On the morning of 26/8, dozens of residents of Cam Nhuong, Thien Cam commune, made their way to the harbor where fishing boats had sought shelter from typhoon Kajiki.

Many fishing boats had their nets and equipment tossed into the sea, and water flooded their decks. Fishermen helped each other bail out water to refloat the boats and recover their gear.

Cua Nhuong fishing port is the mooring place for hundreds of boats from Thien Cam commune and surrounding areas. The typhoon caused boats to collide, sink, and sustain significant damage.

Lai Thai Son's boat, though moored in the harbor, was swept about one kilometer away by the storm and crashed into the harbor's embankment. The 56-year-old fisherman explained that the hull of his 380 horsepower boat was extensively damaged from the impact with the concrete wall. "The boat is worth over 1.5 billion VND. If only the hull is damaged, the repair cost will be around 300 million VND, but I need to check for further damage," Son said.

Fishermen searched for batteries, engines, and repair tools from their damaged boats.

Many fishing boats had their gear swept overboard but remained entangled on the boats' sides. Fishermen called out to each other, rowing small boats to bail out water and save the nets.

Salvaged belongings were temporarily piled on the embankment. "We'll take them home and repair whatever we can to minimize the losses," said fisherman Le Xuan Trung.

Le Xuan Tien, 58, worked to remove the engine from his boat for repairs, hoping to "salvage what little he could." His boat, valued at nearly 300 million VND, sank and was completely destroyed, with its fishing gear scattered across the sea. "I used to fish for squid and other seafood. When I heard about the severe storm, I brought my boat into the harbor early, but I couldn't avoid the damage," Tien explained.

Nguyen Tien Huong, 55, from Tan Chinh village, stood before his submerged boat in the harbor. "I've never seen such a strong typhoon. Yesterday at 3 PM, the wind ripped my boat away, and I could only watch helplessly as my livelihood sank," Huong said. He estimated the damage to be around 100 million VND but first needed to hire divers to refloat the vessel.

In a corner of the harbor, several boats were piled together by the storm. Residents waited to inspect their belongings. Local authorities conducted a preliminary assessment of the damage. A Thien Cam commune representative reported approximately 40 boats were damaged or sunk by typhoon Kajiki. Authorities are mobilizing resources to assist residents in recovering their vessels and property.

Nguyen Dong