This is one of three residential clusters in the West Coastal Forest Resettlement Investment Project . With an area of 16 hectares and a scale of about 312 plots, up to now, 201 households in the resettlement area have been allocated houses and moved to live stably since the project started in 2020.
Stabilizing housing - Sowing seeds of hope
In the newly built sturdy house, Mr. Vu Van Tra emotionally recounted: “When I first moved here, every night I tossed and turned because of the sound of the sea wind whistling through the electric wires, howling forever. I felt both strange and overjoyed. Before, I used to think that I would never have a decent house to live in when I died. Now, thanks to the Government's support, I have a stable place to live like this.”
In front of his house, Mr. Vu Van Tra has a small barbershop, helping his family have a stable income. |
Mr. Tra's family had lived temporarily for more than 24 years on a piece of land rented from an acquaintance. When they received support for the house foundation, the couple was overjoyed as if they had found gold. They pooled all their savings and borrowed more from relatives to build a sturdy house. In front of the house, he opened a small barbershop, and his wife worked as a motorbike taxi driver for women in the area whenever they needed transportation. "Now that we have a house to protect us from the rain and sun, my wife and I can work and pay off our debts with peace of mind. Living like this is already very happy," Mr. Tra confided.
Near Mr. Tra’s house, the atmosphere was bustling with the laughter of women who worked as net menders. In the spacious house of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Loan, a long-time net mender, many women gathered to work and chat animatedly.
“I receive nets for processing: patching, stringing, tying buoys... There are many regular customers, and the orders are stable. I can’t do it all by myself, so I invite the women in the neighborhood to help me. Each person earns 100,000-200,000 VND a day. With money coming in and out, I can pay for my children’s education and buy rice without having to depend entirely on my husband like before,” Ms. Loan shared.
According to many households, in the past, they had no stable jobs and all living expenses depended on the husband's unstable income from going to sea. When they ran out of money, they had to borrow money, wait for the tide, and then go back to sea. Life kept repeating itself like a spiral with no way out. Now, thanks to local jobs, life has become much less difficult.
Ms. Phan Thi Ngoc Bich excitedly said: “I learned how to mend nets from Ms. Loan, and now I am proficient at it. The income from mending nets is stable, so my husband and son have enough money to go to sea. With the extra, I can also worry about the future of my children.”
Mr. Nguyen Van Mai, Secretary of Sao Luoi Hamlet Party Cell, said: “In the past, working here was very difficult, the land was flooded, to get to the houses of the people, we had to wade through deep water. During the flood season, it was flooded for a whole month, the people suffered a lot. Now the infrastructure is basically stable, the rural roads are clear, there is electricity, and a water supply station serves the daily needs of the households. It cannot be said that we are well-off, but clearly life has improved a lot compared to before.”
Concerns about no land for production and lack of investment capital
Although life has improved, many households in Sao Luoi Resettlement Area still have many concerns. That is, most of the households only have house foundations, no land for production; their main income is still manual labor, working and receiving wages each day. Many people hope to receive capital support from the State to expand their jobs and develop the economy . Ms. Loan said: “We only accept to mend, wire nets, and tie buoys for hire, but we do not have the capital to buy ready-made nets and resell them. The price of nets is very high, to make them you need 50-100 million VND. That amount of money is too much, we cannot afford it!”
Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, a fisherman who has spent more than half his life at sea, confided: “Now that I have moved to shore, I have no land and don’t know what to do. The sea is always rough, and the boat stays on shore for months. There is no income, so I can only live on the money I saved before.” Mr. Hai used to fish for squid and catfish near the shore. If he wants to go offshore to fish more stably, he has to convert his boat, and the conversion cost is up to several hundred million VND. “We just hope for calm seas so we can have something to eat every day,” Mr. Hai shared.
Faced with the reality that many households have no land for production, and their main jobs are seasonal manual labor, local authorities are looking for ways to help people access more sustainable livelihoods. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Mai, one of the proposed directions is to organize vocational training classes that meet real needs such as net weaving, fishing gear making, etc. “We are recommending that relevant agencies open free vocational training classes, and at the same time connect with purchasing units to create stable output. If there are preferential loans, people can make small investments and rotate capital, instead of just relying on the sea,” Mr. Mai informed.
From the wild reed fields to the cozy houses today, Sao Luoi Resettlement Area is a testament to the journey of “settling down to make a living”. Although there are still worries, the seeds of hope have begun to sprout on this land./.
Diamond
Source: https://baocamau.vn/khu-tai-dinh-cu-sao-luoi-hom-nay-a40072.html
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