Besides people eating late meals and clients of late-night businesses such as karaoke parlors and discotheques, ‘sleepless Ho Chi Minh City’ now has one more witness: fishermen.

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Night fishers are not abundant, but there are enough of them to add to a sketch of the night-life painting of dynamic Ho Chi Minh City.

Night fishing is not for business, it is just a hobby of some city dwellers when the sun disappears and lamplights begin reflecting off the Saigon River and its branches.

These fishermen often choose to drop their lines near new bridges where roads are well built and private construction has not yet covered the area densely.

On the riverbank opposite the iconic Bitexco Financial Tower in District 1, a group of three young men lit up a stack of firewood to broil some catfish the size of a wrist one night.

The good smell of fried fish may make people feel like they are at a nighttime forest picnic.

It is night fishing, in Saigon. And the three men are among hundreds of other fishermen going out to different sections of the rivers and canals in the city.

Rivers in such districts as 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, Nha Be, Binh Chanh, and Can Gio are now the favorite venues of night fishers.

Canals along the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway are among the most popular areas for fishermen. Some drive 50 kilometers from District 6 and Binh Chanh District to the area for fishing. Others even hire a boat for VND100,000 ($4.8) a night to row to the middle of rivers to fish.

A young man is seen fishing along a canal on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City at midnight. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Attaching a worm to a fish hook without looking, Hoang Nam Nguyen, 60, a Vietnamese Australian, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he always enjoys his month-long holiday in Ho Chi Minh City to visit relatives and go night fishing every year.

Nguyen left his hometown in An Giang in the Mekong Delta to move to Australia 30 years ago. He says it is quite freeing to fish in Vietnam.

In Australia, one is only allowed to fish in some places and catch fish of a certain size, he explained.

He often gives ‘the spoils’ of his fishing trips to the owner of the hotel where he stays.

“It takes the charm of a fisher to be able to catch a fish,” he explained as an excuse for the fact that he did not catch any fish that night even though his relative standing next to him caught many.

“A fisher must be patient,” he added.

Fish are inclined to take the bait when the tide is rising or falling, Nguyen said.

“I like fishing here because this city is the most beautiful at night.

“It’s peaceful and the air is fresh.

“I always remember the scene when I am far away,” he said.

Viet, another fisherman who dropped a line under Tan Thuan 2 Bridge, said about his fishing hobby, “When the fishing rod vibrates with a fish pulling the hook, I am excited to drag it up. It’s like all pressure at work is relieved.”

This IT engineer admitted he goes fishing as a hobby and gives all the fish to his neighbors.

Under the bridge where Viet was fishing, dozens of other groups were dropping lines at 23:00 pm.

It is one of the most popular venues of fishermen because it is where the Te Canal meets the Saigon River. The waterway there is wide, with high waves and it attracts big fish.

Some even bring beer on their fishing trips.

However, fishermen may fall victim to robbers since they often choose deserted areas to drop their lines at night.

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