Story in an island

For many years, the people of the island of Re (Ly Son island district, Quang Ngai) are still immersed in their livelihood, living with the sea and rising to the sea. There, despite the waves and winds, despite the fluctuations of the weather, the fishermen are still diligently sticking to the sea to assert the vitality and sovereignty of the Fatherland in this immense water wave.
Behind is the family and the Fatherland

Along the S-shaped strip of land with more than 11,409.1km of coastline, the livelihoods of fishermen are always very hard. Mr. Nguyen Gia Vien (An Vinh island commune, Ly Son island district, Quang Ngai – owner of the boat QNg-96111TS) is a veteran fisherman and has a reputation for “killing fish” of Ly Son land. Only 45 years old, but he has nearly 30 years of clinging to the sea, of which 20 years as a captain of a fishing boat specializing in fishing at Hoang Sa and Truong Sa fishing grounds and owns a fleet of three large-capacity fishing vessels. His grandfather’s life was associated with the sea, his father’s life was associated with the sea, then he also grew up from trips like this. Mr. Vien said: “In the life of our ancestors, we went to sea by small old ships but still reached Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. Their ships are bigger, more people are equipped with more advanced equipment, they must reach out further. Despite storms and storms, the sea still goes out to sea without a day’s rest. Behind me is the rear. Also the family and the country! “. To have sea trips like this, he has worked hard for many years, in 2000, he bought 3 ships to sail, officially becoming the mainstay of his family. A corner of Ly Son Island. “Anh Vien has a knack for finding flocks of fish, so he always wins. Many other boat owners complained about the loss of capital, but with photos, each year, a fisherman like me is divided between 40-60 million VND. He is also a boat owner who has a heart for the sea “, said a fisherman on the boat Mr. Vien said. Nearly 30 years of clinging to the sea, clinging to ships with dozens of times facing great waves to save fishermen in distress, the reward for him is to regain the fisherman’s life from the hands of the water god, glasses of thanksgiving with many certificates of merit and certificates of merit from all levels and functional branches awarded. Many people jokingly call him Vien “inoc” because he can swim and dive under bone-cold water for many hours. Mr. Vien is one of the fishing boat owners who should work in Ly Son. Each year, with 3 fishing boats practicing lead net, he earns tens of billions of dong. On board, he equipped with many modern means to serve fishing. Mr. Vien confided: “This ship has a capacity of 450 CV, so it only takes 17 hours to run from Ly Son to Hoang Sa. The other fishermen’s ships took 2 days and 2 nights to arrive. Having fish is happy but without fish is sad. Although it is extreme, you still have to stick to the job, you can also bear it with any hard work. Going to the sea not only does business but also protects the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland. That is the responsibility of our fishermen! ”, He said as the boat was turning its nose back to Ly Son island in the middle of dawn. And Mr. Tan, another fisherman on Ly Son Island, confided: “Life is tied to the sea, rich and poor are also caused by the sea. In the past, it only took a few laborers to go to the sea to support the whole family, now the whole family goes to the beach not enough to eat. But, if you are hungry, you must come out! “. The sea also gave him a high-rise house with expensive equipment, and the children were allowed to go to school. Mr. Tan also lends capital to many fishermen to buy fishing gear. To the people here, he is not only a brave fisherman but also a kind neighbor, a model both at sea and on land. Looking at the flag on the ship, fishermen like Mr. Vien and Mr. Tan all whispered that when they came to Hoang Sa they could understand how the national flag and soul of the Fatherland were sacred. It is the Fatherland Flag that has given fishermen the strength to overcome storms, natural disasters and human ears, firmly clinging to the sea. Every time of danger in the ocean, looking up at the flag is like seeing our Fatherland and our people by our side. Sometimes during the fishing journey, fishermen’s ships have to carry some national flags so it is necessary to replace as soon as the gambling is stained or the wind is torn, to ensure that the flag on the roof of the ship is always crimson. , fresh. The Fatherland is sacred, the Fatherland Flag is the place where fishermen reach out to convey their beliefs and dreams. Despite the storms and dangers, but for them, the Fatherland is forever! Ly Son garlic specialty. One man happily boasted: “Do you see our island is beautiful? Is it worth being called a tourist paradise? ”, We nodded, he went out in the afternoon very well. He said, the main job on the island is just growing garlic, going to the beach and doing tourism. We have seen travel stories. What about going to the beach? “If you don’t go to the sea on an island, you are not an islander,” he said. Here, most of them are followers of the sea career, some 4-5 generations already! The sea is one with us! ”. Then he led us to the old fishermen who lived a lifetime in the sea. For the people of Re Island (another name of the big island of Ly Son), doing tourism is a profession belonging to the “royal court” compared to the seafaring profession, but only a few decades ago, still before. There, from the old to the children, all use the bow of the ship to make a living. When the sun had reached the roof of the West slope, we were happily sitting and chatting with the elders in the seafaring profession of this island, the side of the rice tray was also full of marine products. The elders who are in the age of “tri heaven” tell us about going out to sea the day before and feeling cold in their spine. Because in the old days, boats went wild and could not be compared to now. They are mainly sailing boats with the