Hà Ngọc Sơn (right) assists rescue teams in searching for the missing. — Photo baoxaydung.vn

LÀO CAI — When a violent crash shattered the stillness of Thác Bà Lake, Lào Cai Province, the night fell eerily silent, but for one man on the shore instinct spoke louder than fear.

From his shelter by the water in Trung Sơn Village, Bảo Ái Commune, Hà Ngọc Sơn sensed immediately that something was wrong.

“I heard a huge bang, then everything went quiet. The boat had been revving loudly before, then the sound faded. I had a bad feeling,” he told Xây dựng (Construction) online newspaper.

Moments later, sweeping a torch across the dark surface of the lake, he heard desperate cries for help piercing the silence.

There was no hesitation. Sơn ran back, started his small boat and headed towards the sound.

What he found was chaos.

One vessel involved in the collision had already drifted away. In the water, people struggled to stay afloat, some conscious, others slipping beneath the surface, life jackets and belongings scattered among the waves.

In the shifting beam of his torch, he saw a woman clutching two children. All three had swallowed water and were barely responsive. Nearby, a young girl flailed helplessly. A man fought to keep hold of his child while trying to stay afloat himself.

“There was no time to think. I just pulled whoever I could onto the boat,” he said.

One by one, he hauled survivors aboard, four at first, then the man and the child. But his small vessel was already taking on water. Taking more passengers risked capsizing it.

In total, he rescued six people.

He ferried them to shore before returning with his torch to search again. In the darkness, two victims without life jackets had already disappeared.

Without a phone on him, he called his wife to bring one. He then alerted local authorities and dropped anchor to mark the location so rescue teams could find it quickly.

More than an hour later, residents and emergency forces arrived.

Sơn’s life has long been bound to the water. He lives and works on floating livestock shelters scattered across the lake’s islands, earning a modest income. He is neither a passenger boat operator nor a tourism worker, but someone who knows the lake intimately.

Even in near-total darkness, he could judge direction, currents and likely positions. Where others might have panicked, he acted with calm certainty.

After the incident, while cleaning his boat, he found money dropped by one of the victims. He kept it carefully, hoping to return it.

“What belongs to someone should be returned,” he said.

Asked about the most dangerous moment, his answer was measured.

“The boat was tilting badly, water was already coming in. If I’d tried to take more people, we might all have sunk.”

It was a decision made in seconds, courage balanced with clear judgement. Because of it, six lives were saved.

As news of the accident on Thác Bà Lake spread, the story of the man from Trung Sơn Village travelled quickly, a rare note of humanity amid tragedy.

Sơn (first left) points out the location of the accident to local authorities.

After bringing survivors ashore, he returned to assist authorities in the search for the missing.

By 5.25pm on Sunday, rescue teams had recovered the bodies of six victims from waters near Làng Cạn Village.

The bodies were returned to their families for funeral rites.

Inspecting the scene and directing rescue operations, Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, chairman of the Lào Cai Provincial People's Committee, ordered an urgent investigation into the cause of the accident, a comprehensive review of passenger water transport safety on the lake and the immediate suspension of vessels that fail to meet safety standards.

Authorities were also instructed to provide timely support and assistance to the victims’ families.

For Sơn, that night there were people in the water and he simply went to help.

He does not consider himself a hero.

But for six survivors and their families, the man who steered into the darkness will always be one. — VNS