'We Love Philippines!' Vietnamese Fishermen Call Out to Filipinos at Sea
“Hello, Philippines! We love Philippines!” Vietnamese fishermen called out to Filipino fishermen at sea.
The brief encounter at sea was a heartwarming scene between fishermen from two of Southeast Asia’s maritime nations who have overlapping claims in the West Philippine Sea. Footage of the encounter was uploaded on TikTok by user @hahahaa113.
Video: Vietnamese and Filipino Fishermen Exchange Food at Sea
In the video, it can be seen how the two groups exchanged greetings and food. The Vietnamese offered “lemon” to the Filipinos, among other goods.
Not to be outdone, the Filipinos offered their prized catch to the Vietnamese: a very large pink snapper that seemed to weigh over 2 kilograms.
The Vietnamese fishermen were on board a large fishing vessel, while at least 13 Filipinos shared a small outrigger boat or bangka among themselves.
It is not the first time a positive encounter between Vietnamese and Filipinos occurred at sea.
‘Vietnnam. Philippines. Friends.’
In June 2019, a Philippine fishing boat was sunk by a Chinese vessel. The latter rammed it, leaving 22 Filipino fishermen struggling for their lives. Luckily, a Vietnamese vessel was nearby and rescued the drowning fishermen.
The Vietnamese rescuers only uttered three words when they found the Filipino fishermen: “Vietnam. Philippines. Friends.” That’s when the Filipinos knew they were being rescued.
Then, in November 2021, Vietnamese authorities rescued two Filipino fishermen near Vietnam-occupied Pugad Island (Southwest Cay) in the West Philippine Sea.
According to the Inquirer, the boat carrying Benjamin Jimlan Abdulla and Crisanto Civilia Misa went adrift in high seas after it suffered engine trouble on November 9, 2021.
Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance found the Filipino fishermen and gave them food and clothes before turning them over to the Filipino soldiers stationed on Parola Island, a fea Philippine-controlled feature in the West Philippine Sea.
