For more than 20 years, as they eked out a living on the Lam River, Dau Thi Phuc and her husband Hoang Van Manh have made a vow - whenever they hear cries for help, they drop everything to find the person in need.

Over that time, they have saved around 50 people who were on the verge of taking their own lives.

For Phuc (43) and Manh (born 1981), who currently live in Ward 15, Truong Vinh Ward, Nghe An Province, the river is both their workplace and the setting of their lifesaving missions.

Phuc recalls that for years, their family of seven lived on a makeshift fishing boat along the Lam River. Though daily life was tough and uncertain, any call about someone jumping from a bridge sent the couple rushing out onto the river, without hesitation.

That same small fishing boat has not only provided food for their children but also become a vessel for hope, ferrying lives back from despair.

Their repeated acts of rescue earned them the trust of local authorities, who eventually lent them a plot of land to build a temporary home in Truong Vinh. From their front yard, they can see the Ben Thuy Bridge - where many people, overwhelmed by suffering, have tried to end their lives.

“I don’t understand why so many people choose this bridge,” Phuc says. “Whenever someone jumps, my husband and I join the rescue teams. Just in October alone, we saved four people.”

Those four included a 52-year-old man devastated by his marriage, a 15-year-old boy who had argued with his mother, a 13-year-old girl facing school bullying, and an 18-year-old man overwhelmed by personal conflict.

One rescue remains especially vivid in Phuc’s memory. On the night of October 4, she and her husband received word that someone had jumped from Ben Thuy 2 Bridge, just over a kilometer away.

They immediately launched their boat into the cold, fast-flowing river.

Moments later, they spotted a 13-year-old girl struggling in the current.

By the time they pulled her ashore, Phuc was shivering, soaked to the bone. She wrapped the girl in her arms and gently asked, “Whatever the problem is, there’s always a way through. Why choose this way to end your life?”

Afterward, they contacted the girl's family, who arrived to take her home.

Having grown up on the river with her parents, Phuc can’t remember when she began “stealing lives back from the river god,” as the local saying goes. Over nearly two decades, she and her husband have rescued around 50 individuals - each case marked by sadness, pain, and a desperate need for help.

“We don’t ask questions,” she said. “We just encourage them. I hope that once they return from the brink, they’ll face life with more strength.”

Still, not every mission ends in success.

One haunting case involved a father who jumped into the river with his two young daughters.

Despite searching through the night, the couple found no trace of the three victims.

“The water was high and the undercurrent too strong,” Phuc said quietly. “We couldn’t save them. That still hurts.”

Doing good to build blessings for the next generation

In the riverside fishing community, rescuing drowning people is often met with superstition. Some believe such acts “steal food from the river god,” bringing misfortune. Phuc and her husband have faced gossip, especially when their boat broke down or fishing nets tore.

“But I couldn’t turn away while someone was dying,” she said. “Even if it costs us something, I need to be able to sleep at night.”

Their greatest comfort has come from people they once saved - some still visit, years later, just to say thank you.

One case still weighs on Phuc’s heart: a university student pregnant out of wedlock, who tried to end her life in the river. The couple saved her, but her unborn baby did not survive.

“Now she’s a teacher,” Phuc said. “She still comes by whenever we need help. I don’t do this for gratitude. I do it to build blessings for my children. But when someone remembers what we did - it warms my heart.”

However, not every rescue ends in kindness.

Just last month, they saved an 18-year-old boy from drowning. When they brought him ashore, he lashed out angrily.

“He shouted at us: ‘Why did you save me? I’ll come back with a gun and shoot you!’” Phuc recalled.

“But we didn’t take it personally,” she said. “We know that in moments of despair, people say things they don’t mean. We understand.”

Phuc and her husband have five children. One daughter is married, two children left school to help their parents on the river, and two are still in secondary school.

The couple still has no land of their own. Their small house is built on borrowed ground beside the Lam River.

“If the authorities ever ask us to move, we’ll comply,” she said. “After the last storm destroyed our house, we had to borrow 300 million dong (about $12,000) to rebuild a shelter for the kids.”

Local officials in Truong Vinh Ward confirmed to VietNamNet that the couple are not originally from the area, but are now part of the community.

“They earn a living fishing on the Lam River and have repeatedly rescued drowning victims,” said one local representative. “We’ve recognized them several times for their brave and generous actions. They are currently borrowing a piece of land to live on.”

Thien Luong