During the flood season, stretching from September to March, stilt houses reflect on the calm water surface, fishing boats glide lightly, and ripples spread out like a vivid watercolor painting.

As the water level rises, residents along both banks prepare for the season ahead, repairing boats, setting up fishing nets and traps, and adjusting their gear. For many households, exploiting the resources of the Sơn La reservoir during the high-water months provides the main source of family income.

Mr. Lù Văn Đại from Quan Chiêng hamlet, Mường Lay ward, explained: “For six months of high water, our family depends on fishing. Right now, at the end of the rainy season, the water is still murky and has not yet reached its peak level, so catches are small, mainly small fish worth only VND 10,000-20,000 per kilo. My family has set up three lift nets, and each haul yields barely over 10 kilograms. By late September or early October, when the water is clearer and the temperature cooler, the real fishing season begins. At the peak, each net can bring in nearly 100 kilograms of fish.”

Besides fishing, waterway transport also resumes once the flood season begins. Boats, previously idle onshore or anchored in the dry riverbed, are repaired and repainted to handle the busy months of cargo transport. Mr. Đỗ Văn Tới from Mường Lay ward shared: “Goods transported include maize, cassava, rice, and essential supplies from farms and hamlets along the Đà River. Prices range from VND 1-5 million per trip, depending on cargo type, distance, and volume.”

Tourism on the Đà River also thrives during the high-water months. The Đà River Waterway Cooperative in Mường Lay, with six active members, has begun taking bookings since early September. Mr. Lù Văn Túng, a member of the cooperative, noted: “I’ve already received three confirmed bookings, one from a local group and two from Lai Châu province.

A trip around the inner-city reservoir costs about VND 500,000 per hour. Longer journeys to places like Nậm Mạ, Huổi Só, or Quỳnh Nhai are priced between VND 2-7 million, depending on route, duration, and group size.”

For Mường Lay, the flood season is more than just rising water levels, it represents a harvest of fish, bustling transport services, and growing tourism activities. Each year, as the water rises, so does the hope for a stable and prosperous life among residents along the Sơn La Hydropower reservoir.