Stretching 90km along the coast over the H?i Vân Pass to H?i An, fishing villages and crowded fishery communities have been around for centuries. However, temples dedicated to whales fishermen’s guardian angels are now the last vestiges of ancient fishing villages that have been replaced by high rise buildings and mass tourism.
?inh D?ng, 50, usually wakes up at 4am to set off on a fishing trip to the S?n Trà Peninsular. He is among around 2,000 fishermen from Th? Quang Village who make a living at sea.
Dozens of coracles and small fishing boats leave S?n Trà to net fish, squid, lobster and crab in the reefs surrounding S?n Trà Mountain, obviously stopping for a morning coffee break first.
I’m used to waking up early because I started fishing with my father when I was five years old. Fishing is my family’s trade that we inherited from my grandfather on An Bàng Beach near H?i An. My father later moved to a new life in S?n Trà, D?ng said.
I followed my father on large fishing vessels looking for a bumper catch in the waters off the Chàm Islands and back to S?n Trà in the evening. We still head out to sea, but in smaller bamboo boats for quick trips with higher income by catching squid and lobster, he explained.
D?ng said he was sent to school before earning his captain’s certificate, but early morning fishing is still his traditional routine due to his love for the sea.
He said fishing and the smell of the ocean were simply part of life.
The coral reefs off S?n Trà are home to a wealth of sea creatures and fish, so fishermen set traps with bait from the late evening for the next morning.
It’s an easy catch. I spend two hours each morning pulling in my catch, and then I reset the nets. I only stop during the off-season and when cruise tours arrive, he said.
Different hamlets used to specialise in catching fish, squid, shrimp and anchovy for fish sauce, as well as oysters, he explained.
That’s why each fishing village makes various products such as shrimp paste, fish sauce, dried fish and fresh produce for restaurants.
Lý H?u Ti?n, 49, makes coracles and bamboo products used for fishing at sea.
Ti?n, who is the last craftsman left in the former fishing village, said many villagers help out by weaving nets, repairing boats, and trading and processing fish.
I learnt how to make coracles, fish baskets and paddles, he said.
I’m busy all the time because the fishermen are too. I often repair coracles during the off-season when fishermen leave their boats on the beach, he explained.
He said the trade earned him a living, but it was rare for young people to get into it as tourism and urbanisation were booming on the S?n Trà Peninsula.
The fishing community had been resettled far from the beach to make way for hotels and resort development over the years, Ti?n said.
He said only middle-aged men were still living by fishing because they had no other choice. The younger generation who were better educated could earn more from tourism and services.
Ti?n said he was taught the bamboo craft by Phan Liêm, 81, who lives in Th? An Hamlet.
He said he hoped community-based tourism would revive the fishing trade and crafts on the beaches of S?n Trà.
The last fishing communities in the ancient villages of Mân Thái and Nam Ô still make fish sauce, despite the impacts of the industrial sauce trade.
Director of the city’s Culture and Sports Department Hu?nh V?n Hùng said a plan to preserve ancient fishing villages and crafts had been mapped out for 2025-30. The idea is to preserve traditional cultural performance, temples and relics for tourists to enjoy.
2012 Viet Nam News