Basket boats of China Beach
Finished for the day © A. Harrison
It was the first time I’d seen them: large baskets bobbing on the water or resting upturned on the sand. Later I’d find them not only around Vietnam but also in parts of Japan.
They began life as a tax dodge, to avoid a tax once levied on fishing boats. After all, they’re baskets, not boats – just incredibly agile and manoeuvrable baskets, perfect for fishing in shallow waters and around rocky shorelines.
Of course, by manoeuvrable, I refer to those who know how to use them – I kept going around in circles, drenching myself in the process!
Arriving at China Beach late in the afternoon, much of the fishing was done for the day. Many boats rested above the tide line as elsewhere fishermen dried and fixed their nets, ready for tomorrow. To one side a lady sat selling freshly caught fish, a set of scales beside her.
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A few of my other posts you may enjoy:
Dripping with humidity in the Vietnamese countryside, speaking very broken French to strangers beside a bamboo bridge - the delights of travel!
A different type of boat in Srinagar, Kashmir. Lake Dal once offered a retreat for the English during the heat of summer; the exquisite wooden houseboats remain, surrounded by the smaller boats which cross the lake all hours of the day.