If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 340

 “Stone dyke on the road leading to the Vy Da poetic hamlet,” Hue, Vietnam, 2003

Traditional wooden boats of Indochina are moored along side the stone dyke near the city of Hue, Vietnam on this picture postcard.  Huu Cay is credited with the photograph.  A friend who was taking a 94-day around the world trip on the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner sent the card in March 2003. 

There is a lot to look at in this picture from the people walking, biking and riding in Pedi cabs on the dyke to the boats with carved and decorated dragon heads on the bows, to the smaller one man boats and the shops on the shore.  A tour bus is parked on the dockside near the large wooden boats in the water. 

Boats like these can be found in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.  Today diesel and gasoline engines power the boats but older original versions were sailing vessels with some of the smaller boats using poles.   They are still built using traditional designs that have been adapted for power motors.  With a central flat plank and additional planks shaped and bent to fit help make the long, slender boats move easily through the water and able to use smaller, cheaper engines than other designs.  Some of the boats carry short sailing rigs in case the engine should fail. 

The city of Hue is located in central Vietnam and was the seat of Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945.  In 1945 the capital was moved north to Hanoi.  Due to its location near the border between the North and South, Hue was vulnerable to attack and damage during the Vietnam War.  Many historic buildings were damaged.  In recent years many of the historical areas of the city have been or are being restored.  

The stamp on the card is one in a botanical collection of 7 different flowers distributed in 2002 and used for about 1 year before being retired.  Shown on the stamp is bauhinia ornata a fragrant flowering plant found in mountain forests and open thickets in India, China, Myanmar, Thailand, and North Vietnam. 




Thank you V, it was fun to get and fun to look at again.


For more information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huế
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200011946
http://www.boatsandrice.com/tradBoat.html