On Wednesday (the 5^th day of the 1^st lunar month), Da Nang’s Tho Quang fishing wharf was bustling and busy as the many fishing boats were berthed bumper-to-bumper after their profitable trips to the Hoang Sa fishing grounds. 

Local fishermen preparing their boat for a fishing trip

The majority of the boats were from Binh Binh Province and, encouragingly, all of them had had bumper catches.

Captain Le Trai of fishing boat BD 96626 from that province happily reported that, after a trip which lasted over Tet, his crew members had each received over 10 million VND. 

Although he and his crew members celebrated Tet away from home, they felt very pleased with such a successful fishing trip.  He said that he had prepared sufficient Tet dishes for them to enjoy Tet celebrations onboard the boat. 

Mr Trai remarked that making such trips during Tet helped him and other Vietnamese fishermen earn a living as well as protect the country’s sacred sovereignty over its sea and islands.  He said that his crew members will be allowed to return to their homes for a few days relaxation before their next trip.

On the same day, many boats at the wharf were busy making preparations for their first offshore trips of the 2017 Lunar New Year in the hope of post-Tet bumper catches.

Captain Le Van Xin of DNa90026 from Son Tra District’s An Hai Bac Ward was loading supplies of fuel, ice, food and other necessities onto his boat in preparation for his first fishing trip to the Hoang Sa waters.

Mr Xin said that, in late 2016, his vessel and other Vietnamese fishing boats had been tied up at the fishing wharf due to bad weather.  Therefore, they were very eager to start their next trips to Viet Nam’s territorial waters during the current favourable weather, and they hope that they will have a year of successful trips.

Another local fisherman, Mr Nguyen Cu from the same ward as Mr Xin, was also busy preparing to head out to sea for his first post-Tet trip to the Hoang Sa waters. 

Employees at the Man Quang Border Checkpoint in Son Tra District said that the local fishermen are now very eager to head out to sea after Tet.  The employees always remind the fishermen to ensure safety at sea, and they wish them all bumper catches.