Fishermen in Quynh Lap Commune of Hoang Mai Town in Nghe An Province used to operate within the Gulf of Tonkin. In 2014, after much consideration, fisherman Phan Van Hai decided to enter the Hoang Sa fishing ground for experience as well as an affirmation of sovereignty over his fatherland’s islands and sea. Seeing his success, his fellows followed the footstep. Until now, hundreds of high-capacity fishing vessels from this province have been working on this new fishing ground.
Formerly, fishing in the commune was a simple and individual job. Seeing inadequacies of this style, fisherman Le Hoi Hung called upon the collaboration of nine fellows fishermen to establish Doan Ket Cooperative, which invests in post-fishing logistics services, seafood processing, and a fish market. In 2023, thanks to this effective model, the cooperative earned VND100 billion ($4 million) and provided jobs for more than 200 local laborers for an average salary of VND11 million ($440) a month.
Quynh Lap Commune now has 22 fishing cooperatives and 28 groups of private conversation frequencies to help one another. A Party Committee for the commune’s Fishing Association was formed in 2021 with 15 members. In 2023, two more were added. This committee has been the core in giving directions for safe offshore fishing and sovereignty protection of islands and sea.
The fishing village of Vinh Loi (in My Thanh Commune of Phu My District in Binh Dinh Province) welcomed several ‘kings’ – owners of high-capacity fishing ships. Senior fisherman Do Chi Dung, who possesses a fleet worth VND50 billion (US$2 million), proudly shared that his ships are installed with the most modern machines related to catching fish in Vietnam like super-capture detectors worth VND5 billion ($200,400) each from Norway, long-range scanning radar, updated nautical charts, monitoring equipment, water flow measurement devices. Thanks to those bold investments, the fishing fleet from Vinh Loi Village has had great performance so far.
Hoai Nhon Town in Binh Dinh province also possesses the largest offshore fishing fleet in the Central region, with 2,300 ships. This is the pioneer locality in cooperative fishing, where each member is equipped with the same fishing devices. Particularly, the fleet of 166 ships of Hoai Thanh Ward has been the most effective. In 2023, it earned more than VND700 billion ($28.1 million) for 10,500 tonnes of seafood.
Similarly, in 2010, fisherman Pham Tuyen from Bao Ninh Commune of Dong Hoi City in Quang Binh Province poured VND10 billion ($400,800) to construct two new fully-equipped fishing ships for offshore fishing. He also updated himself with precise legal knowledge on catching seafood on fishing grounds. As a result, he usually earns VND10 billion ($400,800) per year and provides jobs for 10 laborers. In 2022, he received the third-class Labor Medal by the President for his achievement of ‘Having an effective and stable production and business model, promoting socio-economic development of Quang Binh Province and contributing to the building of socialism and protecting the Fatherland’.
Da Nang City now has 129 fishing teams with 840 ships and four fishing unions, aiming at reducing overhead costs and increasing the output for better income. Fisherman Nguyen Phuong Binh from Tho Quang Ward of Son Tra District in Da Nang City commented that sea fishing is full of risks, so to ensure safety and professionalism, fishermen like him have to work together for support and discovery of large fish schools.
Vice Chairwoman Tran Tuong Van of the People’s Committee of Thanh Khe District (Da Nang City) said that the strength of fishermen multiplies thanks to such collaboration. Besides successful fishing, they are a force to protect the sovereignty of the islands and sea of Vietnam.
Fishing is the key industry in Binh Thuan Province with a fishing ground of over 14,000km2. Its seafood processing capacity stays in the second position nationwide. Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Binh Thuan Province informed that there are now more than 7,800 fishing vessels and 46,000 fishermen working here. The annual output is 225,000-230,000 tonnes. So far, 1,530 ships have joined 158 cooperative teams.
“The province has so far adopted various support policies by the Government for laborers of offshore fishing. The number of high-capacity ships registered to follow offshore fishing continues to see a rise. This not only helps save overhead costs but also increase the presence of Vietnamese people in remote sea bodies. That is a wonderful combination between working and sovereignty protection”, said the Vice Chairwoman.
