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| After a night of fishing, fishermen trade their catch right on the shore |
1. Every year, Hue experiences a few floods. Floodwaters in Hue rise and recede quickly due to the short and steep rivers. However, in areas near the Tam Giang Lagoon, which lies at the downstream end of rivers and close to the sea, floodwaters tend to recede more slowly. During prolonged floods, it may take 3 to 4 days or even more than half a month for the water to drain. For this reason, many locals living near the lagoon refer to this time as the "flood season."
Nguyen Ngoc Phu, a resident of Quang Ngan Commune, Quang Dien District, shared that during heavy floods, water can enter homes. However, during smaller floods, only the fields of rice, sweet potatoes, and other crops are submerged. Children, unaware of the impacts of flooding, often find great joy in the rising waters, playing and laughing without a care.
Families with small boats would row around the village. Those without boats would cut banana trees from their gardens, tie them together to make rafts, and spend entire days playing untiringly. Naturally, most children at the foot of the lagoon learn to swim early and are only allowed to play in shallow waters. “Childhood was simple but so joyful. I remember having such fun with my friends during those times,” Phu recalled.
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| Tam Giang’s specialties |
Not every family living near the lagoon relies on the Tam Giang Lagoon as their primary livelihood. Aside from those engaged in aquaculture and fishing, most households also practice farming, run small businesses or trade. These families typically stockpile dried foods before the flood season to avoid food shortages. Over time, frequently living with floods has taught them to be cautious and ready for high water levels.
In the memories of older residents at the foot of the lagoon, life was much harder in the past. Houses were less sturdy, with lower foundations, and floods brought countless worries. In years of high floods, people had to "escape floods". Today, "escaping floods" is rare, and damages have decreased drastically.
2. Like many other places, the flood season in the Tam Giang Lagoon brings an abundance of "gifts from nature" such as shrimp and fish. Therefore, this fishing season provides high income for many families. According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh, a fisherman from Hamlet 14, Quang Cong Commune (Quang Dien), when the "silver water" arrives, many types of aquatic species will move with the flow. Some fishing nets or traps can yield dozens of kilograms of shrimp and fish -famous Tam Giang specialties.
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| Traders come to purchase shrimp and fish while floodwaters remain low |
Mr. Nguyen Thanh proudly shared that, unlike the floodplains along rivers, the Tam Giang Lagoon is characterized by brackish water. During the flood season, the aquatic species caught here are also specialties such as rabbitfish, gobies, spotted scat, ponyfish, and catfish. Occasionally, large eels weighing several kilograms are caught, providing a relatively stable income for the fishermen. The flood season is also a bustling time for the lagoon fishermen. The roar of boat engines coming and going to unload fish nets and traps, accompanied by laughter and chatter fills the night.
For those who spent their childhood in the lagoon, the flood season is most enjoyable in the late afternoon when they can go fishing with their family. At night, the fish are plentiful. In the areas near the lagoon, every household has at least a few fishing nets. Some families have dozens of nets, while others may only have 1 or 2 for catching fish to eat gradually. As a result, there are many skilled net casters here With years of experience, they know the movement patterns of the fish well enough to cast their nets and “catch them in one go.”
Phan Hung, a resident of Dien Hai Commune, Phong Dien District, shared that meals during flood season were simple: freshly caught fish stewed with the distinctive fish sauce of the coastal region, and a few fresh chili peppers—humble yet incredibly appetizing.
In addition to providing fishery resources, floodwaters also deposit alluvium onto fields that are often affected by salinity and acidity. In flooding years, the longer the floods last, the higher agricultural productivity in the following year becomes. Pests, especially destructive rats, are also drastically reduced.
3. These days, floodwaters have returned. When asked if this year’s shrimp and fish harvests were as bountiful as before, fishermen lamented that the catch has been declining. For instance, this year’s harvest was only about one-third of what it was a decade ago.
Cao Huy Man, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dien Hai Commune, Phong Dien District, judged that the resources from flood-season fishing have been dwindling due to increasingly destructive fishing practices. In the past, fishing mainly involved traps and small nets along the shore during floods. Today, techniques like large-mesh nets, electric pulses, and dredging are still used, indiscriminately capturing large and small aquatic species. Climate change has also made flood patterns more erratic and unpredictable.
According to the Fisheries Sub-Department, fisheries exploitation must always go hand in hand with the protection and development of fishery resources. Starting from small-scale releases of shrimp and fish with limited resources, in recent times, the activities to restore fishery resources have gradually attracted more support from the business community, individuals, social organizations, and especially fisheries associations.
In 2024, units and organizations released over 1.5 million shrimp, crab, and fish fingerlings, a tenfold increase against previous years. Additionally, on average, there are more than 700 community-based patrols annually, which have driven away hundreds of violating fishing boats from fishery resource protection zones and prevented or apprehended dozens of individuals engaging in illegal exploitation.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh Binh, Head of the Fisheries Sub-Department, stated that the solutions to be implemented in the short run to protect aquatic and marine resources in the lagoon are 1. Strengthening monitoring, patrolling, inspection, and control, as well as resolutely addressing violations of illegal fishing practices, encroachments on fishing grounds, and the exploitation of aquatic resources. 2. Quickly consolidating the local fisheries surveillance force to effectively enforce the law, protect aquatic resources, and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing more effectively. 3. Further enhancing the socialization work for the restoration of aquatic resources, thereby raising public awareness and encouraging community involvement in protecting aquatic and marine resources.