A thousand years before the sea

My village is traditionally a fishing village / Surrounded by water, half a day's journey by river from the sea / When the sky is clear, the wind is gentle, and the morning is rosy / The young men row their boats out to fish...

For a thousand years, Vietnamese fishermen have made their living on the waves - Photo: Minh Thu

"The light boat glides like a swift steed / The oars propel it powerfully across the long river / The sails are hoisted high like the soul of the village / Its vast white body stretches out, gathering the wind"... Along more than 3,260km of coastline, it would be impossible to count how many such villages, nestled amidst the sea, have been established, survived, and developed by the Vietnamese people over the past thousand years.

From the legend of Lac Long Quan, who was said to be able to travel both underwater and on land, to the images of boats and oars carved on Dong Son bronze drums, from the fragments of wooden boats unearthed here and there along riverbanks and seabeds, to historical texts... all tell future generations about the Vietnamese people accustomed to living by the water and wind, accustomed to struggling with waves and storms, about the long southward expansion along the coast that shaped a nation that has stood firm and tall for a thousand years before the vast blue expanse.

Thi Nai Lagoon, Quy Nhon coastal area, Gia Lai province - Photo: Minh Thu

The aspiration to reach out to the ocean, to build prosperity with the ocean, and to protect the peace of the land, has never been as intensely passionate and harmonious among the Vietnamese people as it is in the year 2026.

Coastal highways – connecting the sea and facilitating tourism and transportation; deep-water ports welcoming international shipping; vibrant and proud coastal cities; and increasingly bustling, lush green islands, both large and small...

And the people. Ancient Vietnamese people clung to the sea with basket boats, wooden ships, fishing nets, fishing lines, and the bitter sweat of their labor. Today, Vietnamese people build ocean-going vessels with carrying capacities of tens of thousands of tons, own yachts worth hundreds of billions of dong, enjoy sailing and paragliding on the waves, and create structures in the sea brimming with energy, opportunities for wealth, inner strength, and peace...

The sea may still stir up storms, but the Vietnamese people have a thousand years of understanding the sea to overcome storms, a thousand years of loving the sea so that Vietnam will forever develop in the direction that nature has laid out for a maritime nation.

The scenic Yen Island in the sea off Phu Yen (now Dak Lak ) - Photo: M. Thu

Bringing Tet gifts from the mainland to the islands - Photo: Nguyen A

Truong Sa Island viewed from above - Photo: Nguyen A

Fishermen in Ly Son during the New Year's fishing festival - Photo: Minh Thu

Sailing boats on the sea off Quy Nhon - Photo: Minh Thu

Wind farm in Nhon Hoi economic zone off the coast of Quy Nhon, Gia Lai province - Photo: Minh Thu

The sea today provides not only fish and shrimp, but also allows people to enjoy and exploit its immense beauty - Photo: Minh Thu

The Hai Thach oil rig in the South China Sea - Photo: Nguyen A

Paragliding demonstration over the sea - Photo: Minh Thu

Tourists in Ha Long Bay - Photo: Nguyen A

The Vietnamese Navy is always ready for the mission of maintaining peace at sea - Photo: Nguyen A

Boat racing reenacts the heroic Hoang Sa army. The Hoang Sa soldiers' feast, held for hundreds of years on Ly Son Island, is a national intangible cultural heritage - Photo: Minh Thu

Pham Vu

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngan-nam-truoc-bien-20260204100315139.htm