wind, yet the elders reached out to the “golden sand” (Hoang Sa) beach to catch them. Old fisherman Le Luong (77 years old) takes a full sip of wine and leisurely tells the story of his voyage nearly 20 years ago. That time, there were 6 nets on the old Luong boat, each arm was nearly kilometer long, but only 5 people. When they discovered large fish schools near Hoang Sa, people hurriedly released their nets and then rested for midnight to visit the net. At midnight, 1 person stayed in the boat, and 4 people divided into 2 baskets, following the edge of the net. Regardless of the storm, no one can contact each other, trying to cling to the buoy to keep the boat from being blown away by the wind. The lights of the storm went out, in the middle of the night, we struggled to save their lives, each of us struggled with the storm, with hunger for a whole day and night, then old fisherman Le Luong was thrown into the sea, morning After being rescued by a friend ship in the sea … Quang Ninh. And the people on the boat with him lost their breath. After a few days on a friend’s boat, the old man bought a train ticket to Quang Ngai, then boarded the boat to the island. That journey took exactly 10 days. When I got home, I found that the fishermen’s relatives were doing the rituals for us. When asked that, the friend on a basket in the storm drifted into the estuary of Da Nang, then came back and announced that he was missing in the middle of the sea during a thunderstorm night. Therefore, villagers in the fishing village and their family perform a burial ceremony, build a doll and prepare to be a wind tomb. Whoever doubts the old man will return, rejoice in the suspicion of smoky incense that day. Then, after that time, the old man went to the sea with his fishing friends, but now he cannot remember how many more trips. There are many other stories of old fishermen sitting around us, which cannot be fully told. When the wine of the old fishermen is coming to revival, the sea of ​​dark clouds comes. No one told anyone, as fast as a squirrel, the old fishermen of that age had stepped on the rocky edge of the water, the piles, the people pulling the ropes, brought the boats close to the shore to avoid being hit by the waves. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Chinh, Chairman of An Hai Commune Fisheries Union – Ly Son shared about the work that the fishing union is actively doing to help fishermen of this island: “Ly Son is an island to spend money. Country. The only job of the people is fishing and seaweed processing. People for generations just stick with the sea because the sea is a source of life that brings a piece of rice and money to school for children to go to school. However, fishing also brings losses and grief that cannot be compensated in kind. However, the salty taste of the sea has seeped into every grain of land, the people here, so clinging to the sea is an unchanging belief! ”. On the island money spent Brave fishermen of many generations have passed since ancient times, despite knowing the danger always lurking in the sea, perhaps for them, the salty taste of the sea is part of the inseparable flesh and blood. the crashing waves on the side of the boat were part of a sparkling hope. So even though many generations have been permanently lying in the ocean, people still look towards the sea. Every year, on March 16 of lunar calendar, the people on the island solemnly hold a ceremony to honor the posture of Hoang Sa soldiers to commemorate and pay tribute to the soldiers of the old Hoang Sa Squadron who bravely sacrificed and forever lying in the sea. The people and authorities on the island district have built up wind graves and set up the temple “Am Linh Tu and the tomb of soldiers of Hoang Sa”, which is the place to worship Hoang Sa soldiers and soldiers, Bac Hai, and “witnesses”. live ”is an important historical evidence proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago. The fishermen on the island prepare to fish at night. Compared to other festivals of the fishermen in the Central region, the Hoang Sa soldiers’ stance ceremony not only stops at the value of spiritual beliefs, but above all is an opportunity for the children of the country to express their gratitude to the mother of the East Sea. . The strange attraction of the festival is not only its rituals, rituals, practices, folk festivals but also its deep community meaning and value. The hot sun dissipates in the gentle waves that clap against the white sand. In the distance, there is a glimpse of fishing boats letting go of nets. Currently, the population of Ly Son island is more than 21,000 people. They remain with this land from generation to generation. Not because of the temptations around but leaving the homeland. The people here are always trying their best to study, strive and bring their strength to the development of their homeland. Life here is also quite prosperous now. The 2-3-storey houses have sprung up, cable TV is used by many households, there is a school for children on the island to come to class and a lot of facilities are built to serve people’s lives. . The life of the residents here is no different than on the mainland, there are spacious restaurants, 3-star hotels to serve tourists, bustling music cafes, market for all kinds of hammer, but most still. garlic and seafood species such as abalone, shrimp and fish. Except for seafood, other items are priced higher than the mainland because of the distance by the sea but not too expensive. The peaceful night of the island, only the waves crashing onto the rocky rapids, like the lullaby of the ancient sea. The island crouched in sleep after a day of welcoming guests. In the distance, the light of squid fishing boats shimmering like flocks of fireflies flickering in the thick black sea. Standing between the earth and the sky and the vast sea like that, you can see that your country is extremely beautiful. I kept on talking about the vitality of people in the first wave. They are the lights on the sea of ​​money to spend, to keep the sea and sky the country for many generations.