“Water captains” carry heritage with love for their homeland

Making a living while keeping the soul of the homeland

These days, the ancient capital of Ninh Binh is bustling into the festival season. Ninh Binh Tourism Week 2025 attracts tens of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists to admire the majestic and poetic beauty of Trang An, Tam Coc - Bich Dong and many other famous destinations.

The festival atmosphere is made more exciting with traditional art performances such as water puppetry, Cheo singing, Xam singing, folk songs from three regions... combined with the majestic natural scenery, creating a vivid picture of a heritage area full of vitality.

At Trang An Eco-tourism Area - considered the heart of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, a World Cultural and Natural Heritage, groups of tourists lined up to get on boats, eagerly exploring the magical cave system, the charming mountains and rivers, and the thousand-year-old cultural and historical vestiges of the sacred land.

Ninh Binh Tourism Week 2025 attracts tens of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists to admire the majestic and poetic beauty of Trang An landscape (Photo: Kim Thoa).

Amidst the picturesque landscape, thousands of locals are diligently rowing. They are not only the ones who pick up and drop off guests on their journey to explore Trang An, but also take on the role of rustic "tour guides", conveying heritage stories with their love for their homeland and their enduring commitment to their profession.

Currently, Trang An has more than 2,000 workers working as boat rowers, of which 70% are women. They are all local people, and have been doing this job for nearly a decade. For them, boat rowing is not only a way to make a living but also a way to preserve and spread the heritage and cultural values of the ancient capital to friends everywhere.

Nguoi Dua Tin reporter had the opportunity to talk with Ms. Nguyen Thi Mo - one of the long-time ferrymen at Trang An wharf. With more than 10 years of experience in the profession, Ms. Mo knows every river bend, every cave name, and every mountain.

"To work in this profession, we have to go through a training course, take a boat rowing skills test and a professional test before being licensed to serve customers," said Ms. Mo. "Each trip lasts about 3 hours, the round trip distance is up to 15 km. On peak days, we can make 2 trips, but on normal days, we can only make 1 trip."

Currently, Trang An has more than 2,000 workers working as boat rowers, of which women account for 70% - (Photo: Kim Thoa).

Most of the boat rowers in Trang An are over 50 years old, people who are no longer healthy enough to work as workers or manual laborers.

"Young people now all go to work far away, only us are left. Having a tourist area like this also creates jobs for the people here. Each trip is charged for that trip. My husband also works as a security guard here, every month we earn 6-7 million VND each, enough to get by," Ms. Mo shared.

According to Ms. Mo, a ferry usually carries 4 domestic passengers or 2-3 foreign passengers. It is not possible to pick up every passenger immediately when meeting them, but must take turns.

"When there are many customers, our turn comes quickly. Although I'm tired, I'm very happy. The more customers Trang An has, the more income we have. Above all, it's also a joy and pride to be the one who preserves the beauty of the land where I was born," she said.

During the journey, the boatmen take the opportunity to tell the guests legends, ancient stories and unique cultural stories closely associated with the land of Trang An. They hope that each guest who has come here once will remember those stories forever and will return on the next trips.

Everyone is a "cultural ambassador"

At 11:00 a.m., when the group of tourists stopped at Trinh Temple, on the boats anchored at the wharf, Mrs. Mo and a few boatmen took the opportunity to sit on the side of the boat and quickly have a simple lunch.

Rice with sesame salt, braised fish, and a few boiled vegetables, a simple meal that only lasted about ten minutes, eyes never leaving the stream of people walking up and down the wharf, as a professional habit, listening to the noise and being ready to leave at any moment.

"Being a boat rower is like being a daughter-in-law to a hundred families. My schedule is completely disrupted. I have to go whenever the customers leave. I have to eat and drink every minute," Mrs. Mo laughed. Although it's hard work and the income is not high, for her, being able to support herself without bothering her children and grandchildren is enough to satisfy her.

A ferry usually carries 4 domestic passengers or 2-3 foreign passengers (Photo: Kim Thoa).

The sun was high in the sky, the shadow of the mountain was tilted long on the clear blue water. When the group of guests returned, Mrs. Mo quickly adjusted the oars, gently steered the boat through the waves, and began the next leg through famous places such as Dark Cave, Bright Cave, Winemaking Cave, Tran Temple, Khong Palace, Ba Giot Cave, Tran Cave, Quy Hau Cave,...

Each cave appears like a watercolor painting, containing sacred legends. On that journey, Mrs. Mo's voice occasionally resounds: "There are stalactites ahead, please bow your heads a bit", or "There is a curve on the right, please lean to the left for me"... The gentle, friendly instructions make visitors feel both secure and warm, as if being guided by a relative.

And then, amidst the waves, in the gentle sound of the oars, one sees the image of the Trang An boatmen, simple yet heartbreakingly beautiful.

Without the need for fancy advertising, it is the sincerity, hospitality and attachment to the homeland that makes the Trang An boat trips memorable. Every introduction, every smile, every caring look is what captures the emotions of tourists, keeping them coming back.

We returned to the dock in the gentle afternoon light. Some rowers took a break after a long day, others were carefully packing up their belongings. The chatter and questions echoed between the people who were devoted to their profession, before they took a break to start new trips tomorrow.

Boat rowers in Trang An not only perform the task of "steering", but have also become "cultural ambassadors" contributing to spreading the value of their homeland's heritage to tourists (Photo: Kim Thoa).

Recognizing the important role of the boat rowing team in the tourist experience, in recent years, the tourism industry of Ninh Binh province has organized many vocational training courses for rural workers.

Courses on communication skills, tour guides, photography, boating... are regularly deployed in key communes such as Ninh Hai, Truong Yen, Ninh Xuan - where a large workforce is concentrated to participate in Trang An tourism activities.

Thanks to that, today's boatmen not only perform the task of "steering", but have become "cultural ambassadors" contributing to spreading heritage values closer to tourists with their understanding, hospitality and genuine love for their homeland.

Amidst the bustling flow of modern tourism, they still quietly keep the pace, preserving the pristine beauty of Trang An with their dedication and pride in their profession. That is the sustainable glue connecting people with heritage, creating a Trang An that is not only beautiful because of its natural scenery, but also profound and warm because of the love of the land and people in the heritage area.

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/nhung-co-truong-mat-nuoc-cho-di-san-bang-tinh-yeu-que-huong-204250526170029376.htm