The Hanoi flagpole at Ca Mau Cape is a sacred symbol of the solidarity between the people of North and South Vietnam, and also affirms national territorial sovereignty . Photo: MINH TAN

According to Mr. Huynh Cong Thanh, a veteran resident of Mui Hamlet, the first seven houses in this southernmost part of the country were built approximately 100 years ago. He also recounts that these first inhabitants came from a tributary on the southern bank of the Cua Lon River, opposite the present-day town of Nam Can, about 60 kilometers from Mui Hamlet. They were migrants who made a living by fishing, drifting along the river, following the currents of fish and shrimp. Perhaps they settled in Mui Hamlet because all land had been lost, the river had ended, and there was nowhere else to go, only the vast ocean stretching before them.

Because it is a newly formed landmass stabilized by mangrove vegetation, the natural land surface of Xóm Mũi remains below sea level to this day. Due to this geographical characteristic, from its formation until 2015, when the final section of the Ho Chi Minh Highway connecting Năm Căn town to Mũi Cà Mau Tourist Area had not yet been inaugurated, Xóm Mũi was only connected to the outside world by a single waterway: a small, winding canal in the forest, connecting to the Rạch Tàu River 5 kilometers away, not including the detour to the sea. Even that small canal was only navigable by boats during high tide.

From the first seven houses, Mui Hamlet gradually took shape. The mangrove forests along the canals were cleared, and wooden stilt houses with thatched roofs sprang up one after another. Like those who came before, all the later residents made a living by fishing. In the early days, fish and shrimp were abundant here, but it was difficult to sell them fresh because they had to be transported all the way to Nam Can or Ca Mau , and there were no refrigeration facilities. Therefore, the fishermen of Mui Hamlet have a long-standing tradition of processing dried fish, dried shrimp, and various kinds of fish sauce...

The oldest fishing method of the fishermen in Xóm Mũi is bottom trawling. The large nets spread out along the Xóm Mũi canal are bottom trawling nets.

Deep-sea bottom trawling is a unique fishing method found only in the coastal waters from Tra Vinh to Ca Mau Cape. The nets are large, tubular structures stretched by fishermen along offshore currents to catch fish and shrimp. Typically, these deep-sea trawling rigs are located 12-20 nautical miles from the shore, situated in the boundary between clear and murky waters – a local term for the "interval." Depending on the section of the current, each deep-sea trawling rig usually consists of 10 to several dozen nets. Deep-sea trawling can be used year-round, but there are two main fishing seasons: the south monsoon from March to June, and the northeast monsoon from September to December (lunar calendar). During the peak season, fishermen must remain on the rigs for 1 to 10 days each tide. The timing of net placement also varies daily, depending on the ocean current's flow. Therefore, in addition to the hut dwellers, there are also fishermen who always contract with them to bring their boats out to the seabed at the right time to collect shrimp and fish to bring ashore, and at the same time supply essential items for the hut dwellers to survive the tide in their houses, which resemble bird's nests swaying on the stilts at the bottom of the river.

The job of a fisherman working in a deep-sea hut is a dangerous one. When Typhoon No. 5 swept through Ca Mau Cape in 1997, some fishermen were swept into the sea by the storm, drifting aimlessly for two or three days, clinging only to plastic containers, until they were rescued.

The seafood caught from the offshore fishing grounds is abundant, with a wide variety of fish and shrimp, far exceeding the yield from river fishing. When the offshore fishing grounds are full, the Dat Mui market, located in the center of the commune, in Rach Tau hamlet, about 5 kilometers from Mui hamlet, becomes bustling and lively. A stroll around the Dat Mui market reveals the richness of the seafood harvested from the offshore fishing grounds. Dried shrimp is particularly famous. Due to the abundant shrimp catch, Mui hamlet has a unique service industry: the business of boiling and drying shrimp for hire, with fires burning day and night when the offshore fishing grounds are full.

Mũi Cà Mau is commonly known as an alluvial plain formed by the deposition of sediment. However, in reality, in this southernmost village, while the land on the western bank is being reclaimed, many areas on the eastern bank are still experiencing erosion. The historical anecdote of changing times, as described in ancient texts, can be witnessed here in a single lifetime.