Life at Van Don estuary

In April, when the water ran out in the morning, dozens of fishermen carried their apricots to the Dong Xa tidal flats (Dong Xa commune, Van Don district) to dig up a gecko, catch a clam, a parrot … This work has become The ‘rice fishing rod’ feeds many poor families in this locality.
Fate at the mouth of the sea

Since dawn, dozens of people have gone to the Chuong Xa dynasty to dig up a devotion. Early in the morning, we arrived at Dong Xa tidal flats. In the dim light of the early morning, on the tidal flats, there were dozens of people wearing baskets, apricot in hand, working hard to dig for pests, to work industriously to feed their families. Strumming through the muddy sections, mixed with sharp shells and shells on the tidal flats, we reached the place where Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hang (40 years old, Dong Thinh village, Dong Xa commune) was digging and digging. sand layer to catch peanut worms. Pointing at the newly excavated pests in the basket, Ms. Hang said: It is drizzling with this rain, which is hidden deep in the sand, and it is very difficult to dig. As a result, most of the people who come down to the charnel ground today are those who do not have any other work to make a living. The main source of income for the family depends on this tidal flats. As she said, she pointed her finger to the far beach to show us: “Today’s weather is not favorable, so only a few dozen people go to the beach. In a little while, if the sun is warmer, people will go to the more crowded tidal flats ”. Ms. Hua Thi Nien showed off her achievements after more than 3 hours of labor. Like Ms. Hang, for more than 40 years now, regardless of day or night, every time the water recedes, Ms. Ly Thi Hong (58 years old, Dong Thinh village, Dong Xa commune) has been present at the Dong Xa tidal flats to dig the piety. , catch more nails, clam, and a parrot. Talking with us, Mrs. Hong said: Born and raised in the island commune, from the age of 13-14, I followed my father and mother to the tidal flats to dig out peanut worms. When I grew up, got married, got married in the same commune, and gave birth to 2 children. My children are now married, but due to their busy work and low income, they send all 4 young grandchildren to my foster wife and husband. So even though my age is high, I still try to go to the tidal flats, earn more income to support the children “. For Ms. Hua Thi Nien (51 years old, Dong Tien village, Dong Xa commune), the profession of peanut digging is the main source of income for her whole family, from living daily life to paying school fees for her children. Ms. Hien shared: “My husband passed away more than a decade ago, leaving me to struggle alone to make a living to support 2 children who are still in school age. In addition to working as a hired worker, when the tide goes down, I take advantage of the tide to dig up pits. Before each session also earned several hundred thousand dong. Now pouring the land for construction, the tidal flat is narrowed, digging for only an hour to have a few … “. Need to protect long-term livelihood Dong Xa has 4 small tidal flats, also known as Chuong, separated by a small creek, which can be exploited. Dong Xa tidal flat is one of the two most growing areas in Van Don district (the most cultivated area is Quan Lan commune). The people of Van Don often refer to sà-piety as “prey”; beaches where the tides rise and fall creates sand bars, where only pampas are found, often referred to as “bait grounds”. Peanut worms are purchased right at the tidal flats when they are dug up. Unlike in other localities, the gecko in this estuary area is considered to be of the highest quality. The current price of fresh peanut worm is about 220,000 – 250,000 VND / kg, the delicious dried peanut worm is always equivalent to about one gold thread / kg. Although the economic value brings high, but according to local people, the output of guns is currently decreasing a lot compared to a few years ago. The cause of this situation is that recently, tens of hectares of local pits have been buried, giving land to Phuong Dong Construction Investment Joint Stock Company to build Phuong Dong urban area project (Dong commune. Xa). Recently, this enterprise also violated the violation of dumping land out of the boundary of the allocated land to be an urban area, filling up about 16,000 square meters of the tidal flats in the area, where people are free to exploit seafood. Quang Ninh province, especially Van Don district, is a special sea area with many pests, which are assessed to be of higher quality compared to other parts of the country. Mrs. To Thi Dien (Dong Tien village, Dong Xa commune) said: “Nearly 50 years working as a digger” prey “, but I have never found it difficult like now. At least a few hundred thousand dong, more than a million dong. But today I dig from 5 am to 8 am but not yet 2 taels. Very sad, uncle! ”. Ms. Tran Thi Viet (Zone 2, Cai Rong town, Van Don district) added: “From the day the Phuong Dong urban area emerged, our income halved. The lives of the people were difficult to see. Now, adding land to fill the tidal flats, many times, our people have to leave empty handed “. It is known that, before the violations of Phuong Dong Urban Construction Investment Joint Stock Company, the People’s Committee of Van Don district has checked and made a violation record. Specifically, according to Decision No. 05 / QD-XPVPHC signed by the People’s Committee of Van Don district on February 19, 2021, it is determined that this company has committed administrative violations, encroaching on, occupying unused land in the area. Rural areas are managed by the People’s Committee of Dong Xa commune, with an area of ​​about 16,000m2, in Dong Tien village, Dong Xa commune. This part of land is outside the boundary of the assigned land of Phuong Dong Urban Construction Investment Joint Stock Company according to Decision No. 2937 / QD-UBND, dated November 9, 2012 of the Provincial People’s Committee. With this behavior, the Company was fined 100 million VND. The Dong Xa tidal flat is now much narrowed compared to before: Currently the 1st and 2nd beaches are completely filled. The decision of the People’s Committee of Van Don district forced the company to restore the original state of the land before the violation; return encroached land, occupied. Although the district has issued a document to direct, but according to local people, Phuong Dong Construction Investment Joint Stock Company poured encroached land beyond the tidal flats, although it has been overcome, but is still nearly 1 meter deep. The local people expect the local authorities to continue to pay attention to, request, and urge businesses to strictly comply with the requirement of remediation. , to return the ground in the intertidal areas that were illegally dumped, and at the same time compensate for economic losses for the people exploiting the peanut worm on the Dong Xa tidal flats. Many local people are still concerned that, with the current momentum of land encroachment, it will not be long before this tidal flat will have nothing to live. “Urban expansion is an indispensable requirement for the socio-economic development of the locality, the province, and our people all agree, but we need to comply with the regulations. Because of the livelihoods of hundreds of unemployed local workers, we look forward to taking measures to protect the living environment for seafood in this area “- many residents of Dong Xa commune commented.