By midday, residents from Tri An Ward and surrounding areas of Dong Nai City had flocked to the foot of the dam to take part in the fishing activity after Tri An Hydropower Company stopped releasing water through the spillway.
Some fishermen caught particularly large fish, including silver carp weighing nearly 20kg, as well as pangasius, bagrid catfish and grass carp weighing between 10kg and 15kg.
Local residents said the spillway had remained open for more than a month before being closed, allowing more fish than usual to gather downstream of the dam.
Ahead of the closure, large crowds had assembled with fishing equipment including cast nets, conventional nets and landing nets. Some also brought inflatable boats, small boats and car tyres to help them catch fish.
At noon, when the company closed the spillway, water levels below the dam quickly receded downstream, exposing rocky areas and patches of vegetation.
Le Van Quy, a resident of Tri An Ward, said this was the first spillway closure of the year following more than a month of continuous floodwater discharge. He said fish were particularly abundant this time, especially large silver carp and bagrid catfish.
Rescue personnel were deployed at the site to ensure public safety.
Tri An Lake, home to the largest hydroelectric facility in southern Vietnam, plays an important role in supplying electricity to the national grid. It also helps regulate water supplies for domestic and agricultural use, control saltwater intrusion and manage flooding downstream.
Inaugurated in 1991, Tri An Hydropower Plant has four generating units with a combined designed capacity of 400MW. Two additional units, adding 200MW, were planned to be installed by the first quarter of 2025.
