For fishermen in Tam Thanh (Tam Ky City), every time they return from the sea, the boat hovers in the waves and the people on the boat keep their eyes open for the winding smoke rising, like a signal "now we can reach the shore, it's safe here"...

Eyes of...chaotic times

“The fate of being born in the middle of the ocean/Management, entering the sea and then going out to sea/Freely facing storms and following the water/Let's not count the merits of the people…” - the old people in Tam Thanh fishing village often repeat a few lines from the poem “The Boat” that was published by Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang in the newspaper Tiếng Dân.

In Tam Thanh, boat builders often cut down the candleberry trees that grow all over the village to make beams and rafters. When the boat is finished and they sit down to paint the eyes, some people also hum a few lines of poetry.

Old fisherman Tran Van Tam (71 years old) has the clear voice of a fishing villager. On Tam Thanh beach on an early spring day, we heard him recall the turbulent times of the fishing village. He said that Tam Thanh fishermen also used to make reed torches, which had been around for about a hundred years.

Women go to the market on the other side of the Yangtze River and buy bundles of reeds tied tightly. Each bundle is as long as an oar, placed across the boat and then opened to the sea.

At sea, reeds are made into torches to be lit, using light to attract fish. On shore, coastal women use fires to signal their husbands and children's return with expectant eyes.

Mr. Tam said that before 1975, the amount of fish in Tam Thanh was so thick that just by lighting a torch, the fish would rush in and a net could catch a ton. At the beginning of the year, there were anchovies and herrings, and in the middle of the year, there were mackerel and tuna.

From the story of fishermen describing the ancient Tam Thanh fishing village, we imagine the sea area with brilliant coral reefs in Cu Lao Xanh - Binh Dinh. Every season, fish from offshore are pulled to shore. Fishermen only need to set up nets, the fish swim in by themselves, so people call it the blessing of the sea.

But the fishermen at that time were very worried every time they sent their boats back from the sea. The wives often went to the shore to keep watch and signal with a torch or a fire.

The boat only swam as close as possible to the shore. Those on shore also waited for the boat to arrive to report. If they did not see the soldiers coming down to the village, they would light a fire to signal. The fishermen who were rowing out at sea told each other, "now that there is smoke, quickly get to shore."

The eyes… Réhahn

In the eyes of the fishermen, I suddenly remembered the world-famous photo by French photographer Réhahn of an old lady named Nguyen Thi Xoong in Hoi An. The impression left in this photo is the smiling eyes and the lines of a life that has passed through difficult years.

In Tam Thanh fishing village, there are many similar portraits. There is Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhue (87 years old) or Mr. Tran Van Tam. These two people have a wistful look in their eyes when talking about the past. But then those eyes light up with a smile when talking about a peaceful spring.

The eyes of boats in Tam Thanh are often painted by masons. From the story of painting eyes for boats, the old fishermen in Tam Thanh fishing village turned to the story of the fishing village in times of chaos and now.

“Now I am so happy, so much, nothing is better” – Mr. Tam said slowly, his voice coming from deep within his chest, his eyes smiling like Réhahn’s portrait.

I followed Mr. Tam's story closely because he told old stories so well and with many general details. Suddenly I remembered that once at Tam Quan beach (Hoai Nhon district, Binh Dinh province), I met Mr. Nguyen Van An, who was the same age as Mr. Tam and was drawing boat eyes. Mr. An also changed the story from boat eyes to people's eyes following the flow of current events, then talked about this spring.

Tam Thanh fishing village has now become a famous mural village. But few people know that in the past, the village was just a very narrow sandbar located between the sea on one side and the Truong Giang River on the other. Whenever the enemy came to sweep, there was no place to hide. Some women carried their burdens and fled to Binh Hai and Binh Minh communes, while others rowed boats out to sea to fish.

On a spring afternoon, the elders in Tam Thanh fishing village said that according to the heavenly stems and earthly branches, Giap Thin has the destiny of Phu Dang Hoa - the symbol of an oil lamp.

In the past, going out to sea and looking into the village was pitch black. Very scary! Not knowing what disaster was lurking. But now, both onshore and offshore, lights are shining brightly. The night lights are like hundreds of thousands of eyes, restless with the spring sea...