From a desire to “repay life” to the determination “not to leave anyone behind”
At the end of the rainy season, in a riverside commune in the north, the victim’s family stood along the water’s edge, their eyes fixed anxiously on the distance. When information about the drowning reached Rescue Team 116, its members immediately departed despite the cold night.
They searched for many consecutive days in swirling currents, persevering until they found the victim, performing final steps such as cleaning, changing clothing, and handing over the body in a respectful and complete state. The family paid no fee. In cases of hardship, the team even withdrew funds to support 3–5 million VND.
This is just one of thousands of searches carried out by Team 116 since 2020.
But this journey began with a deeply personal story. The team leader, Nham Quang Van, once had a near-death experience at sea before being rescued. From that moment, he carried a profound desire to “repay life”, establishing a completely free waterway rescue model so that no poor family would have to bear the burden (typically, a search operation can cost 70–150 million VND).
On October 10, 2020, Waterway Rescue Team 116 was founded. In the beginning, Van operated alone, piloting the canoe, diving, dragging the waters, and performing rescues himself. Gradually, however, the compassionate model spread, gathering more than 100 members across multiple provinces and cities. All of them are ordinary workers, volunteering without salary or allowance, driven solely by compassion.
Rescue work has countless “turning points”. For example, in the former Thai Binh Province, surrounded by rivers and the sea, drowning is a constant fear, especially for children and fishermen. When accidents occur, poor families fall into despair, unable to afford search costs. Team 116 arrives at these moments, easing their suffering with tireless dedication.
During flood seasons, the team does not only rescue people and locate victims from flooded regions, but also coordinates the delivery of food to isolated areas. Their guiding principle remains consistent: no distinction between acquaintances or strangers, they “rescue wherever they arrive”, ensuring no one is left behind in danger.
The motto “No one is left behind” has become the compass guiding every action. Whether during freezing Lunar New Year days or under scorching heat, whether one or two incidents occur simultaneously in different locations, team members immediately set out. Throughout the past five years, they have never accepted even a bottle of water or a meal from any family.
Thanks to such persistence, more than 1,000 drowning victims have been returned to their families. Over 500 families receive assistance in searching for missing persons. More than 10 victims are rescured in time. And over four provinces each year receive support during flood seasons.
Overcoming hardship and professionalising the rescue model
Beyond its humanitarian spirit, Team 116 has systematised real-life experience into structured rescue methods tailored to different terrains, weather, and water flow conditions. Three primary methods are deployed:
Diving – for deep water with strong currents, requiring great physical strength and skill; Drag search – using flexible improvised equipment to scan large areas, accelerating the search; Floating search – using natural water-flow rules and surface indicators to determine drift direction. Thanks to this flexible combination, many complex cases have been resolved quickly, reducing prolonged grief for families.
The team’s organisational structure has also become professional, consisting of coordinated units: the Leadership Board, Internal Control Board, Field Team, Machinery Maintenance Team, Victim Response Unit, Logistics Team, and the Administration–Finance Department. This ensures every rescue mission operates seamlessly, 24/7, until the victim is found.
According to Nham Quang Van, team leader of Rescue Team 116, the greatest challenge during each mission has never been strength alone. Most of their equipment has deteriorated after years of battling the waters, while rescue operations often occur simultaneously in multiple regions, forcing the vessels to operate continuously.
In the early days, Van personally financed fuel, repairs, and equipment. Later, as the model expanded, many benefactors joined hands, but the rescue fund remains dedicated solely to rescue missions and is publicly reported annually. Each member covers their personal costs during missions.
Van noted that major rescue efforts, such as the one in Phu Yen last November (2025), further highlighted the pressure the team faces. Divided terrain, rapidly rising floods, and strong currents made accessing isolated areas extremely difficult. Equipment was constantly overloaded, and the force had to split into smaller groups to rescue people, transport supplies, and survey the situation simultaneously.
“The greatest difficulty is moving in extremely dangerous weather conditions. One small mistake and the canoe can capsize or fall into hidden pits beneath the murky water. Rain, wind, currents, none of these can be controlled. We must rescue while ensuring absolute safety for our members. That is the heaviest pressure.”
Team Leader Nham Quang Van, Waterway Rescue Team 116.
Van added that to overcome tense situations, Team 116 always maintains strict organisation and seamless coordination. Members are divided into specialised units, each fully aware of their duties, from rescue, logistics, and first aid to terrain assessment. This ensures continuous, non-overlapping operations.
Their walkie-talkie system operates 24/24, constantly updating conditions in each area to avoid dangerous zones. The team also coordinates closely with local authorities and other charity groups to quickly identify priority rescue sites.
“The most precious thing is unity and discipline. There are times when team members go days without sleep or proper meals, yet no one complains. Everyone understands that the safety of the people comes first. From years of experience, we must make perfectly accurate decisions in all situations,” Van said.
Beyond rescue missions, the team also focuses on prevention. For many years, free swimming and survival-skills classes have been held in the former Thai Binh Province, Thanh Hoa and other high-risk areas. Every summer, thousands of children and adults learn to swim in free, safe pools arranged by the team.
Each swimming lesson protects another life. This is how Team 116 shifts from “reactive response” to “proactive prevention”, spreading knowledge to reduce accidents.
Spreading compassion
In the context of increasingly complex natural disasters and floods, Rescue Team 116 does not stop at its achievements. Its next goal is to establish a branch in every province, equipped with adequate tools and trained personnel, ensuring each location has at least 20 members.
The team currently has more than 100 core members and over 400 collaborators nationwide. All are trained in swimming, diving, first aid, and rescue-equipment operation. When a request for help is received, members in that province immediately stand by and coordinate with the central team for the fastest deployment.
Van said Team 116 aims to enhance professionalism across all operations. First, they will gradually upgrade rescue equipment — from canoes and life jackets to positioning devices and search detectors — ensuring safety and reducing response time. Alongside equipment upgrades, the team plans to introduce advanced training courses to standardise procedures and improve coordination in emergencies.
The experienced team leader added that Team 116 will continue expanding its network with charity groups, media agencies, and local authorities to enhance rescue effectiveness, while focusing on developing younger forces as the next generation.
“Rescue work requires not only bravery but stamina and long-term professionalism. We want Team 116 to always have a strong successor team to continue the mission of saving lives,” he emphasised.
At the time of submitting its application for the Human Act Prize 2025 of Nhan Dan Newspaper, the team is still carrying out emergency relief in Soc Son District (Ha Noi). For 11 consecutive days, 56 members from Hung Yen, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, and Ha Noi had not returned home even once.
Their journey has almost no pause: from combating floods in Nong Cong (Thanh Hoa), to searching for missing persons fleeing floods in Thang Loi Commune, then to Viet Tri (Phu Tho) to find two victims of a boat capsizing, continuing to Phu Binh (Thai Nguyen) to aid a heavily flooded area, before returning to Soc Son.
The succession of missions reveals the courage and social responsibility of Team 116. They are not an official force, have no allowances, yet are always present where hardship and danger are greatest.
The team’s self-driven growth, the support of benefactors, and the trust of the community have created a foundation for “Compassion Amid the Waves” to continue spreading. Beyond rescue efforts, the model carries a powerful message of empathy, humanitarian action, and community spirit. These are enduring values that society always profoundly needs.
