At 23, Vo Hoang Duyen left city life behind. Armed with little more than a smartphone, she is now bringing the food, people and untold stories of her fishing village to millions.
From returning home to run homestays and creating local experience tours to telling fishing-village stories through video, young Vietnamese are finding new ways to bring the beauty, culture and rhythms of coastal life closer to visitors. Their efforts are not only creating livelihoods but also helping preserve and share the values of fishing communities.
VietNamNet presents the series: Young people tell the stories of fishing villages.
Duyen needs no sophisticated camera equipment. To “tell the story of my hometown fishing village,” all she uses is a smartphone and tripod.
Her “film set” might be the bustling Tam Tien fish market at sunrise, a stall selling fragrant squid banh xeo pancakes for just a few thousand dong each, or a simple family death-anniversary gathering typical of central Vietnam.
Through videos lasting barely a minute, Tam Tien fishing village - formerly in Quang Nam and now part of Tam Xuan Commune, Da Nang - comes alive with an intimate, unpolished charm.
There is more to the village than blue seas and catches of glistening fresh seafood. Its simple way of life and warm, down-to-earth people are equally compelling.
Nearly a year after quitting her job and leaving the city to return home, Duyen has made hundreds of videos about Tam Tien. Many have attracted hundreds of thousands of views, with some reaching into the millions.
Her hometown fishing village becomes a ‘film set’
Tam Tien fishing village market has become a familiar “film set” for Hoang Duyen.
After graduating from high school, Duyen left home to study marketing at college before working in Ho Chi Minh City and later Hung Yen.
In September 2025, while working in northern Vietnam, she learned that her grandfather was seriously ill and returned to Tam Tien to spend more time with him.
While caring for him, she continued working freelance in communications and began looking more closely at the poor fishing village where she had grown up.
“After years away from home, I realized there were so many fascinating things about my hometown that I had never noticed before,” Duyen recalled. “I started filming them, initially just to keep the memories and later to share them with friends. When my grandfather passed away, I decided to stay and live here so I could be close to my family.”
Duyen’s richest source of material is Tam Tien’s seaside fish market.
Nearly 20 years ago, Tam Tien was little more than a landing point for fishing boats. As the fishing fleet expanded, more traders began gathering there, gradually transforming it into a bustling market that eventually started attracting visitors.
At around 4-5 a.m., before the sun has risen, fishing boats return and gather just offshore.
The moment the round basket boats touch the beach, buyers rush toward them. Fish, shrimp, crabs and squid, still fresh from the sea, are carried ashore.
Calls between fishermen and traders, bargaining and laughter mingle with the sound of the waves, creating the unmistakable atmosphere of a coastal morning market.
The morning market comes alive in Tam Tien fishing village as boats return with their catch.
Amid the commotion, Duyen walks around with her phone looking for stories.
Some videos take only two or three hours to film and edit, while others require days of following a story.
She particularly enjoys capturing what she calls the different “faces of making a living”: a man battling the waves to bring fish ashore, women wading into the water to collect baskets of seafood, or a husband helping his wife spread fish out.
“Not all the fishermen and women are comfortable in front of a camera,” Duyen said. “At first, some would become shy and move away when they saw me filming. Others were excited and would smile and wave whenever they saw my phone. Gradually, people became more comfortable sharing their stories.”
Following local fishermen has also given Duyen a new appreciation for neighbors who endure physically demanding lives yet remain remarkably optimistic. Some can rush through their work while still finding time to recite a few lines of poetry.
The food at Tam Tien market gives her another seemingly endless stream of stories.
From steaming bowls of banh canh noodle soup and local banh chap and banh ram snacks to fragrant squid banh xeo sizzling fresh from the pan, the everyday dishes of the fishing community have all found their way into her videos.
On one occasion, Duyen challenged herself to walk around the market with VND50,000, or about $2, eating while introducing different foods. Viewers were delighted to discover that the modest amount was enough for a surprisingly filling meal.
The fishing village’s unexpected ‘secrets’
Local fishing villagers appear naturally and unguardedly in Duyen’s videos. Photos: Courtesy of the character
Duyen does more than film beautiful scenery and introduce local food. She also shares lesser-known details about everyday life in Tam Tien.
Many outsiders, for instance, assume that children growing up in a fishing village naturally know how to swim. Duyen says that is not necessarily true.
The open sea is vast and the waves can be strong, making it unsuitable for young children learning to swim. In the past, the village also lacked a swimming pool where they could learn properly.
There are other unexpected differences.
In many places, people flock to the sea during the Doan Ngo Festival, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, believing a swim can wash away bad luck and bring health, fortune and prosperity. In Tam Tien, however, local residents traditionally avoid doing so.
Duyen’s videos also reveal the quiet ways fishing families care for one another.
After each trip to sea, the best fish and squid are usually sold to support the family and pay for their children’s education.
Seafood that is not sold may be cleaned, divided into portions, carefully packed and sent by bus to children and relatives who have moved to the city.
Recently, following suggestions from viewers, Duyen began selling local seafood as well.
At first, her parents worried about seeing their educated daughter working outdoors in the sun and rain and did not want her to pursue the business.
Even so, they carefully select the best catches to send to customers. Compliments about the freshness and quality of Tam Tien seafood make Duyen happy - and her parents have gradually begun sharing that happiness.
Her videos now attract hundreds of comments and messages from people asking about the fishing village.
Some viewers have even begun planning trips to Tam Tien and ask Duyen for recommendations on where to stay, what to eat and how best to experience the fish market.
“Content creation still doesn’t provide me with a stable income, but it helps me introduce my hometown to more people,” Duyen said. “When someone falls in love with Tam Tien through my videos and then actually comes here, it makes me incredibly happy. I hope people don’t just love the scenery, but also the genuine, down-to-earth people who live here.”
Looking ahead, Duyen wants to tell more stories about the culture, traditional craft villages and people of neighboring communities across central Vietnam.
“Every journey helps me understand my homeland better,” she said. “I want to document and share these things, especially as some traditional crafts are gradually being forgotten. I think if one person learns about them, then two or three more will, and eventually many others. Perhaps that attention can help these craft villages become valued again.”
Vietnamnet.vn
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