In the video, the narrative begins abruptly on the streets of Saigon. I’m sitting on my motorbike, next to a police barricade.

You may choose to jump directly into “the action” and watch the video now. Though I would recommend reading a bit further on before watching. A bit of context will explain why this was a very special day.

As a foreigner who can barely pronounce Xin Chao (“Hello”), I am far from the best person to provide context on Vietnamese politics. But I will do my best to explain the reasons behind the protest, as I understand them.

Reason #1: The Dead Fish

In the month of April, millions of dead fish washed up on the shoreline of Central Vietnam. This put enormous pressure on local fishing communities, whose very existence relies of the sale of fish. It also led many to be worried about the safety of eating Vietnamese fish.

A number of questions remain unanswered. But there is one that everyone was thinking: “Who is responsible?”

In the search for answers, many heads turned towards Formosa. The Taiwanese-owned corporation recently invested over 10 billion dollars into the construction of a Steel Mill in the Vung Ang Economic Zone of Vietnam, near the environmental disaster. Steel production at the mill began just earlier this year. (source)

To my knowledge, there is no hard evidence that Formosa Steel is behind the catastrophe. But the company’s response has done little to alleviate suspicion. Chou Chun Fan, head of the Hanoi office of Formosa Steel, had this to say:

“You have to decide whether to catch fish and shrimp, or to build a modern steel industry … you cannot choose both.”

So was born the We Choose Fish movement.

May 1st, 2016 // Credit: Dan Vineberg

Reason #2: No Accountability

In this day and age, it’s no surprise to hear about a transnational corporation showing disregard for the environment. It is almost cliché.

Generally speaking, though, we expect the government to care. Or, if you are a cynic, you might say: the government only pretends to care. But the Vietnamese government has not only refused to accept the possibility of a link between Formosa Steel and the millions of dead fish; in fact, the Communist-regime delayed in even acknowledging that any crisis existed.

The Vietnamese Government can blatantly disregard the facts because it controls the media. The Communist-run country has very little freedom of speech, and no protected right-to-assemble. A public protest, especially one that goes against the interests of the government, is essentially illegal.

For this reason, protests are rare in Vietnam — very rare.

May 1st, 2016 // Credit: Dan Vineberg

Reason #3: The Chinese Connection

Some have suggested that the particular fervor with which protestors have responded to this crisis has to do with Vietnam’s relations with China.

In the South China Sea (a name most Vietnamese despise, preferring to call it the East Sea) there are many disputed fishing areas that both China and Vietnam have claimed.

As a newcomer to South East Asian politics, I can’t say the reasons behind these claims or speak to which is stronger. But it’s easy to understand why the Vietnamese feel bullied by China’s claims in this disputed sea.

Fermosa, the company blamed by the public for this environmental disaster, is of course Taiwanese — and Taiwan is not controlled by Beijing. This is an important distinction that I do not mean to downplay.

But for some Vietnamese, the Taiwan / China distinction is irrelevant. What’s important is the narrative they are getting from this story: Here come the Chinese again, harming our environment and ruining our fishing industry!

Context: 2014 anti-China protests in Vietnam // Credit: REUTERS/Kham

Reason #4: More than a Statistic

It cannot be overstated that the millions of dead fish are not simply a statistic. This is not simply an environmental issue. An environmental issue, like rising sea levels, will alarm environmental activists, but may fail to move the general public to action.

The dead fish are on the mind of the whole country.

The first wave of attention came with a picture that went viral. It showed dead fish in the hands of a now unemployed fisherman — a look of pain etched on his face.

Credit: Stringer / AFP / Getty Images

Consider, for a moment, Vietnam’s geography: it’s a country with over 3000 km of coastline. It’s a country where fishing is a way of life. A picture like this one threatens that way of life.

A Movement is Born

The pictures of dead fish spread across social media, raising awareness of the issue. The Vietnamese Government’s lack of a response to this threat added outrage. The fact that by keeping its silence, the government was siding with foreign corporate interests, made things worse. The fact that these foreign corporate interests were perceived as Chinese, worse still.

Then came a Formosa employee’s careless remarks about “the choice between fish and steel”.

A movement needs something to unite around. Something to give it purpose. In effect, this widely shared quote threw gasoline on the flames of discontent, and breathed life into a movement.

May 1st, 2016 // Credit: Dan Vineberg

S unday, May 15th, 2016.

As more and more police officers gather around Bui Vien, shopkeepers and tourists are stopping to have a look. The shopkeepers stand stoically, with no expression on their faces. The tourists, for the most part, look puzzled. It appears most of them have no idea what is set to take place.

I know better than most. I’ve been living and working in Saigon for four months. I’ve seen the tweets. I’ve spoken with locals.

It was two weeks earlier that I witnessed the first protest. Two weeks earlier that I had filmed my cell phone video, documenting the events.

This time, rumours say there will be even more people than before. This time, they are ready to march down Bui Vien Street. This is key.