Each boat trip a story
These days, Trang An eco-tourism area (Ninh Binh) is bustling with tourists. In the boat wharf area, groups of people line up to get on boats; under the water, small boats continuously leave the wharf, weaving through limestone mountain ranges and caves.
Images of boat rowers in green uniforms, wearing conical hats, and skillfully rowing. They are both boat operators and special "guides" on the journey to take visitors to explore Trang An.
On boat number 1448, after reminding tourists to wear life jackets and sit in the correct position, Ms. Nguyen Thi Luyen (44 years old) began to take the boat off the wharf.
Throughout the journey, in addition to focusing on controlling the ferry to pass through the caves safely, Ms. Luyen also introduced tourists to attractions, caves, temples, and mansions located along the tourist route.
Customers travel a long distance to visit Trang An, so I also have to chat and introduce them to understand more about Trang An. There are many foreign tourists, so we boat drivers also learn some simple English communication sentences" - Ms. Luyen said.
The job seems to only require health, but to row a boat to serve tourists for many hours, boatmen here must meet the requirements for skills, safety and go through training and inspection according to regulations.
In particular, when boats enter caves with narrow spaces, boatmen must observe carefully, adjust their direction to avoid bumping into cliffs, and regularly remind tourists to bow their heads or not touch stalactites.
In Trang An, there are currently 4 sightseeing routes, each route lasts from 1.5 - 3 hours. Although the work is hard, throughout the journey, we still maintain friendly smiles and chat with tourists. For us, the stories on each trip are also part of the joy of the profession" - Ms. Tran Thi Hang Nga, a ferry driver in Trang An shared.
Income depends on the number of tourists
Behind the bustling scene of one of the most famous tourist destinations in Ninh Binh is the story of the livelihood of ferrymen in Trang An, which is not without hardship.
According to boat drivers here, the number of workers participating in serving in Trang An is quite large. Among them, most are women, and passenger transport is arranged in order to ensure that boat drivers have the opportunity to work.
However, the number of passengers is not always stable. In peak season or weekends, the boat wharf is crowded every day, ferrymen here can row 1-2 trips. Conversely, on days without passengers, ferrymen may have to wait 1-2 days for their turn.
Ms. Luyen said that there were times when she could only make a few trips a month. When it was not her turn to row a boat, many people returned home to farm, raise livestock or find other jobs to earn income.
Doing this job, the income depends on tourists. If there are many tourists, the income each month is also 7-8 million VND. But if there are few tourists, it is only 2-3 million VND per month" - Ms. Luyen shared.
For Ms. Tran Thi Hang Nga, rowing boats is an important livelihood that brings the main income to her family. Previously, she mainly worked in agriculture. When production was no longer favorable, she switched to rowing boats to serve tourists.
Boating here not only requires health, but also patience. After each trip lasting for hours, feelings of back pain, shoulder fatigue, and numbness are inevitable. But we feel happy, because every day we meet and chat with many domestic and international tourists, and are introduced to our hometown of Ninh Binh to tourists" - Ms. Nga said.
It is known that Trang An eco-tourism area currently has about over 2,000 boat rowers, most of whom are women. The boat rowers here are all local people. All boat rowers here are trained and certified as boat drivers. In addition, they are also trained in tourism nghiệp vụ. The average monthly income of boat rowers here reaches from 5 - 7 million VND.
