Holding onto thoughts of his wife, three young children and elderly parents, he persevered until he reached shore safely.

Returning home after his harrowing ordeal, Thanh (born 1981, residing in Cuong Gian Village, Co Dam Commune, Ha Tinh Province) remains visibly exhausted. His face is sunburnt red, with patches of blistered skin following hours of immersion in saltwater under direct sunlight. 

Recalling his 10-hour ordeal at sea, Thanh noted that although he has fished since childhood and swims proficiently, he had never faced such extreme peril.

In the early morning of August 15, Thanh rode his motorcycle over 15 kilometers from his home to Dan Hai Commune's coast to harvest clam. After three hours of work, he gathered about 1 kg of clams, carried them ashore, and hung them in a bag on his motorcycle. He then moved roughly four kilometers to search another location.

About 10 minutes after entering the water, a powerful whirlpool suddenly formed. Rising waves threw him off balance and swept him out to sea. "I tried swimming back to shore, but I couldn't. The more I swam, the farther out I was carried," Thanh recalled.

Initially, Thanh fought the current to reach land. However, fighting the water rapidly depleted his strength. At one point, he estimated he had drifted nearly seven kilometers from shore.

Realizing he could not sustain swimming against the current, he switched strategies to conserve energy by floating on his back and kicking his legs to stay afloat. Whenever he regained energy, he stroked his arms and kicked his legs to steer toward land.

"I stopped fighting the current and focused on conserving energy. When I had strength, I swam; when i was tired, I floated. My only thought was staying alive to return home," he said.

Using the sun to find the way home

As he drifted farther out, the coastline blurred. The pine trees he previously spotted faded from view. At times, he noticed fishing vessels in the distance, but they were too far away for him to signal for help.

Without any navigational aids, he relied on the sun's position to determine the direction to land. When he recovered strength, he paddled and kicked to continue swimming.

Thanh said there were times when his body almost didn't have enough strength to stay afloat. "At times my body almost sank, I had to try to kick to surface again. Thirsty, very tired," he said.

Recalling the life-and-death moments, Thanh said the image of his wife, children, and parents was the motivation that helped him not give up. "Thinking of my elderly parents, my wife and three young children, I encouraged myself again. At times I thought I couldn't survive. When I got to shore, I thought I was lucky, my life was blessed to escape this disaster," he said.

Around 4pm the same day, more than 10 hours after the accident, Thanh saw a strip of sand in the distance. At this time, his strength was almost exhausted. "Seeing the shore I was so happy but my body was almost falling apart. When I got to shore, I crawled for a long time to get inside and then met a local resident. I said I was drowning, then I was given water and bananas," he recalled.

Entire village joins the search

Upon news of Thanh's disappearance at sea, relatives, neighbors, and local authorities mobilized boats and search teams. Numerous villagers gathered along the beach, dividing search areas in hopes of locating him.

Nguyen Xuan Tinh (76, Thanh's father) said that the family was overcome with panic upon learning of the accident. While relatives and neighbors searched the waters, he stayed home praying for his son's safe return.

"When I heard the news, I could barely stand. All I could do at home was burn incense and pray. The entire village was out searching, everyone was deeply worried," Tinh said.

Only when he received a video call and saw his son alive did Tinh believe Thanh had survived. "Seeing his face on the phone screen, I burst into tears and finally believed he was alive," he said.

Thien Luong