Making a living by the lake

A new day at Tan Minh wharf in Bao Ai commune – a familiar mooring point for boats carrying shrimp and fish from Thac Ba Lake – usually begins at 4 a.m. One morning in mid-October, rain blanketed the lake, but the rhythm of daily life remained vibrant. Each day, the image of people connected to the lake, diligently catching fish, collecting their catch, and mending nets, paints a picture of simple, everyday life.

While it was still twilight, with only the shimmering silver light of flashlights reflecting on the water – a familiar sign of a new day – Mr. Hung and his wife, Mrs. Nga, began their work. Perhaps they were the earliest risers at Tan Minh wharf.

Exhausted after many hours of hard work tending to the fish, Mr. Hung and Mrs. Nga still diligently carry out their work. No longer relying on natural fishing as before, with the support and guidance of the government, Mrs. Nga's family has completely switched to cage fish farming, using oxygenation systems and pumps to create a suitable water environment for the fish to grow and develop.

Also making a living at Tan Minh wharf is Mr. Sam Van On from Trung Son village, who has been involved in the fish purchasing business with his wife for over a decade. "Every day, I start work at 3 a.m. to weigh and collect fish for wholesalers from Lao Cai to Hanoi . Each restaurant takes fifty to seventy kilograms, some even a hundred kilograms," Mr. On said while busily loading fish onto his truck.

Despite the hardship of making a living in the rain and wind, Mr. On still smiled: "We only take a break when there's a major storm or flood; this kind of rain is just a daily occurrence." Then, lifting a fish weighing nearly ten kilograms in his hands, Mr. On proudly boasted about the seafood from his hometown lake: "This fish is clean; we don't feed them growth hormones."

At a corner of the dock, Mr. Pham Thai, from Tan Minh village, had just docked his boat after several hours of casting nets on the lake. Pointing to the bucket of fish, he said, "I caught very little fish today, it rained too much." Due to his advanced age, he no longer has the strength to go far out to sea and only casts his nets around the dock. It's not just a means of livelihood; it's a habit he can't break. Even though he has to wake up early and start work at 4 a.m., and even in the rain... he still sails out onto the lake, because "catching fish makes me happy."

In her floating house on the lake, Ms. Nguyen Thi Chung quickly sews the fishing net frames for her cargo boat while chatting, "I'm at the dock every day, sewing bags in the morning and delivering goods in the afternoon. Some days there's so much work I can't keep up." Ms. Chung and her husband have been working at Tan Minh dock for nearly 20 years. Despite living in a precarious floating house on the lake, Ms. Chung remains cheerful about her livelihood: "Being able to admire the lake every day and live off my work is a joy, but it also helps my family earn an income, cover living expenses, and provide for my youngest child who is still in school."

In the corner of their floating house, the familiar daily routine continues as Chung's husband meticulously removes each small fish from the net. Due to poor health, he only casts his net near the floating house and wakes up early to collect the fish. The harvest is small, but it brings simple joy to this couple living in the lake area.



As dawn broke and the rain subsided, the fishing boats gradually returned to Tan Minh wharf, carrying their catches—some overflowing with fish and shrimp, others with only a few small ones. I realized that amidst this bustling struggle for survival, the beauty of diligence shone through, the people who love the lake and whose lives are intertwined with its natural resources—a place that also preserves a part of the soul of the people of Thac Ba Lake region.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/muu-sinh-ben-ben-ho-post884558.html