Early in the morning, in a three-bay house filled with sea air in Phuong Loc Village (Phu Vinh Commune), 73-year-old Tran Van Than, surrounded by bamboo baskets, miniature boats, and coracles, was moving his hands skillfully with thin bamboo strips. Having spent decades making a living from the sea, though his health no longer allows him to work at sea, his deep affection for his hometown’s sea lives on through every product he makes.

With no advance warning, a school of sergestid shrimps suddenly rides the tide close to shore, turning a stretch of sea red. In a rush, right after the acetes arrive, villagers along the sandy shore grab nets, baskets, and bowls and head into the sea to scoop them up. Regarded as a festival day for the fishing village, the day the sergestid shrimps arrive brings both a meaningful source of income and a lively, bustling atmosphere to coastal fishing communities.