The basket boat is one of the most enduring traditions along Vietnam's central coast, developed during the French colonial era and used to navigate shallow coastal rivers, lagoons, and fishing grounds. Their distinctive circular shape is thought to have developed partly as a practical response to local conditions, and today they remain in active daily use — for fishing, for ferrying, and for connecting communities along the waterway. The craft of weaving and waterproofing these vessels has been passed down through families across many generations.

Early morning is when this stretch of river comes most vividly to life, as fishermen head out before the heat of the day settles in and the light turns everything a luminous, gentle gold.