Off-shore boats are means of transportation, transport, fishing, communication ... it is also a unique cultural product, associated with customs, rituals and rivers. One of the most popular and interesting customs is drawing eyes on boats, a unique custom of Mekong Delta people



River inhabitants see their boat as a "spirit", a soulful creature. They conceive of the boat as well as the people, so eyes are needed. The opening ceremony is a rite of initiation, a liturgy.

n the Indian region, people open their eyes to holy statues to make the statue have vitality, in other places, also open the eyes of the masks; In Vietnam, people enlighten a new boat by carving or painting two big eyes at the bow.

The most famous in the Southwest region is the school of Can Duoc boats (Long An), operating from the late nineteenth century to the present. This place specializes in building all kinds of big boats, running fast, getting healthy and having a good shape, going to the sea to go well. The bridge has a sharp pointed nose, bright red, blue paint, eyes are round, the irises are almost full of eyes.

Read more here: Boat's eyes