Around midnight, I finally attempted to take my cargo ship under the low bridge that had stopped me earlier. By then, the tide had fallen dramatically and the canal was approaching low tide.
It was a difficult moment because I had to judge the timing very carefully. I needed the water level to be low enough for the top of my ship to clear the bridge, but I couldn’t wait too long—if the tide dropped much farther, my heavily loaded ship could run aground and I might not be able to continue into the next wood-loading site.
There were already nearly 100 tons of wood aboard, so the ship was sitting much deeper in the water than when it was empty. I moved forward extremely slowly, watching the clearance above while also worrying about how much water remained beneath the hull.
At the closest point, there appeared to be only about 3 centimeters between the top of my ship and the bridge. For those few moments, everything felt incredibly tense—but finally, my ship made it through
After passing the bridge, I continued into the new loading area. The following morning, the workers arrived by small composite boats because there was no road access to this remote location. Life and work here depend heavily on the waterways
For the next two days, the workers continued carrying heavy logs aboard my cargo ship. Little by little, the empty spaces in the cargo hold disappeared.
After that, I moved the ship once again to another loading point to collect the remaining wood. By the end of the day, my cargo ship was finally full and ready to begin the next journey.
From waiting for the tide at a low bridge in the middle of the night to finally seeing a full cargo hold after days of loading, this journey reminded me again how much patience river life requires. Sometimes we move forward, sometimes we wait, and sometimes only a few centimeters decide whether the journey can continue.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to travel with my husband and me through the waterways of the Mekong Delta. Your kindness and companionship make every difficult journey feel more meaningful.
See you again on the next journey, dear friends. ❤️
source
This journey tested my patience in so many different ways.
One of the most unforgettable moments came at midnight, when I had to guide my heavily loaded cargo ship under a very low bridge with only a tiny amount of clearance. The tide was falling, the canal was becoming shallower, and I knew I could not wait too long. For those few minutes, every movement of the ship had to be slow and careful.
The next morning, life returned to its simple rhythm again. The workers came early and continued carrying heavy logs aboard. Whenever I could, I tried to make their long days a little easier—buying steamed buns for them, keeping cold drinks ready, and later sending my husband out in our small motorboat to buy more bottled water and soft drinks during the hottest part of the day.
We also had to move the cargo ship several times from one loading point to another because the wood was scattered in different places. Some of those areas were deep inside narrow waterways, where boats were the only way for the workers to travel.
And finally, after 7 days of waiting for enough wood and 4 long days of the workers carrying heavy logs, the last pieces came aboard as the sunset was fading.
My cargo hold was finally full.
Seeing that moment made me feel relieved, grateful, and especially thankful for the workers. Every piece of wood in that hold represents their strength, sweat, and hours of hard work.
And to all of you who stayed with me through this long journey—from the midnight bridge, the narrow canals, the repeated moves, the simple meals, and the exhausting loading days—thank you from the bottom of my heart.
A full cargo ship is the end of one long wait, but it is also the beginning of another journey. I’m grateful that you are here to travel it with me. ❤️
With love and heartfelt gratitude from Vietnam,
Diễm An ❤️
When your husband yelled at you to get your hands down, so was I. I'm thrilled you didn't get your hands crushed.
Good evening Diem Na. Of course you were able to navigate that low bridge – because, you are an expert captain of the Titan of the Delta. Later this evening I will watch your next experience of low fuel and will almost certainly have a comment for you and Tan. So, from England, for now, sail safe and rember to pass port to port. Leif
Bonjour, je vous suis depuis quelques temps déjà et j'avais remarqué que vous aviez 2 chaines auxquelles je suis abonné. Y a t'il une raison pour avoir ces 2 chaines avec sensiblement les mêmes contenus? Merci d'avance pour votre réponse. Je vous embrasse vous et votre mari. 🥰
Quanto custa um frete deste aí no vietinan?? Só curiosidade 🤷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Great video!
It's amazing where to take this boat.
But you scared me with your hands between the boat and the bridge.
The midnight bridge was scary to watch … so many possible problems . It was very difficult to watch … so glad your skill and judgement got you through 🤯❤
If I had a business, come to America you all will be hired. Good workers
Hello, Diem An. I almost missed this one. What a trip! Your piloting skills were tested on this one. I'm glad everything turned out O.K. It appears your husband had a good time running the new little boat wide open. Woo-Hoo! LOL.😆😆
As always, peace, love, health and happiness shall follow you forever!
Omar 😁
Dear Diễm An, I have now watched all your videos. I feel like I know you and your husband, as following your daily life on the river has been a wonderful experience. Watching you from the sidelines, I can see that you have a big heart. I look forward to your next video. I have a couple of questions: How much larger is your new boat compared to the old one?
Great job at the bridge.
Glad that you were able to get thru.
No smile this video 😢😢😢
I have a question.
Are you 2 done shipping rice and only shipping wood now.
Also I see that you bought the workers a few drinks.
I wish that I could afford to go there and experience a trip with you 2. Looks very interesting .
Well you 2 have a safe journey and I will see you on the next video.
❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊
Nice moves. With a load of cargo you won't have as much trouble going back out. Don't forget you can always take on water in the cargo hold and pump it out later. We used that trick, take on a load of water, when fishing long line in choppy seas to keep the hooks from jumping around.
Why no cabin or bridge???
Very uncomfortable operating conditions
❤🎉
Hi. I thought your journey a couple of videos back was a tough one but I think this was even harder. Your ship handling skill and experience really showed in this video. Talk about tough conditions. This one was crazy. I hope that the next part of this journey is less stressful for you. I must say those workers are clever in their use of the log pieces to construct supports for the wooden planks and small roadways to push the carts along. Vietnam is full of really clever people. Great video, well done.
Well done, don’t get yr hands caught between the bridge and yr boat … nightmare 😢. I’m sure you won’t . Australia says hello to you all .
The strength and balance of these men is amazing. They should be paid more than they get
hey 🙂 Scary rivers you are on in the middle of the night. :). just a question it might be the sound from youtube, but it sounds like you propeller is cavitating alot, is it me hearing it wrong? if so you should have that prop looked on when you have the chance
Looks like you got a new motor for your little skiff,kool
That's hard working people, Thank you, safe travels to the 2 of you
This cargo voyage looks to `be successful hope you make a nice profit. The workers loading are very nice people and I know you look after them. Love your videos, safe trip Kind regards John NZ.
I've been in very stressful places in my life you both make a good team im 70 alot of high work
The workers were very resourceful the way they built a bridge as a passage way. I was nervous when your ship was under the low bridge.You cleared it with flying colors. Thank you for this video that let me got a glimpse of way of life in the Mekong delta.
👍👍
watching from northern canada. you have been loading wood for close to 2 months now so you knew the tides very well to get under those small low bridges. plus using ropes to hang the planks was very smart or they would be hard to get out of the water and back on the boat. thansk
Abraços 🌙…🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💪💪🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👍,força é preciso ter ⛵️ 🇧🇷 ⛵️ 🇧🇷.
a nicely loaded ship. Light on the front. Balanced load. Now to get off that sand bar and back to the river and on to the customer.
Now the bottom of the boat matters. Looks like a heavy load. I fear not because we have 2 smart ship operators that can handle
Anything. Thanks for bringing us along. You are very kind.