In recent days, images of ancient three-walled sailboats appearing in Ha Long Bay have become the focus of attention.
Social networks are flooded with images of 3 ancient sailboats with red sails faintly visible on the shore of Ha Long Bay.
Not only netizens "living virtually", but also many people and tourists stood on the shore taking photos, constantly asking about how to buy tickets to experience.
Representatives of the investor and functional agencies said that since the demo, they have continuously received phone calls from domestic and foreign travel companies.
Travel companies, especially companies specializing in serving international tourists, ask a lot and in detail about these sailboats, especially about the time of commissioning, contact points for booking tours...
This type of boat is originally a traditional three-walled sailboat of Quang Ninh, with a special design that helps the sails take advantage of wind power to run against the wind. Out of a total of 10 projects, the first 3 have been completed and are being test-run along the shore.
Unlike modern tourist boats, the three-walled sailboat is adjusted from an ancient fishing boat model to serve the purpose of sightseeing. Visitors will sit directly on the deck to feel the bay space in the most authentic way.
The highlight of this service also lies in the human and cultural factors. In which, priority is given to local labor, helping to change careers from fishing to service. Sailors will wear traditional costumes such as brown ao song, five-panel ao and leaf hats. Captains must be people who understand and know how to sail an ancient three-walled sailboat.
According to the project being submitted to the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee for consideration, this tourist route is about 12km long, running along the coast of Ha Long Bay. In which, the starting point is at the pick-up and drop-off point at the Waterway Passenger Transport Joint Stock Company's Port Area (Ha Long 1 market area, Hong Gai ward) then passing through Cot 5 beach area (Ha Long ward), then circling back to the Waterway Passenger Transport Joint Stock Company's Port Area.
Regarding frequency, based on the assessment of the characteristics of the demand for sightseeing and tourism time on the route, the operating frequency is fixed at 6 trips/day, each trip is 1 hour/trip.
Regarding operating hours during the day: Flight 1 from 8:00 AM, flight 2 from 9:00 AM, flight 3 from 10:00 AM, transfer 4 starting at 2:00 PM, flight 5 starting at 3:00 PM, flight 6 starting from 4:00 PM.
Each boat will carry a maximum of 12 passengers and 2 crew members each time.
The project is awaiting consideration and approval from the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee. If licensed smoothly, the first wind-riding sailboats will officially serve tourists from the beginning of 2026.
This tourism product is expected to help tourists have more new choices at reasonable costs, thereby contributing to attracting tourists and extending their stay when coming to Quang Ninh.
However, the business proposed that, because this is a special product to honor and preserve the traditional craft - the three-wall sailing craft of the province, as well as create products at reasonable costs to serve people's livelihoods and develop tourism, baht entrance fees should not be charged for tourists on this tour. At the same time, limit the number of vehicles and participating units to ensure business efficiency for pioneering investors, as well as ensure management for this new type of product.
