Chapter 96 — Shrimp Street Without Name

One month after the re-hanging ceremony of the Kenh Ba sign, the community testing laboratory project that Hai Yen, Kien and Tuyet had cherished many months ago began entering the specific implementation phase. Thanks to the widespread attention that Hai Yen's story has attracted, the project received interest and support from many unexpected sources.

An international non-governmental organization specializing in supporting sustainable agricultural development, after learning about Elena's story through her report, actively contacted them to offer to sponsor a portion of modern testing equipment, along with sending experts to support technical training for the operating team in the early stages.

“This is a great opportunity,” Tuyet said in a team meeting, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she presented the equipment that would be donated. "With this mechanical system, we can accurately detect antibiotic and chemical residues at extremely small levels, far beyond the capabilities of conventional laboratories in the region. This will be a big step forward in ensuring the quality of aquatic products in the entire region."

Kien, who spent weeks working with fisheries management agencies to obtain a license and official recognition for the testing laboratory, also brought positive news. “The Department of Agriculture has agreed to recognize our testing laboratory as an authorized independent testing unit,” he announced. “This means that our test results will have official legal value, recognized by export businesses and regulatory agencies.”

Hai Yen, listening to the positive news from both of them, felt an indescribable joy at the project's rapid progress. “We need to make sure the monitoring mechanism remains the same as what we discussed from the beginning,” she reminded, not forgetting the core principles that shaped the entire project. “A supervisory council consisting of representatives of shrimp farming households, rotating according to terms, must be established from the very beginning, to ensure absolute transparency right from the foundation.”

The group quickly set to work organizing the election of the first members for the supervisory board, a process carried out publicly at a large community meeting, where shrimp farmers from across the Nam Can area were invited to participate and nominate their representatives.

The election meeting took place in a lively but serious atmosphere, when each nominated candidate briefly presented his or her motivation and commitment to the transparency and fairness of the testing laboratory. Mr. Tam, although no longer healthy enough to take on a direct role, was invited to be an honorary advisor to the council, a symbolic position recognizing his irreplaceable contributions throughout his recent journey.

“I am honored,” he said when informed of the role, his voice filled with emotion. “Even though we no longer have much strength to work directly, we can still contribute our experience, ensuring that the values we have built will not be forgotten over time.”

The location to build the testing laboratory was also chosen - a small piece of land right next to the old pond area of Kenh Ba, a deeply symbolic choice, a direct connection between the painful past and the future being built. Construction work Construction began soon after, with the volunteer participation of many households in the area, who wanted to contribute directly to a project that they believed would bring long-term benefits to the whole community.

Hai Yen, who spends most of her time at the construction site, feels a simple yet profound joy as she witnesses each brick, each wall gradually being erected, turning an idea that once existed only in conversations and paper plans, into a real, tangible project, bringing hope for a fairer and more transparent future for an entire industry that was once tainted by greed and manipulation.

One afternoon in the middle of the construction process, when Hai Yen was supervising the installation of the electrical system for the testing laboratory, she received a surprise call from a representative of a national seafood export association, who heard about the project through Minh Khang's articles and wanted to learn about the possibility of replicating this model to other provinces.

“We were impressed with your approach,” the representative said by phone. “A community-led testing model, combining modern technology and grassroots transparency, could be an important solution for many other aquaculture regions facing similar problems to what happened here.”

Hai Yen, although surprised by this national level of interest, felt a deep sense of pride when she realized that what she and her team were building could have significance far beyond the scope of Nam Can alone. “We're happy to share our experiences,” she replied, “but I think the most important thing is for this model to really prove its effectiveness here first, before we think about replicating it anywhere else.”

The call ended with a promise to keep in touch and continue to monitor the progress of the project, a hopeful sign that Hai Yen's story, although it has come to an end in the legal aspect, is still continuing to open new meaningful chapters in other aspects of life.

In the evening, when recounting this call to Kien and Tuyet, the whole group discussed excitedly about the potential for future development, although they all agreed that the immediate priority is still to complete and operate the testing laboratory in their hometown stably before thinking about any expansion.

“I think this is the right way to continue what my father started,” Hai Yen said, her eyes looking far away at the construction site gradually taking shape in the sunset. “He always believes that a good model, if built properly with transparency and fairness as its foundation, can spread and benefit more people than just a small community.”

Tuyet nodded in agreement, her eyes also filled with optimism about the future. “We are building not just a testing laboratory,” she said, “but a living demonstration that the mistakes of the past can become the foundation for something much better, if we are brave enough to face them and learn from them.”

As the evening gradually closed, Hai Yen stood alone looking out at the construction site that was gradually sinking into darkness, the iron frames and newly built brick walls reflecting the last rays of the setting sun. She felt a deep contentment, knowing that, with each passing day, she was one step closer to making her father's dream, and now her own, a complete reality.

Kien came and stood next to her in silence for a while, both of them looking at the construction site in the sunset. “Do you remember the first day we talked about this idea?” he asked. "At that time, it was just a side conversation, in the midst of the stressful days of preparing for the first trial. I don't think I believed it would actually become a reality so quickly."

“I can't believe it either,” Hai Yen admitted, smiling at that memory. “But perhaps that's the beauty of daring to dream, even in the midst of the most difficult times — sometimes, those dreams find a way to grow and become reality, faster than we ever imagined.”

They stood together for a while longer, not needing another word, just letting the warm silence between the two of them speak of everything they had built together and were still building, not just a testing laboratory, but a shared future that they both now believed would become brighter and brighter, day by day, like the water that has patiently ebbed and flowed to its own rhythm for generations on this land, carrying with it alluvium for what is to come. planted, and swept away what needs to be left behind, to make room for a new season, a new generation, a new story waiting to be written by those brave enough to believe in a better tomorrow, no matter how heavy and painful the past is, as long as people still keep the necessary faith and perseverance.