Ship 743 of Naval Squadron 129 brought fisherman Truong Van Trung ashore on August 18 after he survived 96 hours adrift at sea.
At 10:30 am on Tuesday, Ship 743 of Naval Squadron 129 brought fisherman Truong Van Trung, 46, from An Giang Province, southern Vietnam, into the squadron's port in Phuoc Thang Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
Fisherman thanks naval crew that brought him safely ashore
After days adrift at sea with little hope of rescue, fisherman Truong Van Trung reached land at around 11:00 am on Tuesday at the port of Naval Squadron 129 in Phuoc Thang Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
Trung, 46, was wearing a white T-shirt, with slightly overgrown hair and a beard.
His skin was darkened by the sun, a familiar mark of life at sea.
He appeared alert and answered questions clearly.
"I am very happy and emotional to be back on land. I am deeply grateful to those who rescued and cared for me, from providing food and medicine to helping me through those days adrift at sea," Trung said.
He said the thought of his two children waiting at home was what kept him going.
"During those days adrift, I just tried to survive one day at a time. I didn't know how long I had been at sea. I could only watch the sun rise and set. I thought about my two children at home, so I kept telling myself to hold on, keep going, and wait for someone to rescue me," he said.
When he spotted the rescue vessel, Trung tried to signal for help.
Ship 743 then approached and threw a flotation canister and a rope into the water.
By then, however, he was exhausted and barely had enough strength to climb aboard.
Seeing the rescue vessel was a moment of great relief, he said.
"Even though I was exhausted, I still tried to raise my hand and signal so the people on the ship could see me," Trung said.
The crew dropped anchor and circled the area before finding a way to pull him aboard.
"Once I got onto the ship, I had no strength left to do anything. I could only drink water. At one point, I was so thirsty that I had to drink seawater. So when I finally had fresh water, I realized how precious it was," he said.
After four days and four nights battling the open sea, returning safely to land was the moment Trung said he would remember most.
Vessel carrying rescued fisherman docks at port
Naval forces and the Ho Chi Minh City Border Guard were at Naval Squadron 129's port to complete procedures to hand over and receive the rescued fisherman.
Trung's relatives, along with local authorities, traveled more than 300 km from Tay Yen commune in An Giang province to Naval Squadron 129 to await his return.
Truong Ngoc Trinh, 16, Trung's niece, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper that Trung works as a shell fisherman and sometimes spends three months at sea before returning home.
"Recently, the family tried to contact him, but we could only hear his phone ringing. Then we heard that he had drifted at sea and had been rescued," she said.
Early in the morning, Trung’s niece, 16-year-old Truong Ngoc Trinh, arrived at Naval Squadron 129’s port in Phuoc Thang Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, to await her uncle’s return. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre
Thoughts of his 2 children give him strength to survive
After being found and rescued by naval forces, Trung spoke in a weak voice about what kept him going during his four days and four nights adrift at sea.
"I kept going from one day to the next because my two children gave me the motivation to hold on," he said.
"Their mother had left, so there was no one to take care of them. I kept hoping someone would come to rescue me so I could stay alive and return to my children."
"Luckily, I came across Naval Ship 743. The crew rescued me and helped me through the danger," Trung said.
Fisherman Truong Van Trung, who survived 96 hours adrift at sea, was rescued in a dramatic operation. He said his two children back home gave him the strength to survive. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre
Captain Nguyen Van Ha, political officer aboard Ship 743 of Naval Squadron 129, said Trung was in very poor health and mentally distressed when he was brought aboard after drifting at sea for four days and nights without enough food or water.
"The crew provided first aid and medical care for the fisherman. His health is now stable and he is alert," Ha said.
As previously reported by Tuoi Tre, at around 6:00 pm on August 16, Ship 743 of Naval Squadron 129 spotted a fisherman adrift at sea while carrying out a mission east of the Thang Long oil and gas rig, about 80 nautical miles from shore.
Despite darkness, rough seas, and strong winds, the crew maneuvered the vessel toward the fisherman.
At around 7:00 pm, they safely brought him aboard.
The fisherman was identified as Truong Van Trung, 46, from Tay Yen Commune, An Giang Province.
The port of Naval Squadron 129 in Phuoc Thang Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, where fisherman Truong Van Trung was brought ashore. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre
Fisherman endures 4 days adrift before rescue
Initial information gathered from Trung indicates that he fell overboard from a fishing vessel on August 12 and drifted at sea for four days, or 96 hours.
When he was rescued, Trung was weak and exhausted, and his mental state was unstable. He could not initially remember the fishing vessel he had fallen from.
After bringing him aboard, Ship 743's officers and crew provided first aid, drinking water and food, arranged a place for him to rest, and monitored his condition.
By Monday, his health had basically stabilized.
According to Trung, he was a crew member on a fishing vessel from An Giang Province.
On August 12, he went to the back of the vessel to answer a phone call when a wave suddenly swept him overboard.
As he fell into the sea, Trung managed to grab a piece of black foam from the vessel and held on to it.
By the time he regained his bearings, the waves had carried him far away from the fishing vessel.
For the next four days, Trung clung to the piece of foam without food or drinking water.
At around 6:00 pm on August 16, Ship 743 spotted Trung adrift at sea and deployed a life buoy to rescue him.
The ship's commander said Trung was still tightly clutching the black piece of foam when the crew pulled him aboard.
After spending several days adrift at sea, Trung had minor scratches, sunburn, and a skin allergy.
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