A hundred crew members from 10 fishing boats from the districts of Thanh Khe and Son Tra in Da Nang are now excitedly looking forward to their next trips to Viet Nam’s territorial waters even though they have only enjoyed a few days of relaxation after their last trips.

Last weekend, the captain of fishing vessel DNa 90438, 30-year-old Nguyen Van Phuong, and his father, 50-year-old Nguyen Hau, both from Son Tra District, were busy loading 3,000 litres of fuel along with ice, food and other necessary provisions ready for their next trip.  Mr Hau said that the trip is expected to cost about 100 million VND.  Although he and the other crew members were tired from their recent month-long trip to the Hoang Sa waters, they are eager to make the next.

Mr Hau (left) and his son Phuong

Mr Hau has over 35 years’ experience as a fisherman and he has had many incidents at sea.  His boat was once adrift at a point tens of nautical miles off the Da Nang coast after its engine broke down.  The strong-willed fisherman added that his boat had also been chased away by Chinese ships many times whilst legally operating in the Hoang Sa waters.  In spite of this, all the crew members were not frightened of the possibility of aggressive actions by the Chinese.  Like him, his son Phuong is also extraordinarily brave.  Phuong said that Chinese ships tried to prevent the Vietnamese boat from approaching the location where China had illegally positioned the HD-981 oil drilling rig.  He kept calm, however, and steered the boat to avoid confrontations with the Chinese ships, regardless of the perverse actions by the Chinese.

The Vice Chairwoman of the Son Tra District People’s Committee, Mrs Tran Thi Thanh Tam, remarked that fishermen from her district, and the city as a whole, have always shown their sentimental attachment to the country’s sea and islands, as well as upheld their ingenuity and admirable bravery to safeguard Viet Nam’s sacred sovereignty.  National flags placed on their fishing vessels are considered to be national sovereignty markers.  The indomitable spirit of local fishermen deserves to be honoured and highly appreciated.