Dragon boat on Huong River is about to be "terminated" because its term has expired

Dragon boats are a type of tourist service that has been present on the Perfume River for more than 30 years. The boat owners are mostly sampan people, who used to work in exploiting and fishing on the river. When tourism developed, they changed their jobs, invested, and reinforced fishing boats into aluminum dragon boats, serving tourists traveling on the Perfume River, listening to Hue folk songs, and were licensed by the authorities.

An expired dragon boat is tied up on the Perfume River.

According to Decree No. 111/2014/ND-CP on regulations on the lifespan of inland waterway vehicles, boats can only be used for no more than 30 years. Up to now, 10/127 dragon boats on the Huong River have been forced to stop operating because their lifespan has expired. In 2023, nearly 50% of dragon boats will expire and by 2025, nearly 100% of dragon boats will be "decommissioned".

Mr. Ngo Thinh's boat is the living place of his family of 4.

Mr. Thinh's boat's registration will expire in May 2024.

According to the petition sent by many boat owners to the authorities of Thua Thien-Hue province, complying with the State's regulations is a responsibility and obligation. However, building and completing a new boat will cost a lot of money. Not to mention, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic for 2 years, they are currently completely unable to do so.

People want to repair and convert the boat to continue using it for tourism on the river. If approved, we will commit to ensuring safety and quality of service for customers.

Dragon boat is a type of service that is loved by tourists coming to Hue.

Recently, the People's Committee of Thua Thien-Hue province has agreed to design a new boat model, assigning the Department of Tourism to coordinate with the Department of Transport to research and implement the procedures. This boat model must meet the criteria on design and technology, suitable for exploiting Hue singing services and tourism services on the Huong River.

Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism of Thua Thien-Hue province, shared the difficulties with the boat owners and said that currently the relevant departments (Culture, Sports, Tourism) are coordinating to find solutions to support the boat owners as well as the people working on the dragon boats. In the near future, the relevant departments are ready to join the local authorities, especially in Hue city, to develop a project to support the dragon boat owners and invest in rebuilding new boats in a suitable form.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/thuyen-rong-song-huong-sap-bi-khai-tu-vi-het-nien-han-185230625183557727.htm