"Keo rung" is a long-standing conventional method of catching seafood that uses nets to catch fish near the seashore in the early morning. It is not only a job providing livelihoods but also a tightrope of solidarity and friendship for the fishermen in the fishing village of  Man Thai and Tho Quang Wards, Son Tra District. Every day, in harmony with the sound of the waves is the hustle and bustle of the fishermen pulling skillfully each span of the net bringing their hopes of a good day with bumper catches.

Fishermen have to tie a belt attached to the net to his back to concentrate traction to pull trawling nets ashore.

Fishermen walking backwards to trawl nets

“Hurry up, nets were done, push the circular boat down. I'm sure we will have a bountiful day," urged and cheered his team members by Mr Phan Văn Vu, the oldest member of the team residing in Man Thai Ward.

“This job is done almost all year round, except for storms, big waves and strong winds. The best time to pull the net is at dawn and late afternoon since quiet space will bring bumper catches. Particularly in the summer, it gets bright very quickly so we have to get up earlier around 4:30 am to have more fish. We only pull about 3 to 4 batches per day because each batch lasts up to 2 hours. The intensity of the work is constant, so it's hard if you're not used to the job!" Mr Vu said in his strong local accent.

After checking the net, the team sent the two most muscular fishermen to rowboats carrying nets and drop them gradually to the sea. Then turn around in an arc as the boat is more than 300m from the coast. It is very important to determine the correct area for releasing nets since it also depends on the water flow. Therefore, experienced fishers like Mr Vu usually decide where they should release nets. Thereafter, people on the shore are divided into 2 small groups of 5 to 6 people each to pull the net to the shore. They pulled hard with the firm and steady pulling rhythm.

Fishermen have to tie a belt attached to the net to his back to concentrate traction to pull trawling nets ashore. When the first person pulling the net rope pulls back about 5m from the water, the person at the end of the rope goes forward to take his place. Alternately, the two groups of people at both ends of the net pull back and get closer together when the net is brought up near the shore. For that reason, the people of this fishing village often call this profession "walking backwards".

When the net is about to land, some people pull and squirm to see if there are fish jumping or not. Then a round of laughter resounds when seeing fresh fish are struggling the silvery belly twinkling under the sparkling dawn. Then, everyone gathers to remove all kinds of seafood such as fish, shrimp, squid from the net with their big smile on faces.

As usual, the freshly-caught seafood are sold to traders as soon as they come ashore and brings in an income of about VND200,000 to VND300,000/day for each member of the team. However, there are also many small batches of fish; therefore, they will bring them to the market to earn money for their shared fund to repair and replace fishing tools in case of any damage.

The first catch ends when the sun also rises to the peak of the green Son Tra mountain. On the beach, fishermen here huddled together to rest and tell each other stories in their daily lives. After a short rest, they continue to head to the sea to drop their nets and pull with the hope of receiving nature gifts from the sea- their second home

Each batch of trawling needs to gather the labor of 12 to 14 fishermen. Photo: Xuan Dung

Trawling nets carries great hope of fishermen

According to the fishermen here, catching fish by net includes four stages of checking, spreading, pulling the net and catching fish. A team gathers from 12 to 14 people with 2 women carrying baskets and water buckets to assist in pulling nets and trade seafood.

As a female member of the team, Mrs Phan Thi Van quickly removed each fish and put it in a tray. According to her, her family members did not have a chance to pursue studies for a long time due to the family's difficulties. Therefore, they chose fishing as their job to earn for living. The hardship in this profession is the bone-chilling cold of the early winters, is the back pain caused by the effort of bringing the heavy net to the shore. “This job is hard yet hard in the leisure and carefreeness of coastal fishermen.

The income is not much, but it is enough to live. We just want our children to find a stable job in the future so that they don’t have to work as hard as their parents," said Mrs Van

Vo Van Teo, residing in Man Thai Ward, is one of the experienced people in the team for more than 40 years. He used to work on a fishing boat at sea but now working as a member of the trawling nets team near the seashore due to his old age. With the special characteristic of being near the shore, as long as there is good health, men or women of any age can pull nets.

According to Mr Teo, this job was very popular in the past. At that time, the sea still housed a lot of seafood, bringing so much joy, cohesion and livelihoods for many generations of Son Tra fishermen.

However, this "sticking to the shore" job is probably gradually being lost in the midst of modern life due to the absence of the young following this nearly 200-year-old profession.

Looking at each wave hitting the shore, Mr Teo suppressed a sigh “ We hope the government turns this profession into a traditional profession for tourists can experience the trawling nets and learn more about the long-standing local culture in Da Nang City.”

Long-standing profession

According to Mr Nguyen Lam Ha, Chairman of the People's Committee of Man Thai Ward, “Keo rung” has existed for a long time. In recent years, in the whirlwind of urbanization, the modern lifestyle has crept into every corner, leading to a decrease in the number of people following this profession. Currently, the ward houses only 2 groups with more than 30 people who regularly head to the beach for trawling nets. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the local authority required these teams to comply with the 5K regulations of the Ministry of Health, and coordinate with the local management and supervisor forces to manage people gathering in groups to watch this practice.

“The People's Committee of the ward has proposed to include this long-standing profession in the city's tourism development project. This is one of the solutions to promote the strengths of the local tourism, contributing to creating an impression in the hearts of tourists and preserving the unique culture of the homeland," said Nguyen Lam Ha.

Reporting by XUAN DUNG - VAN HOANG- Translating by T.VY