Basket Boats

1. Where is the story set?

The story takes place in a fishing village called Qui Nhon on the southern coast of vietnam.

2. Who is the main character in the story?

The main character in the story is Thanh.

3. What is the story about?

The story is about how men in Qui Nhon built their Basket Boats and how Thanh and his friends want to become fishermens like their fathers.

4. What is a basket boat? What is its proper name?

A basket boat is like a boat but smaller. The proper name for it is Thung Chai.

5. What is a basket boat useful?

A basket boat is useful to fishing men. Fishermen would cast nets over the side of the thung chai or lower crab traps into the sea for them.

6. How is a thang chai made?

The thung chai is made starting with cutting long poles of green bamboo from the forest. Then they scrape off the outer skin and then slice the poles into thin slats. To make the bamboo easier to weave, they soak the slats in water. As the men weave, they stretch the bamboo slats over a basket-shaped mould. In the centre, the weaving is pulled very tight to give the boat its round shape. A thung chai is built without nails. To hold the weaving together, thicker pieces of bamboo are wrapped around the rim and lashed on with strong fishing line.

7. What is a thing chai handy? What are some of its' uses?

A thung chai is handy because in the morning the men would cast nets over the side of thing chai or lower crab traps into the sea from them.

8. How many seats are in a thing chai?

In a thung chai there are no seats.

9. Explain how safe a thing chai is?

The thung chai is safe because of how it was made. It was made with strong bamboo sticks, they scraped the outside of the bamboo carefully, and they soaked it with concentrated.