Chau
Doc is a friendly, laid back town situated right next to the river that
gives it life, and her inhabitants use the myriad of waterways to work
and to make a living. While the town mainly consists of land loving
folk, most people there know how to navigate a boat by hand or with a
motor;
... in fact water plays such an important role in life here that thousands of Chau Doc's inhabitants actually live their entire lives on the river, fishing its waters for food; using its waters for drinking and bathing; and paddling its currents to get to work or the market. It's a unique way of life that is common in countries like Vietnam whose large populations have had to turn to the river for food, a place to live, and a means of transport.
The most interesting aspect of this life near Chau Doc on water are the floating houses, which cluster together to form loose 'villages' floating off the river bank. Four large rocks anchor the boats to the riverbed, and prevent them from floating away; as the dry season turn to the wet and vice versa, the anchors are moved to best suit the houses anchorage.
All over Vietnam, large rectangular shaped boats, called sampans, are home to people who love to inhabit the rivers. Often painted with large red eyes, as in the Perfume River in Hue, more and more people are instead building square houses that rest on tanks inflated with air. A large family has plenty of room to stretch out, with household pets, TV antennas, radios and television sets all rigged up to bring the comforts of home onto the water. Houses like this cost far less than those on land, and for $35,000 a house can be bought and set up with a readymade business hidden beneath the floorboards.
Suspended underneath the houses is what brings in the cash for these families: hundreds of thousands of catfish, which thrive in the refreshed water brought by the river's strong currents, live in nets that prevent them from escaping, and from becoming a meal for hungry birds. These fish are largely invisible and noiseless as they go about their lives, and require very little attention, aside from feeding.
Imported from Cambodia as tiny fingerlings, these catfish grow incredibly quickly, and easily, beneath the living room floors all over Chau Doc. The meat is very tasty; and is prized by Vietnamese for its flavor: white and firm and lacking in fat and tiny bones. Because of this prices are high for the best fish especially with seafood processing factories located in Chau Doc who are always ready to buy the fish for export.
Feeding the fish is the hardest part of raising them, but is still an easy task: a brownish meal is prepared with rice that is boiled in large vats. This is a common site as you wind your way through the houses and the sharp smell of the meal is unmistakable. Then, this mean is rolled into tiny balls that are then dried and dropped beneath the floorboards to feed the fish. Voila, that's it, because nature takes care of the rest. When the fish are fully grown, and weigh about a kilo, they are scooped up and carted off to the nearby factories, or sent to Ho Chi Minh City where the highest price can be fetched on the domestic market.
Its easy to visit these floating villages when in Chau Doc; early morning is best for activity as well as for photo opportunities as the light is better and more people are out and about. It's a fascinating glimpse into the lives of people whose feet hardly touch the ground; they may not walk on water but they come pretty close.
... in fact water plays such an important role in life here that thousands of Chau Doc's inhabitants actually live their entire lives on the river, fishing its waters for food; using its waters for drinking and bathing; and paddling its currents to get to work or the market. It's a unique way of life that is common in countries like Vietnam whose large populations have had to turn to the river for food, a place to live, and a means of transport.
The most interesting aspect of this life near Chau Doc on water are the floating houses, which cluster together to form loose 'villages' floating off the river bank. Four large rocks anchor the boats to the riverbed, and prevent them from floating away; as the dry season turn to the wet and vice versa, the anchors are moved to best suit the houses anchorage.
All over Vietnam, large rectangular shaped boats, called sampans, are home to people who love to inhabit the rivers. Often painted with large red eyes, as in the Perfume River in Hue, more and more people are instead building square houses that rest on tanks inflated with air. A large family has plenty of room to stretch out, with household pets, TV antennas, radios and television sets all rigged up to bring the comforts of home onto the water. Houses like this cost far less than those on land, and for $35,000 a house can be bought and set up with a readymade business hidden beneath the floorboards.
Suspended underneath the houses is what brings in the cash for these families: hundreds of thousands of catfish, which thrive in the refreshed water brought by the river's strong currents, live in nets that prevent them from escaping, and from becoming a meal for hungry birds. These fish are largely invisible and noiseless as they go about their lives, and require very little attention, aside from feeding.
Imported from Cambodia as tiny fingerlings, these catfish grow incredibly quickly, and easily, beneath the living room floors all over Chau Doc. The meat is very tasty; and is prized by Vietnamese for its flavor: white and firm and lacking in fat and tiny bones. Because of this prices are high for the best fish especially with seafood processing factories located in Chau Doc who are always ready to buy the fish for export.
Feeding the fish is the hardest part of raising them, but is still an easy task: a brownish meal is prepared with rice that is boiled in large vats. This is a common site as you wind your way through the houses and the sharp smell of the meal is unmistakable. Then, this mean is rolled into tiny balls that are then dried and dropped beneath the floorboards to feed the fish. Voila, that's it, because nature takes care of the rest. When the fish are fully grown, and weigh about a kilo, they are scooped up and carted off to the nearby factories, or sent to Ho Chi Minh City where the highest price can be fetched on the domestic market.
Its easy to visit these floating villages when in Chau Doc; early morning is best for activity as well as for photo opportunities as the light is better and more people are out and about. It's a fascinating glimpse into the lives of people whose feet hardly touch the ground; they may not walk on water but they come pretty close.
