The boats, each more than 10 metres long, have been seen since February 1 along the coastal route from Bai Tho Bridge to the area behind the Quang Ninh Museum.
An ancient-style boat with red sails appears in Ha Long Bay (Photo: Nam Hoang).
A representative of Quang Ninh’s Tourism Department said the boats are part of a plan to introduce traditional-style sailing vessels as a new tourism product, aimed at enhancing cultural experiences for visitors to Ha Long Bay.
The project has been in preparation for several years. After the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday, 10 boats are expected to enter service. They have been built by well-known local craftsmen and designed based on historic models.
For many Quang Ninh residents, this is a very familiar image from their memories (Photo: Nam Hoang).
According to Quang Ninh’s Provincial Portal, the design is known as the “three-plank boat”, a type of fishing and transport vessel historically associated with the island communities of Ha Nam in Quang Ninh. The name comes from its construction technique, in which the hull is assembled from three large wooden planks on each side, creating a sturdy structure with strong balance and stability in rough seas.
The most recognisable feature is its bat-wing-shaped sail, traditionally dyed a dark brown using yam tubers to improve durability and help the vessel harness wind power more effectively.
The old three-panelled boat with brown sails was once a familiar sight for Quang Ninh residents (Photo: Quang Nam Cruise).
Tourism officials said the boats have been modified in several ways to suit passenger use, while remaining distinct from the fishing and cargo vessels once used in the region.
Instead of the traditional brown sail, which can blend into the limestone cliffs, designers opted for a deep red to make the boats more visible and visually striking against the bay’s landscape.
Once in operation, the boats will not enter the bay’s core heritage area. Instead, they will offer a 40-minute nearshore route, allowing visitors to take photos, enjoy the scenery and experience elements of local fishing village culture.
Although the service has not officially launched, the tourism department said the product has already attracted strong interest from travel companies and is expected to appeal to European tourists and younger travellers.
In recent years, Quang Ninh has encouraged the phase-out of wooden-hulled tourist boats on Ha Long Bay due to safety concerns, replacing them with steel-hulled vessels or equivalent materials.
Under a draft plan by the provincial authorities, by 2030, all tourist boats operating on Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay must have steel hulls or equivalent materials.
