Compared to other islets in the middle of the Linh Giang River, Con Se (Quang Loc commune, Ba Don town, Quang Binh province) boasts many "firsts," some to be proud of, but others not so much. It has the most high-rise buildings, the highest birth rate, and… the most bank loans.
Se Island is rich and beautiful, as seen from above.
PIT ON THE SAND DUNE
Looking across the river from this side, Con Se islet immediately captivated the writer with its first impressions. It was a landscape of towering buildings, densely packed together, boasting modern and expensive designs, rivaling even the most bustling cities. This was a stark contrast to the initial image of impoverished fishing villages on the islets… Connecting the islet is a small bridge, only 3 meters wide and less than 100 meters long, a gift from the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group's Youth Union in 2014. It felt as if simply crossing this bridge would transport visitors to a different, glamorous world .
Mr. Nguyen Cuong, 63 years old, head of Con Se village, modestly estimated that only about 50% of the houses in the village are multi-story buildings, but we counted carefully and found that the percentage is probably at least 70%. This is understandable, because despite being known as a sandbank area, the entire village only has a mere 17 poor households.
The modern houses on Con Se are built very close together.
Con Se Bridge, a small bridge, but it has changed every aspect of life for the people living on the islet.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Them, former Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Loc commune from 2004 to 2011, observed that Con Se now is vastly different from when he was in office. "In the past, Con Se was 'ten nothings,' meaning it lacked everything. Now, as you can see, the houses of the people are spacious and well-built, sometimes even nicer than my own," Mr. Them said.
Mr. Thêm wasn't exaggerating. Despite the underdeveloped road infrastructure, multi-million dollar high-rise buildings are springing up in this sandbank area, each one more beautiful and larger than the last. Even now, when the economy is generally sluggish, many families in Cồn Sẻ are still diligently building large houses. It seems that generations of hardship, living in dilapidated shacks, have spurred them to build big houses when they finally have some money.
In Con Se, alongside the "huge" houses are boats...
However, that glamorous appearance in Con Se also has its reasons. According to the village head, who sighed and compared the number of households, the people of Con Se have the highest amount of bank debt in Ba Don town. "People borrow a lot. Some borrow to build boats, buy fishing gear, or send their children to work abroad. But some also borrow to build big houses or do things they consider necessary. So, on the surface, it looks good, but who knows if things are stable on the inside?" Mr. Cuong said with a hint of worry.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoan, Party Secretary of Con Se village, has a passion for raising fish in cages.
" SUPER-FERTILITY VILLAGE"
Con Se islet has 868 households but boasts a population of 4,068. This figure seems somewhat inaccurate in terms of population size if calculated on an average per family. Everywhere you go on the islet, you see children. There are so many that the authorities had to build a large primary school on this small islet.
Mr. Le Van Canh, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Quang Loc commune, chuckled and said that there was a time when Con Se was known as the "super-prolific village." People had children "without restraint," having until they "ran out of eggs." "Previously, it was common for each family to have 6-7 children. Now, despite the government's tireless efforts, we've managed to bring the ratio down to 3-4 children per family," Mr. Canh said.
There are quite a lot of children on Con Se islet, so the local authorities have even established a primary school on the islet.
The reason the people of Con Se are so prolific is that, since ancient times, when people first came here to settle about 300 years ago, they practiced fishing. They needed sons to help with the fishing, the more the better. "Before, people didn't live on land, but on boats. Husbands and wives would bump into each other going in and out, and that... led to problems. Nobody knew anything about 'family planning'," Mr. Cuong, the village head, said jokingly.
Now, on Con Se Island, powerful families like the Nguyen, Mai, Pham, and Cao clans have many male descendants. Whenever there's an event, a single call is all it takes for their children and grandchildren to flock back. But because of the large birth rate, Con Se Island has become overcrowded. The island, less than a square kilometer, now houses so many people, signaling a future where significant changes in residential planning are necessary, or the people of Con Se may have to leave to find enough land to live on.
SURVIVING AMIDST WAVES ON ALL SIDES
From small, simple boats barely sufficient for fishing along the riverbanks, Con Se now boasts a fleet of over 60 offshore fishing vessels. Each time they venture out to sea, the Con Se boats are fully capable of supporting each other when encountering large schools of fish or when facing difficulties. Fishing in Vietnamese waters isn't enough; the people of Con Se also work abroad. Approximately 600 Con Se residents are currently earning a living in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and other countries through seafaring.
The craft of net weaving is thriving in Con Se.
Nevertheless, some people are reluctant to leave their hometown. They choose a profession closely related to life on the river: cage fish farming. About 40 households are engaged in this profession, including Nguyen Xuan Hoan (45 years old), the first university graduate from Con Se, now the Party Secretary of Con Se village and a representative of the Quang Binh Provincial People's Council. "I originally studied social sciences and humanities, but I like fish farming. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? My ancestors raised me thanks to fish and shrimp. I raise red snapper and sea bass, and many other households also raise grouper. In general, this profession provides a livelihood; we don't have to wander to foreign lands," Hoan said.
Another thriving trade exists in Con Se. Village headman Mr. Cuong proudly stated that the people of Con Se weave and repair fishing nets for numerous boats from north to south. "Today it's raining, so the villagers aren't setting them out, but on a normal day, you'll see nets hanging everywhere. Here, contractors like Mr. Mai Xuan Hiep, Mr. Pham Son, Mr. Pham Dao… are very well-known in this trade," Mr. Cuong boasted.
Even now, with the glamour of Con Se, many still say that the wealth doesn't seem truly sustainable. But it's also necessary to see a powerful resurgence there. Because from a poor fishing village rising amidst the sandbanks, with its simple, honest people, Con Se seems to be shaking off the mud, carrying the aspiration to become wealthy and stepping out into the modern world. (to be continued)
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