Passing Hon Chua to fish for squid

After much negotiation, boat owner Tran Van Ty and his colleagues at Phu Home - Tuy An Nam finally arranged a boat trip for me to Hon Chua. "We have to choose a day with calm seas, because I can't handle the waves," Mr. Ty said.

Around 6 PM, Tý, his fishing buddies, and some tourists boarded the boat. Before leaving, they brought along bottled water, energy drinks, coffee, late-night snacks, and various fishing gear.

After an hour of battling the waves, Tý signaled his fishing buddy to drop anchor. Their fishing spot was nearly 8 nautical miles (over 14 kilometers) from the mainland. The boat, securely anchored, swayed and rocked with each wave.

Tourists experience night squid fishing at Hon Chua.

Once the boat was anchored, Tý and his friends began strung their fishing rods and casting their lines. The bait consisted of plastic shrimp, decorated by the fishermen with colorful nylon cords. A cluster of hooks was positioned directly below the bait. Squid, attracted by the light from the boat's lamps shining directly onto the sea surface, would be drawn to the bait floating in the water. Mistaking the bait for food, they would cling to the hooks and get caught.

After about 15 minutes of fishing, angler Le Thanh Nhu pulled up a baby squid. This squid wasn't as "welcomed" as the tube squid, as it was far less delicious.

To improve their income, many fishermen utilize their existing boats to take tourists on night squid fishing trips for an average price of 200,000 VND per person per night.

Next, arms holding fishing rods continuously moved up and down to reel in the bait. Tý caught a squid on his line. He pulled it up, and it was just a small cuttlefish, about the size of his thumb. A few minutes later, Trần Văn Hoan's fishing rod also bent. But when he pulled it up, it was a… sea bream.

Around 9 PM, after nearly two hours of fishing, and seeing only a few dozen squid in the boat's hold, we weighed anchor and went to find another spot. In the distance, the lights of dozens of other fishing boats still shone brightly, twinkling like a starry sky. On board, the fishermen clung to the sides, holding their rods and patiently reeling in their catch.

According to Tý, summer is the season for going to sea, the squid fishing season, and also the "rice-making" season for fishermen. But this is also the season of strong southerly winds, and fishermen have to battle fierce waves to get to Hòn Chùa to fish or set nets to catch squid. Most fishermen with boats in Mỹ Quang Nam fishing village go squid fishing. They set sail in the evening and return the next morning...

The result after 15 minutes of casting the line.

For fishermen working near the shore along the coastal villages of My Quang, the squid fishing season is a hard time at sea, but it brings in a decent income, averaging 300,000 - 500,000 VND per night. On lucky nights, some can earn up to 1 million VND per night.

"It's tough navigating the waves, but once you're a few kilometers out, you can start fishing. Sitting and fishing isn't too tiring; sometimes you can spot fish swimming under the spotlight and quickly net them. When you hit a school of squid, casting your line and reeling in the squid is incredibly satisfying," Tý shared.

Looking at the still-sparkling squid neatly arranged by size in rectangular baskets, one can see how much fishermen value their hard work. After all, earning money from the sea is never easy, whether the sea is calm or the windy season.

At 5 a.m., the sun shone brightly, illuminating the entire beach. The last squid fishing boats finally docked, some with as little as 3 kg, others with around 5 kg. After helping their husbands unload their boats, the women busily carried baskets of fresh squid to sell at the morning market, while the fishermen leisurely packed their gear, striding briskly along the breakwater towards home to catch some sleep, ready for the next fishing trip in the evening.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202509/qua-hon-chua-cau-muc-31115f0/