Dozens of poor households making up a floating village on Thu Bon River in Quang Nam Province may be having the final Tet on the water, with a good chance to that they will be moved to homes on land.

Dozens of families are living on boats on Thu Bon River
Although there are no official numbers, locals say that just decades ago there were hundreds of households making up the floating village. Since then many of them have relocated. Now there are only 26 boats, who make their living by fishing and transportation of goods.

A bridge being built over the river is one of the major reasons for the destruction of this old community.

According to Tran Thien Thang, Secretary of Que Lam Commune, people started to move to land around 2000. The fish source on the river is becoming exhausted, making their life more and more difficult.

Pham Quoc and his wife, Ngo Thi Lua, both 76, have lived on these boats since they were children. They still work transporting and fishing. But Mrs. Lua says that their children have all moved to land to seek other jobs because the old way of life is becoming unfeasible.

Quoc and Lua are not the oldest residents of the floating village. Mai Nhut and his wife, Huynh Thi Lung, are now in their eighties but still work to earn their living.

This small, old boat is our house and our only way to earn a living,” Lung shared. “For many of us, the only chance we have to go on land is when we die.”
Most people living here are either elderly or find it difficult to find employment in the new economy.

Realising this, most parents have worked to provide their children with an education that will better fit them for a changing society. Ho Van Ty, 35 years old with two children in secondary school, said, “I'm trying my best to help my kids get a better education so they won't have to work and live on a boat."

In the meantime, Chairman of Que Lam Commune, Le Duc Thinh, says that they are building a resettlement area for the remaining 26 households, with support from the local Fund for Climate Change.

“Each household will be granted VND12 million, in addition to a loan of VND8 million to build their houses,” Thinh said.

Their hope is that the grants and loans will be finalised by Tet.

Source: Dan tri news