood for so many years, she couldn't bring herself to leave it. Especially since the people in remote areas always eagerly awaited the arrival of her shipments...

That hardship is also evident in the story of Ms. Dung in the Thung Nai reservoir area (Phu Tho province). Raising fish on the river means "the fish are lost as soon as they get out; it's impossible to control." How can one forget the major storms that bent and broke the iron cages, causing fish to escape with the current, resulting in immeasurable losses? Not to mention the expensive sturgeon fingerlings, costing 500,000-600,000 VND/kg, but before they adapt, "out of 10 fish, only 1-2 survive." She approached many major insurance companies to buy insurance for her more than 200 fish cages, but none dared to agree given the enormous risk...

Clearly, nothing can change the harshness of the majestic Da River, and only human effort can overcome the difficulties and write new chapters of success. About 15 years ago, Ms. Dung's family researched how to raise sturgeon in the Da River. Sturgeon are cold-water species that cannot tolerate the heat of summer, so her father had to invest in a system to pump water from the deep bottom of the lake – where the water always maintains a naturally cold temperature – and combine it with a cooling system to raise the fish in tanks. It took many years of experimentation (from 2012 to 2015), experiencing numerous failures and economic losses, before her family gradually mastered the process of raising this expensive fish, achieving high economic efficiency.

Not content with just researching farming techniques, the younger generation of lake dwellers are also adapting to new markets. Regularly from 9 PM to 11 PM, when the whole family is asleep, Ms. Dung diligently sits in front of the screen to participate in a social media marketing course. She understands that she can't let the caged fish from the Da River remain "like a sleeping princess in the forest," just waiting for regular customers to find her. Thanks to self-produced promotional videos on her Fanpage, the Hai Dang fish brand has attracted many individual customers nationwide, even reaching as far as South Korea, Japan, and Germany via air freight. The company's online retail rate has dramatically increased from 10% to 35% in just one year, opening up a promising direction.

The aspiration to master the majestic Da Giang River, whether for the weathered elderly or the young yearning for change, seems never-ending, passed down from generation to generation. Dung's two young children, though raised in the city, always return to the lake with their mother and grandfather whenever they have the chance. Watching them dive and swim in the waves, one understands that the bond with this river will last forever, for it is their home, the source that nurtures successive generations.

TRAN HAO - PHONG CHUONG - VU PHONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/giua-song-nuoc-song-da-post951663.html