Song Doc fishing village

Located in the western part of Ca Mau province, Song Doc commune, with its traditional marine exploitation industry, has long been a large and dynamic fishing village in the Mekong Delta region.

A street corner by the sea in Song Doc. Photo: Huynh Lam.

Song Doc commune, Ca Mau province, is located downstream of the Ong Doc river and borders the Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Western Sea, where the largest concentration of fishing vessels in the Mekong Delta region is located.

According to many historical records, in the 18th century, the Ong Doc River was called Khoa Giang. After the events of the year Quy Mao (1783), when pursued by the Tay Son army of Nguyen Hue, Nguyen Anh and his family fled to the southern region. Upon reaching the Khoa Giang estuary, General Doc Huynh risked his life to save Nguyen Anh. Afterward, the Khoa Giang River was renamed Ong Doc River, a name it retains to this day. Later, many people mispronounced it as Song Doc, which is also the name of this coastal town.

On February 10, 1955, the Ong Doc River estuary became a place that marked a historical moment in the revolution, witnessing and bidding farewell to the last ship carrying cadres from the South to the North, ending the resistance war against French colonial aggression.
 

The estuary of the Ong Doc River. Photo: Huynh Lam.

Leveraging its traditional marine fishing industry, Song Doc commune has become one of the busiest and most vibrant seaports in the region. Its marine fishing industry is currently among the largest in the country. The entire commune has over 2,000 fishing vessels, with more than 20,000 fishermen regularly entering and leaving the port for business and trade. Each year, Song Doc harvests over 100,000 tons of various seafood. Many supporting services for the fishing industry have been established here, such as seafood processing factories for export, seafood raw material purchasing agencies, ice factories, and fuel businesses. Traditional crafts such as shipbuilding and repair, net weaving and mending, and the production of dried fish, dried shrimp, and dried squid are also thriving.
 

The craft of mending fishing nets in Song Doc. Photo: Tan Diep.

With its advantages and development potential, Song Doc has become a maritime economic center and a future hub for international economic exchange. Located on the western coastal urban economic corridor, it plays a recognized role as a multi-functional, integrated center in the western part of the region, serving as a gateway to the national waterway transport corridor connecting to the Western Sea.
 

The Nghinh Ông festival of the fishermen of Song Doc. Photo: Tan Diep.

  In Hamlet 2, Song Doc commune, there is the Nam Hai Whale Mausoleum (commonly known as the Song Doc Whale Mausoleum). Built in 1963, the Nam Hai Whale Mausoleum in Song Doc underwent minor renovations in 1990. Every year, from the 14th to the 16th of February (lunar calendar), the people of Song Doc hold the Nghinh Ong festival, a solemn and respectful celebration that attracts a large number of people from within and outside the province. This festival is closely associated with the worship of the Whale God, reflecting the distinctive traditional culture of the fishermen of Song Doc.

On July 25, 2018, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province signed a decision classifying the Nam Hai - Song Doc Mausoleum as a provincial-level historical relic.

From the coastal village of Song Doc commune, tourists can visit other famous landmarks such as U Minh Ha National Park, Ca Mau Cape World Biosphere Reserve, the Western coastal mangrove forest ecotourism route, Thi Tuong Lagoon, Hon Chuoi Island, Hon Da Bac Island, and the memorial site of folk artist Nguyen Long Phi (Uncle Ba Phi) in Kenh Ngang, Lung Tram hamlet, Khanh Hung commune, Ca Mau province. This memorial site has been recognized as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic by the People's Committee of Ca Mau province.

In 2012, Song Doc commune, Ca Mau province, was recognized as a type IV urban area by the Ministry of Construction.

In 2017, Song Doc commune in Ca Mau province was recognized as an island town by a decision signed by the Prime Minister.
 

Hon Chuoi Island as seen from the mouth of the Ong Doc River. Photo: Huynh Lam.

The fishing village of Song Doc is busiest during low tide, when boats and ships from the open sea dock to sell seafood, prepare fishing gear, fuel, ice, and provisions for their next voyages.

Because the seafood here is freshly caught from the sea and sold directly at the docks, it is always delicious and can be prepared into many attractive dishes, enough to keep tourists coming back.

In the late afternoon, visitors can stroll along the seaside town to watch the boats busily entering and leaving the harbor. Even more appealing, visitors can take souvenir photos with the sunset gradually sinking over the western sea. At night, visitors can experience the seaside village at night, relaxing in the stilt houses, enjoying the cool breeze and listening to the gentle murmur of the waves.

At the end of their trip to the coastal town of Song Doc, tourists can visit seafood purchasing and processing facilities, dried fish, dried squid, and dried shrimp production plants, and may purchase some local specialties as gifts for friends and family.

If departing from the center of Ca Mau, visitors can reach the destination by private car, bus, or speedboat in just over an hour.

Source: https://www.camau.gov.vn/diem-den/lang-bien-song-doc-254285