"Floating season" in An Giang, Mekong Delta, when the water is rising and the rivers expand. An Giang receives floods from upstream of the Mekong River. This season often occurs from August to November. Flood water carries fish and shrimp to the lower river, which is an ideal time for people to go fishing.
Huynh Phuc Hau, born in 1966, is a photographer born and grew up in Chau Doc, An Giang. In addition to his passion for photography, he also works at the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, at An Giang General Hospital. He received the title of Vietnamese photographic artist in 2009. In 2016, he held a personal exhibition in An Giang about the "floating season".
A boy goes fishing in the brilliant sunset at Tha La, Vinh Te, Chau Doc.
The series of photos below were taken by him over many years, showing the viewers the beauty of vast water fields, mainly in the Chau Doc and Tinh Bien areas, An Giang province, bordering with Cambodia.
A herd of cows
The picture prescribes a herd of cows returning to the barn, on the bank of Tha La Canal, Chau Doc. At this time, the Tha La Dam has not released floodwater yet, so the water only reaches the foot of the field. An Giang also has a very famous Bay Nui bull racing festival that usually takes place from August 29 to September 1 of the lunar calendar.
Herding ducks
Herding ducks on a water field in Nhon Hung, Tinh Bien. Floods accumulate silts and wash away acid soil. Rice grains left in the field after the harvest and snails are a rich source of food for ducks, so people save food for them.
Collecting water lilies
The author shared that each photo tells a story and leaves a lot of emotions. In the photo is a couple picking ghost water lilies in Vinh Te, Chau Doc, bordering Cambodia. From early in the morning, they travel by motorboat to remote fields to pick flowers until the boat is full and sells for more than 100,000 VND/day (about 4 USD).
Ghost water lily or rice water lily is a gift from nature bestowed on poor Khmer people in An Giang. This type of water lily only grows in perennial wetlands, and usually has a stem 2-5 m long stalks, and flowers colored white and purple.
Water mimosa
Vegetables that grow naturally in the field are considered specialties of the Mekong Delta, including water lily, common sesban flower, water chives and spinach (in the picture) contributing to increasing people's income. The photo was taken on a sunny afternoon on Tra Su canal, Nhon Hung, Tinh Bien.
Water mimosa are aquatic species that have small leaves, soft stems, and grow quickly. When the water level rises, vegetables float accordingly. When being touched, the leaves will retract. After picking off the leaves, people use the young stalks as vegetables, cook sour soup, dip them into a hot pot or eat them raw with braised fish sauce or braised fish.
Village woman picks wildflowers along the banks of Vinh Te canal, Chau Doc. During each sesban flower season, people will row a boat to pick its flowers to eat in every meal or to make dishes such as pickles, sour soup, salad, stir-fried with shrimp or eaten raw with braised fish.
Lady carp fish
In particular, when the sesban flowers bloom brilliantly, the flocks of Linh fish follow the flood water into the rivers and ponds. From the small young Linh fish at the beginning of the season, people can make a vinegar hot pot, and at the end of the season, the mature Linh fish are processed into fish sauce.
The photo was taken when a man drove his buffalo across Vinh Te canal to reach the higher ground with lots of grass that had not been flooded to feed the buffalo. In the afternoon, he took the buffalo back. The photo reminded the photographer of the movie " Buffalo Boy" (Mua Len Trau) with scenes shot in An Giang by director Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh released in 2004.
The precious moment of an An Giang Mother
During his photography trips, the photo that left him with the most emotions was "An Giang mother" holding water lilies on the banks of Vinh Te canal. “When passing by the canal, I saw a beautiful old woman with a bright smile next to the water lilies, so I stopped to ask for a photo. A month later, when I returned to give her a photo, she had passed away," the author said.
Casting fish nets
The "dance" casting fish nets at sunset on Tha La flooded fields creates a unique picture of nature. Every day the sky at sunrise or sunset has different colors and does not overlap.
Another peaceful afternoon in the fields of Tra Su and Tinh Bien. According to photographer Huynh Phuc Hau, the floating season in An Giang is a part of life. In the 2000s, water flooded the field, and then it usually receded by the end of November. The pictures of life in the flood season are very lively and bustling.
See more articles about An Giang and the Mekong Delta:
>> Long Xuyen Floating Market - An Giang Unique Life On The River
>> Tra Su Cajuput Forest - Mekong Travel Guide
>> Chau Doc Travel Guide - 8 Attractions You Cannot Miss
>> Discover the Cultural Identity of the Cham people in An Giang, Vietnam
