– By Maciek Klimowicz –
You might not think so just by looking at them, but the traditional Vietnamese thung (thúng) fishing boats, are a proof that necessity is the mother of invention. And if you say ”Invention? They look just like a giant basket!”, you’re only proving the point.
Thung, small, bowl-shaped basket boast of bamboo are ubiquitous along Vietnam’s coastline. And though clearly very photogenic, they serve a bigger purpose than just being props for thousands of photographs taken by tourists who flock to Vietnam. In fact, many local fishermen still rely on them to survive, same way as they did in the distant past.
How distant? The thung date back to Vietnam’s French colonial era, when their iconic design came to be. Made using interwoven bamboo and waterproofed by using resin and coconut oil, the thungs feature a flat bottom without a keel, helping evenly spread the weight of the boat, which in turn helps reduce the required depth of water to only a few inches, making it ideal for use on rivers and shallow seas.
But dig dipper and you’ll discover that thungs unique form has little to do with the boat’s seaworthiness and even less with their aesthetic appeal. In turn it has everything to do with…taxes.
Back in the day, Vietnam’s colonial rulers were forcing fishermen to pay duties for owning boats. And while life then might have been very much different from what life is now, Vietnamese fisherman from the colonial time did have at least one thing in common with us – they didn’t like to pay taxes. So instead of further bending their necks to the French lords, they found a way to trick them. You thought a thung looks just like a giant basket? Well, that’s exactly what Vietnamese fisherman told the French – these are not boats, these are baskets, hence no taxes should be imposed.
Did it work? Judging from the widespread use of thung in today’s Vietnam, to a certain extent it must have. The “giant baskets” are still very much in use in this Southeast Asian country blessed with a spectacular coastline, and lately they are becoming more than just tools of fisherman’s daily trade.
Take Anantara Mui Ne for example, a resort which recently unveiled a luxurious “Dine On The Beach” experience, inviting guests to indulge in a truly unique dining experience on the shores of its sandy beaches. The experience comprises a meal prepared by a personal chef to the guests’ desires, paired with international wines and Champagnes selected by the resort’s sommelier, and served in romantic setting of a secluded stretch of sand, by the shoreline pool – a perfect way to mark a special occasion such as birthday, wedding proposal or anniversary.
How does the round-shaped thung fit into this? In search of truly local inspiration for the “Dine On The Beach” setups, Anantara Mui Ne used the boat (“it’s not a boat, it’s a basket!” we can hear the Vietnamese fisherman say.) as a design element for one of the dinner setups available to the guests. The thungs are set up as anchors on Anantara’s secluded stretch of Vietnamese coastline, which by the way ranks as one of the finest in the country.
Born out of necessity they may have been, but today “the giant basked” tells us stories of the olden days, is filled with inspiration and helps make those memorable occasions even more unique. Quite a special little boat that’s not even a boat, isn’t it?
For more information visit anantara.com.
