‘Otter’ men in Vietnam’s central fishing village
“Hello, I caught a golden pompano weighing up to 12 kilograms yesterday,” Le Van Cam, whose nickname is “Cam sin”, told us about his great prize from his fishing trip the previous day. Trophies from the sea Cam had to dive under reefs at night to catch the big fish. Nam O Beach in the early morning was crowded with big and small boats returning from the previous night’s fishing trip. And the news that Cam got the rare fish woke up his colleagues. Many waited for him to witness the giant fish. A trader saw the fish and asked Cam to sell it for VND3 million (US$120.9). The fishing village by Nam O Beach looks old, peaceful, and mysterious. Most of the stories told by young and old villagers are about hunting and catching fish which is not only a job but also an art. Many villagers gave up their fishing jobs to become blue-collar workers in cities, but they then returned to the fishing village. A group of four men talked about their night...