Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Tan Phu Giao Handicraft Ships @ Hoi An in Vietnam

Hoi An was such a charming town; I totally relished walking along its many ancient streets and exploring every nook and cranny. While there were many restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops, one particularly stood out for my trip.

The above; Tan Phu Giao Handicraft Ships. I had assumed it would be like the rest of the souvenir ships, albeit with small, unique offerings like traditional model ships.

Boy was I wrong - it was almost 90% model ships and would be paradise for those who love old ships made of wood and 'powered' by seawind that went against the sails, before the industrialisation age that put those ugly, heavy pollutants into our oceans. 

Oh wait, there's a model of the titanic, which was powered by steam engines. Cost of the 60cm x 7cm x 23cm model? 1.5 million Vietnamese dong; about S$80.00.

Love that scene of the Black Pearl in the bottle, in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series? Captained by the infamous Jack Sparrow, you can have this ship for a mere 280,000 dong; an affordable S$15.00. Not for me since it would just collect dust. 

Aside from ships, you can also get a ship's steering wheel, which doubled up as an analog clock. Speaking of which, I wonder if kids nowadays would know how to read the time if it is not in digital format. Let me test Jovyn next time! 

Main model ship in the shop was the Sovereign of the Seas; 78cm x 20cm x 55cm, it was based on a "17th-century warship of the English Navy" known as the "Golden Devil" and also the nation's "most extravagantly decorated warship"! You can buy it home for just S$256! 

In case you are wondering how to ship it back, fret not; the shop provided shipping to anywhere! You may refer to the website here for more information. p.s. you can even commission the shop to build one for you!
 
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Address
145 Trần Phú, Phường Minh An, 
Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam

Map
As above. 

Website

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