Ancient boat designs shine in Halong Bay

The vibrant red sails gliding across Ha Long Bay have attracted the attention of both locals and tourists in recent days.


Three red sail boats, each over 10 meters long, appeared in the coastal area from Bai Tho Bridge to behind the Quang Ninh Museum starting on February 1st. According to a representative from the Quang Ninh Provincial Department of Tourism, this activity is part of a plan to introduce antique sailboats into tourism services. The product has been prepared by the local authorities for many years, aiming to enhance the cultural experience for visitors to Ha Long Bay. The boats were built by renowned artisans in the province, designed based on the prototypes of ancient boats from the Quang Yen region, and are known locally as "three-walled boats" or "three-walled boats".

According to the Quang Ninh Provincial Electronic Information Portal, the three-walled boat is a characteristic fishing and transport vessel, closely associated with the history of the inhabitants of Ha Nam Island, formerly Quang Yen town. The name originates from the boat-building technique where the hull is constructed from three large wooden planks (three walls) on each side, creating a sturdy structure that provides high balance and stability against waves and wind.

The most distinctive feature of this type of boat is its bat-wing-shaped sails. In the past, the sails were often dyed dark brown using yam roots to increase durability, allowing the boat to utilize the wind for agile movement on the sea. When sailing with the wind, the sails are raised in a fairy-wing style. When sailing with the wind, the mast is in a cross-shaped configuration. The mast is angled to support two sails when sailing against the current and wind.

On social media, many Ha Long residents have embraced the new tourism product: "The shape of the sails in Ha Long is also different from other coastal areas, it looks familiar at first glance", "On gloomy, drizzly days, seeing the red sails along the coastal road makes things feel much less dreary", "It brings back childhood memories, looking at the sails reminds me of how hard my parents worked as fishermen in the past. The only difference is that the sails weren't as beautiful as they are now, they were all patched up"...

Vu Linh who was born in Ha Long city, said: "In the past, out of 100 children in Ha Long who studied art and landscape painting, 99 would draw sailboats like this. Gradually, tourism has become more modern, so Ha Long Bay has also become home to some of the most modern and luxurious yachts in the country. Bringing sailboats like these back is truly nostalgic".

There are also some opinions that the red sails are not true to the original design of the Ha Long Bay sailboats. However, for tourism purposes, the red color is considered to help create a highlight, making them stand out and not blend in with the color of the cliffs.

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