In Vietnam, villagers enjoy one-day fishing festival after preserving wetland year-round

The annual festival took place in Tra Loc Village, Hai Xuan Hamlet, Vinh Dinh Commune, with participants using traditional fishing tools such as bamboo fishing baskets, nets, scoops and woven baskets.

Throughout the year, villagers protect the 10-hectare freshwater wetland and prohibit fishing there.

The wetland serves as a natural reservoir for the summer-autumn rice crop.

Only after the farming season ends do village elders select an auspicious day to open the wetland for communal fishing.

The tradition dates back more than 300 years and remains closely tied to the village's agricultural life.

On the festival day, residents and visitors are allowed to enter the muddy waters and catch fish and shrimp for the day.

The festival began at 5:30am with a traditional ceremony conducted by village elders.

After the festival drums sounded, hundreds of people rushed into the wetland, spreading out across the muddy waters in search of fish and shrimp.

Many worked together to herd fish toward certain areas, while those who caught large fish often held up their catch and shouted excitedly, adding to the festive atmosphere.

The annual event attracts not only local residents but also visitors from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue City and other parts of Vietnam.

Le Duy Long, a resident of Hai Xuan Hamlet, said he takes part in the festival every year because it is more than a celebration.

It is also a source of pride for Tra Loc residents, he said, with many people who live and work elsewhere returning home to take part and help preserve their ancestors' tradition.

Le Quang Xu, another local resident, jokingly described the day the wetland is opened as the most important event of the year for Tra Loc villagers.

'If the village holds the festival and you don't come, it's as if you have been driven out of the village,' Xu said.

For visitors, meanwhile, the festival offers a chance to experience rural life and traditional agricultural practices firsthand.

Nguyen Ngoc Phuong, who traveled from Hue City with her two children, said the experience was meaningful not because of how many fish and shrimp they could catch, but because it helped her children understand farming life and the value of labor.

'The children can wade through the mud and see the atmosphere of people working together, which helps them appreciate the simple things in life,' Phuong said.

After more than three centuries, the one-day fishing festival remains a cherished tradition in Tra Loc, bringing villagers together, preserving local cultural heritage and giving younger generations a chance to experience the agricultural way of life passed down by their ancestors, according to local residents.