Boats with Eyes

Why do all the mid and larger sized boats in Vietnam have eyes? Something I noticed in Hoi An but did not get to ask about until I had an English speaking tour guide. I am told that in the day of yore, here were very large crocodiles in the Mekong, that was until they were all eaten. Folklore has it that they were large & ferocious and would attack the boats. To ward them off, the seamen would paint eyes on the front of their boats. Now the boat was a bigger being than the crocodile

A second reason was so that the boat could see & find its way.   And lastly to swim with the other fish.

I will need to look all of this up on the internet but the painting in the front of these larger boats is quite pretty none the less.


More to come soon,
Carpe Diem,
Lorrie 
www.LorrieDallekPhotography.com