The border is bustling to welcome the flood

Every year, when the flood comes, fishermen catch linh fish, earning extra income.

Fishermen "waiting" for the flood

For generations, nature has generously bestowed a large amount of aquatic products on the border fishermen during the flood season. Understanding the laws of nature, every year in July, when the water is close to the banks, people prepare to welcome the flood with great hope. For a long time, the legendary Vinh Te canal has not only brought water into the fields, bustling trade but also brought a large amount of aquatic products from the Mekong River to the fields. Currently, in the stilt house village that avoids the flood along the Vinh Te canal, fishermen are busy mending nets and trimming cajuput trees to keep up with the flood. According to our records, the summer-autumn rice crop in the border fields has been completely harvested, and people are waiting for the flood to go to the fields every day to make a living by catching fish and shrimp.

Meeting Mr. Nguyen Van Be Nam, a resident of Vinh Te ward, who was enthusiastically sharpening cajuput trees to prepare to go down to the roadside to catch fish. Looking at the water flowing to an unknown place, Mr. Be Nam affirmed that in a few weeks the flood water would "jump" off the bank, allowing us to freely exploit linh fish. Up to now, Mr. Be Nam has made a living by setting traps (dợn) in this coastal field for more than 20 years. Every year, around May to July, Mr. Be Nam prepares trees, nets, boats, and canoes to start fishing during the flood season. "The past few days, my wife and I have been working tirelessly. After we finish sharpening the cajuput trees, we switch to mending and weaving nets... When the water covers the field, my wife and I set traps to catch fish and shrimp," said Mr. Be Nam.

This season, going along the Vinh Te canal, everywhere you see people hurriedly preparing to catch fish, mend nets, and seal boats and canoes. The locals here say that during the flood season, there are many fishermen setting traps, casting hooks, and casting nets. Mr. Be Nam told me that in a few days, when I visit this stilt house hamlet, I will see hundreds of boats and sampans running in the flooded fields to catch fish and shrimp. Pointing down to the red-silted canal, Mr. Be Nam confidently affirmed: "In about 2 weeks, when you come back, this hamlet will be full of people buying and selling linh fish at the beginning of the season. Every household has a stable income thanks to the natural source of aquatic products during the flood season by casting hooks, casting nets, and bustling fish trading."

Hope there are lots of fish and shrimp.

Driving a little further, we met people planting trees to reinforce the canal banks to prevent landslides during the flood season. When asked about the preparation of fishing gear for catching fish and shrimp, everyone was busy talking about their plans for the upcoming flood season. Mr. Tran Van Den, swimming in a boat on Vinh Te canal, stopped and chatted with us. Looking at the flood "carrying" heavy alluvium, Mr. Tran Van Den said that the water in the fields contained countless linh fish. The fields along the border were bustling with the loud sound of fishermen's engines. For generations, Vinh Te fields bordering Cambodia have always had plenty of fish and shrimp. "Cambodian fishermen also exploit aquatic products on the flooded fields. Each side exploits on its own side, no one encroaches on each other's territory," Mr. Den confided.

Traders here said that during the flood season, fishermen from Cambodia harvest seafood and transport it to Vietnam to resell to middlemen. The friendship and neighborly cooperation between the people of both sides is always tight, without any conflicts. According to Mr. Be Nam, before the flood, fishermen from Cambodia called him to ask him to weave nets so they could place them along the canal during the flood season. "I have experience in weaving nets to make fish-catching bags. Seeing that I had a good time placing them in the canal, they asked me to help," Mr. Be Nam said.

Sitting watching Mr. Be Nam prepare fishing gear, Mr. Ngo Van Sang - a trader who specializes in buying fish during the flood season - said that he is waiting for the flood to come to the fields to buy fish and shrimp from fishermen. Hopefully this year the flood will be strong, there will be a lot of fish and shrimp, and fishermen and traders will have a way to make a living. There are 3 months of flood a year, which is an opportunity for poor people to have a stable income. "Every year, at the beginning of the flood season, I go from house to house to tell them to sell me fish. The fish I buy, I weigh and give to the owners of the fish tanks and rafts to use as fish feed. Thanks to that, I have money coming in and money going out to raise my children to go to school," Mr. Sang explained.

Today, Mr. Le Van Giau is anxiously waiting for the flood to come to the fields to buy fish from fishermen. Mr. Giau's house is located along Vinh Te canal, so it is convenient to buy fish to distribute to markets. After buying linh fish, Mr. Giau hires neighbors to clean the intestines, wrap them, freeze them carefully, and then send them by car to deliver to customers at wholesale markets in Ho Chi Minh City. "The linh fish here cannot be eaten all, and they are very rare in Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, during the flood season, my family lives well thanks to fish and shrimp from the fields. In addition, poor people here earn 200,000 - 300,000 VND/day from cleaning fish," Mr. Giau said.

At noon on the border, the scorching sun was suddenly obscured by clouds and then a torrential rain poured down on the flood-proof stilt houses. There, people are waiting for the flood to come to the fields every day so they can have a busy farming season.

Article and photos: THANH CHINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/ven-bien-ruc-rich-don-lu-a424862.html