Reenactment of the fishing prayer ceremony of the residents of Thai Duong Ha fishing village, Thuan An, Hue City. Photo: Dinh Hoang

Community cohesion

This year, even though summer hasn't officially arrived, my bicycle tracks have already been quite numerous on the roads leading to the coast. If someone were to ask why, the simple answer would be: summer has come early, with unusually hot weather. Along this route, I've seen many stretches of grayish-yellow sand; the patches of casuarina and acacia trees are no longer the vibrant green they once were, huddled together to escape the sun... In contrast to the quietness of these sand dunes, the communities in the coastal villages still maintain a bustling rhythm of life, closely connected to the rivers, seas, and oceans.

It's no exaggeration to say that, up to this point, there isn't a single coastal village in Hue that I haven't visited. Because of this, I'm very familiar with the customs, lifestyles, and culture of each village, and the way each community lives is clustered together, often based on proximity to rivers or the sea, with houses packed together and narrow roads...

Recently, I had a conversation with Mr. Le Van Hai, a resident of Hien An fishing village (Vinh Hien, Phu Loc). It was quite interesting to learn that he had spent several decades working at sea, but has now retired and only works on land. Mr. Hai is someone who also senses the changes in life in the fishing village; in particular, the current space of the fishing village is being affected by the speed of urbanization. He said that no matter how much urbanization occurs, residential areas are expanded, houses are bigger, roads are more modern… but the way of life of the people here remains communal.

According to the district and provincial master plan, Vinh Hien will become a type V coastal urban area of ​​Hue due to its long-standing tradition of community settlement and trade in coastal areas. As Mr. Hai said, the foundation for the bustling appearance of Hien An fishing village today is the strong community cohesion from ancient times.

The story in Hien An fishing village reminds me of Hai Nhuan fishing village (Phong Hai, Phong Dien) when I went there to bid farewell to a relative more than three years ago. On that occasion, I was curious and received an explanation from the elderly villagers about how the coffin had to break through the fence to leave the house because the exit was too narrow. They acknowledged that this was a unique cultural aspect of community cohesion and the clustered lifestyle of the fishing village people, aimed at mutual support in production and daily life. Previously, the villagers worked seasonally and according to their profession, often facing strong waves and winds. They lived close together to share equipment for fishing. Furthermore, it was to provide support in case of emergencies, especially during stormy seasons…

Distinctive cultural features

Beyond the narrow scope of our research, the community cohesion and communal lifestyle of the coastal village inhabitants have been meticulously documented and studied by Hue cultural researchers and scholars since the time of migration, reflecting the local needs primarily for survival.

According to the book "Ô Châu Cận Lục" by Dương Văn An, ancient Vietnamese people migrated to Thuận Hóa primarily by water (along the coast) and then found their way to river estuaries. The coastal lagoons of Thừa Thiên Huế , with their rice paddies and lakes, were ideal places for them to settle. Some adapted to farming and fishing, choosing the lagoon areas to establish their settlements. Others continued along the river to the alluvial plains along the river to form villages, while those who arrived later continued upstream to live. The first coastal villages of Thừa Thiên Huế, such as Thai Dương (Thuận An), Hòa Duân (Phú Thuận), Kế Chủng (Phú Diên), etc., lived in close-knit communities.

According to many traditional maritime cultural documents, in the early days of land reclamation, coastal villagers in Thua Thien Hue, who migrated from the North, began their lives alongside rivers and estuaries. Cultivated lands gradually formed, villages emerged, and communities lived together for survival. The process of organizing life based on the marine geo-ecological environment led to the formation of communities living in close-knit settlements and engaging in fishing and seafood harvesting using nets, trawls, seines, hooks, and diving.

Over the centuries, coastal villages have increasingly developed, contributing to the building and development of Thua Thien Hue's coastal region, which is rich in culture and strong in economy , and making significant contributions to the preservation and protection of the Fatherland.

Recently, the rapid urbanization in coastal areas has forced many communities to relocate to make way for projects, and many people have switched professions... leading to a loosening of community cohesion in coastal villages. However, fishing remains the main livelihood for the people in the region, so the unique characteristic of community cohesion is still very necessary for them to conveniently carry out production and preserve traditional culture.

We know that many coastal villages in the area, when affected by construction projects, have faced difficulties for investors in researching suitable resettlement arrangements that align with their living and production habits. Many projects have been met with resistance from coastal villagers because they were deemed incompatible with the cultural space of the coastal community when land was reclaimed and cleared.

Recently, the Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, identified a plan for organizing socio-economic activities in the coastal areas stretching from north to south within the province, orienting Hue city towards the sea, "embracing the sea" as its waterfront. The implementation process will involve many areas with large land reserves and significant potential for urban development and coastal tourism. However, preserving the community cohesion and customs of the coastal villages in these areas will present considerable challenges.

A Hue cultural researcher argues that whether or not there are challenges is something that relevant departments, agencies, and local authorities need to consider now, so that the process of concretizing the planning does not "erode" or cause the loss of customs and traditions of the coastal village residents that have been formed since the early days of land reclamation.

MINH VAN