Flood season - Harmonious life in the upper reaches of the Tien River

DTO - When the rivers in the upper reaches begin to change color, gradually turning into the red color of alluvium, people in the upper reaches of Dong Thap feel their hearts flutter. The flood season is coming, bringing livelihoods to people in the upper reaches with fish, shrimp and more importantly, the season of restoring vitality to the fields that are exhausted after two rice crops.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khen (residing in Thuong Lac ward) prepares to set up nets and wait for giant freshwater prawns to come to the fields when the flood comes.

Upstream bustling to welcome the flood

In the upstream localities of Dong Thap province such as Thuong Phuoc, Thuong Thoi Hau A (now Thuong Lac ward, Dong Thap province), the harvest atmosphere is bustling. In the vast fields, combine harvesters run non-stop, like bees diligently collecting sweet honey from heavy rice grains to catch the incoming flood.

In the old Thuong Phuoc 1 commune (now part of the new Thuong Phuoc commune), people said that this year, the rice yield was quite good, about 6.5 tons/ha for sticky rice and about 6.25 tons/ha for rice. The selling price ranges from 6,200 - 6,500 VND/kg of rice, with sticky rice about 7,000 VND/kg. Along the border in Thuong Lac ward (old Thuong Thoi Hau A commune), people are harvesting OM18 rice in an urgent atmosphere. Some areas outside the protected area have been harvested by farmers, water from the river seeps into the fields. In these places, people have started to put fishing gear into the fields for a season of catching freshwater fish.

Mr. Le Truong Nhan - a farmer living in Thuong Lac ward, shared: “This summer-autumn crop, I planted more than 2 hectares of OM18 rice, and have signed a contract with the company to purchase at a price of 6,300 VND/kg. Although the price of rice in the market has increased slightly, I still keep my commitment to the company to maintain credibility and long-term cooperation. This year, due to unfavorable weather, the rice crop did not have a good harvest as expected. I hope that this year's flood season will be big, bringing a lot of fertile alluvium to irrigate the fields, so that the next winter-spring crop promises to be more bountiful than this summer-autumn crop. After the harvest, I will release the flood to let water into the fields like every year.”

People in the upstream area take advantage of the flood season to raise many types of specialty freshwater fish in rafts on rivers to increase their income.

For people living upstream, floodwaters are not simply a rise in water levels. They are a symbol of life, regeneration and bountiful harvests. Mr. Tran Van Son, a rice farmer in Thuong Lac ward, shared: “My rice fields have been harvested, now we are just waiting for the authorities to open the floodgates. For farmers upstream, we eagerly await the floodwaters. Because the flood season not only brings fish and shrimp but also alluvium, a wonderful “nutrient” for the land. Every year when the flood is big and alluvium settles thickly on the fields, we know that our rice fields will have a good harvest.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Nghia - Vice Chairman of Thuong Lac Ward People's Committee, said: "The whole ward cultivates over 3,300 hectares of rice and sticky rice. Currently, the harvested rice area is over 2,000 hectares, with a yield of about 6.2 tons/ha. The price of OM 5451 rice is from 5,800 - 5,900 VND/kg, OM18 rice is from 6,200 - 6,500 VND/kg, sticky rice is 7,500 VND/kg. Of which, the joint enterprise consumes about 1,700 hectares. In particular, this year, we plan to release flood water with a larger area, about 2,900 hectares in 8 covered areas, only about 400 hectares will be kept for the third crop. This shows the consensus of the people in letting the land "rest", receiving alluvium to prepare for the next crops".

Farmers in the upstream area are busy harvesting summer-autumn rice to prepare for the flood.

Exploiting the advantages of flood season

Not only harvesting rice, these days, people upstream are also busy preparing fishing gear. From nets, traps, shrimp and crab traps to repairing rafts, everything is done carefully and meticulously. Because when the floodwaters come, it is also the time when the fishing season begins, bringing a significant source of income to many families.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nghia - Vice Chairman of Thuong Lac Ward People's Committee, said about the plan to exploit livelihoods during the flood season: "To promote the advantage of being an upstream area, every year, the locality regularly mobilizes farmers to take advantage of the advantages to exploit aquatic resources sustainably during the flood season, while encouraging people to maintain livelihood models during the flood season such as raising freshwater fish and raising giant freshwater prawns to help people increase their income. We encourage people to exploit reasonably, not to destroy, to preserve aquatic resources".

The family of Mr. Nguyen Van Khen, residing in Thuong Lac ward, is a living proof of the effective exploitation of the flood season. For Mr. Khen, the flood season is not only a season of “field cleaning” to make the soil more fertile, but also an important “ economic crop”. For many years, Mr. Khen’s family has taken advantage of the flood season to raise giant freshwater prawns in the fields and build rafts on the river to raise giant barbs - a freshwater fish specialty of the upstream region.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khen excitedly shared: “I noticed that every year when the flood is big and the water covers the fields, the shrimp and fish grow very quickly, and my profits are also higher. Like last year, my family's profits from giant catfish and giant freshwater prawns were over 300 million VND. This is a big source of income for farmers in the upstream area like me. Therefore, I really look forward to the flood coming soon.”

Like many people in the upstream area, at the end of the sixth lunar month, when the water on the So Thuong River began to turn red with alluvium, Mr. Truong La Da (residing in Thuong Lac ward) - a "fisherman" who makes a living by fishing with nets - began to prepare his fishing gear for the journey to make a living during the flood season. Mr. Truong La Da shared: "Every year, I hope for a big flood, many people often call it a beautiful flood. Because big floods bring a lot of fish, the fish grow quickly, thanks to that, people who work as fishermen with nets like me have more income."

Mr. Truong La Da (residing in Thuong Lac ward) prepares fishing gear for the journey to make a living during the flood season in 2025.

Usually, around 3:30 pm, Mr. Da goes to the field to spread the net. After finishing the net, he goes home to rest, checks the net once at around 8 pm, then rolls up the net again at around 3 am and brings the fish home. On average, each night, Mr. Da harvests about 10 kg of large fish, earning an average income of 350,000 - 500,000 VND. On a lucky night with a big catch, his family earns 700 - 800,000 VND.

What is special is that he does not choose destructive fishing gear, from big fish to small fish, but he chooses nets with meshes of about 5.5 - 6cm. Mr. Truong La Da confided with a gentle smile: “I choose a sparse net to catch big fish, and let the small fish go downstream, where they will grow even bigger. Not to mention, after the flood season, fish from downstream can return to upstream to reproduce. I do not like to use destructive fishing gear. Because if we exploit now, we must also leave aquatic resources for our descendants to exploit later. That is the reason why I am loyal to using sparse nets to catch fish.”

Mr. Da's story is not only the sentiment of a child born and raised in the upstream area, spending his youth attached to and relying on the water, but also a reminder of the awareness of resource conservation, of love for nature and future generations.

In the last days of the sixth lunar month, when the summer-autumn rice crop is already in storage, the fields in the upper reaches of Dong Thap will welcome a “special guest” – the flood. The water will flow back, bringing alluvium to enrich the land, bringing fish and shrimp to enrich the meals and, more importantly, bringing the hope of a bountiful harvest...

My Ly

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/xa-hoi/mua-nuoc-noi-ve-nhip-song-chan-hoa-o-thuong-nguon-song-tien-133057.aspx