19/10/2025
TRADITIONAL HA LONG JUNK BOATS - VIETNAM'S MARITIME HERITAGE
(Reading time: 5mn)
Do you know that the distinctive red-brown bat-wing sailing boats were once the soul of Ha Long Bay?
🌊 A GLIMPSE OF HISTORY
Traditional Ha Long junk boats are not merely fishing vessels for local communities—they represent an iconic symbol of Vietnam's coastal culture. With sturdy wooden hulls crafted from lim or sao wood, distinctive bat-wing shaped sails, and elegantly curved bows perfectly adapted to navigate the bay's rocky islands, these boats have accompanied generations of seafarers.
⛵ UNIQUE STRUCTURE - ADAPTIVE WISDOM
Bat-wing sails (fan sails): Shaped distinctively like bat wings or an open fan, made from canvas treated with oil or pine resin in a characteristic reddish-brown color. This design allows easy maneuvering, quick raising and lowering of sails when entering narrow bay areas or encountering swirling winds between rocky outcrops.
"Three-beveled" hull: Built using traditional techniques with a flat bottom and slanted sides, enabling the boat to navigate shallow waters, avoid submerged rocks, and most importantly, move flexibly in all wind directions—downstream, crosswind, and even upstream against the wind.
Curved bow and rounded stern: This design is not only aesthetically pleasing but also helps the boat glide smoothly over waves, easily weave between rocky promontories in the bay, and remain stable when anchored near islands.
Oar and pole system: Beyond sails, boats are equipped with long poles for maneuvering in narrow areas or when there's no wind—demonstrating the harmonious combination of wind power and human strength.
🔨 BOATBUILDING CRAFT - ANCESTRAL WISDOM
Traditional craft villages like Quang Yen (Quang Ninh), Bach Dang (Quang Ninh), and Ba Lat (Nam Dinh) have passed down sophisticated boatbuilding techniques through generations.
Traditional craft villages:
- Quang Yen (Quang Ninh): With over 300 years of history, craft villages in Cong Muong (Phong Hai ward), Do Chanh village (Nam Hoa ward), and Ha An are renowned for building three-beveled bat-wing sail boats—vessels capable of moving flexibly upstream, downstream, crosswind, and even against both current and wind
- Bach Dang village (Quang Ninh): Famous for Ha Long junk boat construction
- Ba Lat village (Nam Dinh): Specializes in building sea fishing boats
- Central coastal villages in Quang Nam and Binh Dinh
TRADITIONAL BOATBUILDING PROCESS:
Wood selection: Must be dry, pest-free, typically air-dried for 1-2 years
Laying the keel: The most critical part, determining the boat's durability
Erecting the frame: Creating the boat's shape
Planking: Joining wooden planks to form the hull
Caulking: Using pine resin, lacquer, and ground oyster shells
Installing sails and equipment: Mast, rudder, anchor...
Each boat embodies the craftsman's dedication, carrying stories of ingenious adaptation to nature.
However, this traditional craft is gradually disappearing as modern motorboats replace sailing vessels, younger generations show little interest, and the cost of wooden boat construction continues to rise.
📚 IMPRINTS IN WORLD CULTURE
Vietnamese junk boats have left profound impressions on international researchers and explorers:
J.B. Piétri - Former French colonial official and Director of Fisheries in Indochina, spent many years meticulously researching and illustrating sailing boats along the Indochinese coast. His book "Voiliers d'Indochine" (Sailing Boats of Indochina), first published in 1943 in Saigon, was the first comprehensive study of traditional sailing boats from Cambodia, Cochinchina, Annam, and Tonkin, featuring over 70 detailed drawings and illustrations by the author himself. This remains an invaluable resource on boatbuilding techniques, hull construction, sails, decorations, and fishing methods of that era.
Tim Severin - British explorer who traveled to Sam Son, Thanh Hoa in 1993 to commission Vietnamese fishermen to build a massive 18-meter bamboo raft from 220 bamboo poles. The raft "Hsu Fu," crewed by Vietnamese sailor Luong Viet Loi, crossed the Pacific Ocean over six months, proving the ocean-crossing capability of traditional Asian vessels. The journey was documented in his book "The China Voyage: Across the Pacific by Bamboo Raft."
⛵ AT DCT RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL - PRESERVING TRADITIONAL VALUES
While many operators have switched to large modern cruise ships, at Lan Ha Bay, we remain committed to using traditional boats.
They may be smaller and less luxurious than multi-deck "floating hotels," but that's precisely what makes them special:
✨ Intimate connection with nature - Hear the waves lapping, feel the sea breeze, watch sunsets from the warm wooden deck
✨ Meet real people - Captains and crew are local fishermen who share stories about life at sea and tales of the bay
✨ Peaceful and tranquil - No noise, no crowds, just you, the sea, and complete moments of serenity
✨ Responsible travel - Supporting livelihoods for fishing communities, contributing to the preservation of maritime cultural heritage
Let us take you to experience Lan Ha Bay in its most authentic way—on boats with Vietnamese soul, with Vietnamese people, and with love for Vietnam's seas.
⛵ https://dcttravel.vn/.../cat-ba-lan-ha-bay-responsible.../
Because travel isn't just about going and seeing, it's about feeling and connecting.
