My Cargo Ship Upgrade #2 Is Complete—Next, I’m Building a Kitchen & Bathroom!

Today begins with another interesting moment at this small shipyard in the Mekong Delta. Early in the day, the workers are preparing to launch the newly built ferry designed to transport a rice harvester. After carefully lowering the ferry into the river, they use the shipyard’s hoist again to lift the long-tail engine and install it onto the ferry. It is always fascinating for me to watch these boats slowly come together—from pieces of steel in the shipyard to a working vessel finally floating on the river. But today is also a very important day for my own cargo ship. After four days at the shipyard, Upgrade #2 is finally complete. One of the major jobs was the engine exhaust system. The workers cut and fabricated 220 mm steel pipe, then carefully welded the sections together to create the new exhaust system for my engine. This upgrade required much more work than it might appear on camera. From removing the old exhaust, dealing with heavily rusted connections, repositioning the exhaust elbow, preparing the new components, cutting the large steel pipe, and finally welding everything together—each step required time and patience. At the same time, the workers also continued reinforcing the stern of my cargo ship. They added steel and improved the floor and structure of this area, not only to make it stronger and easier to maintain, but also to prepare enough space for something I have been looking forward to for a long time. After my next cargo trip, if my finances allow, Upgrade #3 will begin—and I hope to build a proper kitchen and bathroom here. For many people, a cargo ship may simply be a working vessel. For me, it is much more than that. I steer this ship for long hours, cook my meals here, sleep here, wait for cargo here, travel through rain and sunshine here, and sometimes spend weeks away from home aboard it. So I cannot make everything perfect overnight. I have to improve it gradually—one cargo trip, one repair, and one upgrade at a time. By late afternoon, the final work was completed. After four days in the shipyard, I started the engine, slowly left the dock, and returned to the river. There was no long break waiting for me. I was already beginning another journey to collect my next load of wood. That next cargo trip will not only keep my ship working—it will also help me save toward the next improvements I hope to make. So today, Upgrade #2 comes to an end, but another journey begins. Perhaps after the next cargo trip, I will return here again for Upgrade #3, and together we will watch another part of this cargo ship slowly become the little home on the river that I have imagined. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for staying with me through these four days at the shipyard and for continuing to follow my life and work on the rivers of the Mekong Delta. Every journey moves the cargo. Every journey also moves my little dream one step forward. Take care of yourselves and your families wherever you are in the world. I wish you peace, good health, and safe days ahead.