Life of a person in the floating village.

During our visit to Hao lang Bay we experienced a new side of Vietnam. We were able to see the sea village. In the Sea village, I traveled with Vu and was able to gain more insight onto how these people live their lives. They typically marry around seventeen. There are also several other similar sea villages which host mixers where men and women meet for marriage. They spend their lives getting income and food sources through several venues. The first was the tourist industry. They sell goods and transport tourists through their villlage. Not only do these boat people gain income from rowing the boats around their village but from other means as well. For example they have a farm dedicated to raising and fostering pearls. In order to do this they have to have these clams imported from an external source and then transplant them into their bay. They eat primarily seafood and men typically spend the day fishing for sustenance for their families.  There is very little access to the main land and they are rarely able to access accommodations we consider normal. This includes access to running water, electricity, carbohydrates, and other goods.  In addition children are expected to work as soon as they are able to which is usually around the age of thirteen. Interestingly, they are able to attend a primary school on one floating man-made island. The majority of the books the village has access to come from the school.

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