VietNamNet Bridge – After one day and one night running at full speed, without any GPS devices, 13 fishermen from the central provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Ngai on July 16 returned to their homeland safely.

Fisherman Tran Van Thuy of the QB 93256 TS vessel reunions with his family.

Nguyen Van Thanh, 33, captain of the fishing vessel QB 93256 TS from Quang Binh province, said, before releasing fishermen and fishing vessels, the Chinese destroyed GPS and communication devices.

"Based on the compass and information from Vietnamese fishermen we met on the way, we ran at full speed, with the hope of setting foot on the mainland as soon as possible," he said.

Thanh had just repaired his old fishing vessel at a cost of VND800 million ($40) before the unlucky trip. After four days at sea, the engine broke down and the boat drifted for three consecutive days and nights. On June 23, two Chinese vessels appeared.

"We were trying to fix the engine when two white iron ships of China appeared. One boat rammed our boat at the back, the other blocked the front. They used guns to control us and take us to the port in Sanya City, Hainan Island," he said.

Others were kept on board, captain Thanh and sailor Nguyen Anh Hung were taken to the police station for interrogation.

"The first days, we only had rice with dried fish and squid reserved on boat. We encouraged each other, hoping to be helped to return home soon," said Hung.

The fishing vessel QNg 94912 TS of Captain Vo Tan Teo, 24, from Quang Ngai province was enclosed and controlled in the Tonkin Gulf waters by Chinese warships and vessels of the China Coast Guard on the morning of July 3.

"They rammed our boat and used guns to take three Vietnamese fishermen to their ship and forced us to go to Hainan Island. On the island, through an interpreter, we were forced to declare wrong coordinates and the wrong location where their boat was found and sign documents in Chinese language. We were very frightened and only wanted to be released so we signed the papers," Teo said.

On July 11, Vietnamese diplomatic staff in China met the fishermen, gave them food and money and encouraged them to be assured to wait for the day of return home. The days later, the fishermen were allowed to go to market to buy the necessary goods in the supervision of the Chinese.

On July 14, China announced that it would release all 13 fishermen from the two Vietnamese fishing boats and the fishing boat from Quang Binh. The boat from Quang Ngai was not returned for the reason "fishing in the waters of China."

The arrests made the families of fishermen very worried. All the arrested people are the mainstays of their families.

Returning home safely is the greatest joy of the fisherman and their families. Though one lost all fishing tools and the other lost his boat, the two captains said that they would keep fishing in Vietnam’s waters.

Previously, Vietnam had asked China to inform Vietnam of the official coordinates on the sea, where the fishing vessel from Quang Ngai was seized.

Le Ha