Fish farming couple survive 20 hours at sea as Yagi typhoon rages

The 41-year-old and her husband Vu Van Hiep, 43, of Cam La Commune in Quang Ninh Province’s Quang Yen Town have been farming fish on nearby Hon Co Islet in the province's Van Don District since 2009. The day before the typhoon hit they rushed from their hometown, which they were visiting, to reinforce their fish cages.

Their farm, which has 100 fish cages secured by 60 wooden stakes, had to be fortified with another 40 stakes and ropes anchored to the nearby mountain for stability since the couple knew the storm would be ferocious. "Our livelihood built over 15 years at sea could not be taken lightly," Lan says.

Lan sat in front of the fish storage box that had saved their lives during Typhoon Yagi, on the afternoon of Sept. 10, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Duong

By 7 a.m. on Sept. 7 the wind had intensified, and they raced against time to prepare for the storm, but it was already too late. At around 11 a.m., Yagi made landfall in Van Don, with winds reaching 149 kph, and waves rising to seven meters.

Dark clouds seemed to descend on the sea as waves crashed and the water frothed. In broad daylight it was suddenly dark as midnight.

Hon Co Islet is home to dozens of fish farming households, including Lan’s. Sheltering on her farm, she watched in terror as neighboring structures were torn apart by the storm. "At that moment I realized we had made a mistake by not trying harder to return to land," Lan says.

They frantically tried phoning for help but could barely reach anyone.

Soon the storm escalated, snapping the fish cages' entire reinforcement system as if it was a toy. Murky five-meter-high waves kept crashing down, and one of them split their sturdy floating platform in half.

Unable to stay on the raft, Lan wrapped her phone in a plastic bag, tied it to herself, donned a life jacket, held her husband’s hand and walked along the floating bridges in search of shelter. As they walked, the bridges kept collapsing behind them.

Just before the last floating bridge was swallowed by the sea, they managed to jump onto a roofless boat and ducked into a hold beneath the deck and shut the hatch for protection. The relentless winds and waves slammed against the boat, leaving them disoriented.

When the storm seemed to subside, Hiep peeked out but quickly ducked back inside as metal sheets and wooden planks flew past his head. Realizing the boat would not survive the storm, Hiep told her they needed to find another shelter. Lan could only cry and pray. Though Hiep reassured her saying "It’s going to be okay," his trembling body betrayed his fear.

Hiep was searching for usable pieces of wood in the Cua Ong area on the afternoon of Sept. 10, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Duong

As the wind briefly eased, they jumped onto a storage shed meant for fishing tools. Inside was only a single fish storage box, made of wood on the outside and foam on the inside, measuring some three square meters. They huddled inside, leaving their fate to chance.

Soaked and freezing, neither spoke but both feared the worst. If the foam box broke or was swept into the inlet, they could drown or be killed by debris, their bodies never found. "We held each other's hand tightly, afraid we would die if we let go," Hiep recalls. For four hours they drifted amidst the debris of what used to be their platform.

At around 4 p.m. they were swept into a cove and got caught in some oyster farming nets. By then the storm had weakened, and the foam box slowly came to a halt. Seizing the opportunity they tried contacting the mainland for help. The cove they drifted into was part of the waters near Cua Ong in Cam Pha City, some 10 kilometers from Van Don. They remained in the fish box through the night, with no food or water, while the rain and wind continued to rage outside.

At 8 a.m. on September 8 Major Ngo Co Tam, head of the Dong Xa Commune police in Van Don, and the commune secretary took a speed boat out to rescue them. They found Hiep, Lan and a neighbor, Vu Van Hung, at the site. "During super typhoon Yagi, Hiep and Lan survived by hiding in a fish storage box, and Hung survived in a neighbor’s storm-battered boat," Tam says.

"They drifted over 10 kilometers and survived for more than 20 hours - a miracle."

Drawing on their years of experience at sea, they quickly regained their composure once the storm passed. Lan accompanied the rescue team ashore to inform their family they were safe, while Hiep and Hung stayed behind to see if anything could be salvaged.

The fish storage box saved Hiep and Lan’s lives. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Duong

After being away from home for nearly 20 years and working at sea in Van Don, Hiep and Lan had accumulated 100 fish cages. The fish weighed 5-10 kg each and were worth over VND10 billion (US$400,000). The couple had planned to sell part of their stock at the end of the year to pay off bank loans. "Now Yagi has taken everything," Lan says amid sobs.

After the storm left them penniless, their eldest son is considering quitting school to work. He hopes to ease the family’s financial burden and care for his siblings.

For the past three days the 18-year-old has been helping his father and uncles, wading into the sea, salvaging usable wood, nets and floats.

From 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. each night, the family uses flashlights and dip nets to collect any surviving fish to sell at the market the next day.

But with no electricity to preserve the fish, they have to sell them at a loss.

Hiep is philosophical: "After escaping death and losing everything, my wife and I remind ourselves that it is a blessing to be alive. We can rebuild our assets, and our three children still have their parents to rely on."