Story: Le Anh
Photos: Ba Ngoc
Shipbuilding is a traditional industry on beautiful Phu Quoc Island
Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island is famous for its untouched white sand beaches. Along with a thriving tourism industry, this island boasts a large fishing industry. As such, it has long been home to boat builders.
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Shipbuilders heat wooden planks to bend them to form the keel, which takes great skill. The island’s shipbuilders are known for their neat joints and wooden bolts. Every step must be carried out with care to ensure that the craft is seaworthy. To start work as a shipbuilder requires about one year of training, but chief workers have a decade of experience or more. These chief workers oversee every step from designing the vessel’s shape to inspecting the final product.
For fishing families, each vessel represents a major asset. A small boat coats around VND2 billion. Larger ones can cost VND10 billion. These vessels must be able to withstand violent storms and travel great distances. The shipbuilders are devoted to creating safe, durable and useful fishing boats.
This trade has a history that spans centuries on Phu Quoc. Throughout ups and downs, the island’s shipbuilding industry has endured, allowing generations of sailors and fishermen to head out to sea and support their families.
