Merchants reflect on the Mekong River

A familiar boat of merchant life. Photo: THANH CHINH

Drifting with the waves

This season, the north wind blows gently, the cold air blows across the river surface. In the distance, the water flows to an unknown place, boats carrying goods trade back and forth. Time flies, this profession of making a living along the river still exists. It seems that the trade profession only exists in the river delta region, becoming a typical cultural feature of the region. Early in the morning, the mist is still hazy, we are at Long Xuyen market, encountering red-nosed boats carrying coal slowly arriving at the wharf. Gently rubbing his eyes, Mr. Nguyen Van Nhan (52 years old), residing in Phung Hiep commune, Can Tho city , quickly jumped ashore to tie up the boat, waiting for the coal trader to come and sell the coal.

It took Mr. Nhan 10 hours to get the boat carrying 32 tons of coal to Long Xuyen. “My wife and I arrived here at dawn the next day from dusk. After anchoring, my wife and I quickly ate a pack of instant noodles and then handed the coal to the broker. The life of a merchant is to work hard to get back to the countryside to carry another shipment,” Mr. Nhan confided.

Dawn broke through the thin mist, and activities on the river were bustling. On the shore, the brokers brought their trucks to the river wharf to transport coal. In no time, the trucks were loaded with coal and transported back to the warehouse. Mr. Nhan took a few minutes to rest. Looking at the fast flowing alluvial water, he slowly told about the trade that had been with him since childhood. This profession was passed down to him by his father. “In the past, when things were still difficult, my father sold coal on a small boat. There were no machines, so he used human power to row the boat to deliver goods to the rural markets, which was very hard. After that, I continued to follow this river profession,” Mr. Nhan said.

However, thanks to the coal business, Mr. Nhan has become well-off. He and his wife have only one son, who is married and has also followed the merchant career. This job is hard but fun. Although staying up all night to steer the boat is very tiring, in return, he earns a decent income from the shipments on the river. Currently, the demand for coal in the city is very high, so Mr. Nhan has to hire people to mine coal in his hometown. From now until Tet, traders buy coal in large quantities to sell retail during Tet. "In my hometown, there are dozens of households living by mining coal and selling coal everywhere. Work is the profit, my friend!", Mr. Nhan boasted.

Many people quit their jobs.

In the past, the merchant profession on the Mekong River was bustling and busy. However, when the road was clear, many people left their boats and went ashore to transport goods by truck. Recalling a long time ago, Mr. Ya Pha (67 years old), a resident of Cham Chau Phong village, said that if talking about the merchant profession, the Cham villagers were the pioneers in bringing domestic goods to connect with other countries in the world . In the past, in the Cham village, people ran boats to transport goods up to Nam Vang (Phnom Penh, Cambodia), then down to Chau Doc. Many times, merchants also went down to the lower regions, then up to Ho Chi Minh City to deliver goods. "We bought rice, salt, and sugarcane at Chau Doc floating market, loaded them onto boats, rowed along the Mekong River to sell in Kandal province, Phnom Penh market. Back then, there were no machines, so young men in the village went down to the boats to row upstream to Cambodia to deliver goods," Mr. Ya Pha recalled with emotion.

During flood season or during storms, fearing that their boats would sink, people had to row their boats quickly into the canals for shelter. Each trip took a whole month. In addition to trading in essential goods, in the past, many merchants also traded wood and goods from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc and vice versa. “After selling their goods, the Cham people bought household goods, loaded them onto their boats, and then brought them back to distribute in the domestic market. Like that, after each trip, the merchants made two shipments, and after deducting expenses, the people made a good profit,” said Mr. Ya Pha.

In addition to trading goods to other countries, the Cham people also bring their own handmade products such as soap, towels, sarongs, scarves, duck eggs, green beans... to sell throughout the provinces of the Mekong Delta. They carry goods deep into the canals, to remote areas to sell. In the late 19th century, the Cham villages of Chau Giang, Chau Phong, Con Tien, Vinh Truong became bustling trading places. The Chau Doc River junction became an attractive address for merchants. They connected to the bustling market on the river. However, nowadays, many families have moved ashore to make a living by farming or weaving brocade, doing tourism ... Traditional products are mainly sold to tourists or transported by car quickly to neighboring provinces.

The afternoon falls quickly over the beautiful Mekong River, red-nosed boats hurriedly carry goods to the market, creating a peaceful picture in the river region of the West.

THANH CHINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/thuong-ho-soi-bong-nuoc-cuu-long-a466650.html