Working through the night until dawn, 47-year-old Le Van Sanh, his brother, and his two young daughters, 12 and 13 years old, cast their nets across Tri An Lake. Fishing is the primary livelihood for his family, requiring everyone to pitch in.
Sanh's is one of 155 families, mostly Vietnamese returnees from Cambodia, living on the hydroelectric reservoir in the Suoi Co area of Dinh Quan Commune, Dong Nai Province.
The majority of these residents have lived for generations on Cambodia's Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Upon returning to Vietnam, they sought out vast expanses of water, environments similar to their former homes, to help them easily adapt.
Their ancestors were largely impoverished inhabitants of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta who migrated upstream along the Mekong River into Cambodia over a century ago in search of a livelihood.
Once the nets are pulled, Sanh and the other families sell their catch directly on the lake. Baskets fresh with anchovies, catfish, snakehead, and carp are transferred to larger waiting boats to be weighed and sorted.
A typical night's work yields between VND 300,000 and 500,000 (US$12-$20) per boat. For large families, this modest income barely covers basic daily living expenses.
On a neighboring raft, 44-year-old Hai Muoi and her husband have had 14 children, though tragically, six have died from illness. The family of ten now squeezes into a 20-square-meter space. Whenever illness strikes, they face a severe crisis, as their meager income from fish sales is rarely enough to cover both daily food and medical bills.
Muoi's family possesses official identification documents, so there's a plan to save money to move to land and send the children to school.
"I just hope the fishing remains steady and the children stay healthy," she said.
In this hamlet, financial hardship and large household sizes force most children to abandon their education by the fifth grade.
Lu Thi Tu (C), Muoi's daughter, has already become the primary breadwinner for her siblings at age 17.
Le Thi Huong (L) and Ho Yen Nhi, both 12, have also been pulled from school to financially support their families.
Thanh's husband, Phuong, has dinner with his son and grandson. Their meal often consists only of fish, and a portion is set aside for the child who has passed away.
The desire for stability remains strong among residents, with many of them hoping to eventually resettle on land to build permanent houses and provide their children with easier access to education.
The lake is used for bathing and daily life by both children and adults. Drinking and cooking water must be purchased from the mainland. Some households collect rainwater, but it is infrequent and insufficient.
During celebrations, villagers tow their rafts to shore and erect temporary pavilions.
Van Quan (the groom)’s recent wedding, for instance, was an intimate gathering for about 30 neighbors. Once the festivities concluded, the families of both the bride and groom returned to their floating homes.
At night, the floating houses emit a soft glow powered by small batteries and solar panels. Inside, mostly women and children settle in, while the men stay out on the water to continue fishing.
Spanning four districts in Dong Nai Province, Tri An Hydroelectric Lake covers 323 square kilometers and holds a volume of 2.7 billion cubic meters. Beyond generating electricity, the massive reservoir regulates downstream water flow and supplies raw water to treatment plants that serve approximately 12 million residents across Dong Nai and HCMC.
