Tay people in Tan Tien village preserve traditional wooden boat building techniques

BHG - With a long history of living along the banks of the Lo River, people in many villages and hamlets in Ha Giang have attached a part of their daily life and production to the river. In the past, people in the villages and hamlets could build wooden boats themselves. In modern life, there are many types of industrial boats, so boat building is becoming less and less common. However, in Tan Tien village, Phuong Do commune, Ha Giang city, the Tay people here still maintain the wooden boat building technique passed down by their ancestors.

BHG - With a long history of living along the banks of the Lo River, people in many villages and hamlets in Ha Giang have attached a part of their daily life and production to the river. In the past, people in the villages and hamlets could build wooden boats themselves. In modern life, there are many types of industrial boats, so boat building is becoming less and less common. However, in Tan Tien village, Phuong Do commune, Ha Giang city, the Tay people here still maintain the wooden boat building technique passed down by their ancestors.

We arrived at Tan Tien village on a hot summer morning, the sound of cuckoos calling their flocks echoed on the hill. In that space, at the house of Mr. Nguyen Van Chuyen, 65 years old, were the knocking and shouting sounds of men in the village coming to help Mr. Chuyen build wooden boats. Mr. Chuyen confided that nowadays there are many types of iron boats that are very easy to buy on the market. However, the people here still want to preserve the traditional technique of building wooden boats as a means of transport across the Lo River to production areas, fishing... Whenever a wooden boat breaks down, many households build replacement boats. Previously, in the village, at most there were a few dozen households with wooden boats, but now due to reduced demand, or some people buying iron boats for convenience, there are only about a dozen wooden boats in daily use in the village.

The boat building process of Tan Tien villagers requires meticulousness and carefulness.

Amidst the unison shouts of pressing and bending the planks to join the boat, I heard the elders in Tan Tien say that to make a beautiful, sturdy traditional wooden boat, one needs someone who is good at boat building techniques. In the village, many people know basic carpentry techniques, but only a few have the advanced skills to direct each step of boat building and handle situations that arise during the boat building process.

To build a wooden boat, ensuring good sailing, it is necessary to prepare from the stage of finding wood. The wood used to build boats is usually wild mulberry wood, which is light, water-resistant and durable when exposed to water for many years. At the same time, this type of wood is also easy to bend and less likely to break. The wood is selected and cut to the right thickness, ensuring it does not crack. The process of making the boat starts when the wood is still slightly fresh, avoiding too much dryness which will affect the bending and shaping of the boat. In the past, when there were no nails, people often had to buy iron to forge nails to build boats, which was very elaborate, but now there are steel nails available, making the boat more sturdy.

The boat building process is almost impossible for families to do by themselves, but requires the help of neighbors. Therefore, during the boat building session, the solidarity of the villagers is clearly demonstrated. With about a dozen experienced men working together, it only takes about 2 days to complete the wooden boat. Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, 40 years old, in Tan Tien shared that the most difficult part of boat building is the wood joining and shaping of the boat. This is the step that requires smooth and skillful coordination to connect the mulberry wood planks, ensuring that they do not warp or break, while the error between the symmetrical sides is negligible; the nailing points and screws ensure that the planks are tightly fixed, creating a balanced and sturdy boat.

The wooden boat is still preserved even though there are many types of industrial boats today.

After the boat shaping stage, the craftsmen will use glue to seal the gaps, holes, nail heads, and joints of the boat frame. After that, the boat will be painted with a layer of waterproof paint to prolong the life of the boat. The use of nails, glue, and wooden connections in the boat body helps the boat become sturdy, so that when going out on the river, the boat can safely cross the river and can be used for many years continuously.

According to the people, wooden boats are an important asset, the cost of building a wooden boat is currently about 5 - 7 million VND. This price is almost equal to buying an iron boat of the same size, about 3.5m long, about 60 - 70cm wide. However, even though iron boats are available on the market, according to the people, wooden boats are more convenient to use, because when controlling on the river, the boat glides much smoother and easier than iron boats.

The wooden boat was completed, many families chose a good day to launch it. A boat longer than 3.5m can carry 5-6 people, the family that owns the boat is willing to share it with 2-3 families during the harvest season. While there is no bridge, or the bridge is too far away, the boat helps the villagers cross the Lo River every day to go to the fields, hills to work, raise livestock, fish... During the harvest season, boats are connected to each other carrying full corn, cassava, pigs, chickens from the river to Tan Tien. During the dry season, people use the boat to go fishing.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tru, Head of Tan Tien village, said that while in many places, the technique of building wooden boats is almost not maintained, the Tay people in Tan Tien still preserve this technique. The boat is something that deeply connects the village and neighborhood. However, over time, today's young people prefer convenience, leaving farming to find work outside, so in the near future, the technique of building wooden boats here will easily be at risk of disappearing.

Article and photos: Huy Toan

Source: https://baohagiang.vn/van-hoa/202505/nguoi-tay-thon-tan-tien-giu-ky-thuat-dong-thuyen-go-truyen-thong-e457f3b/