A customer looks at a model tall ship at a shop in HCMC’s Lam Son Square

For Ho Chi Minh City visitors looking for a unique gift or souvenir, District 1’s Lam Son Square offers a host of options.

Scattered throughout the area are shops selling handmade model tall ships, sailboats and other miniature wood crafts.

Originating from the traditional woodworking trade village of Tan Hoa in Dong Nai Province’s Bien Hoa Town, the models are meticulously put together by craftspeople in the shops. The handicrafts range from Titanic replicas to one-of-a-kind custom-made creations.

According to Thanh, the owner of the Tan Thanh shop, most of his customers are foreigners. “They like our handmade boats a lot, especially the ones inside glass bottles,” he says. “Compared to other countries, Vietnamese boats are not only cheap but are also high-quality. After the first time, they will often come back to get another one,” he adds.

Thanh and his family have been putting together model boats for over a decade and receive nearly two hundred orders per month.

The time it takes to finish a model depends on the level of complexity of each ship, and so does the price. It takes an average of 5-10 days to finish one sailboat and the cost usually ranges from VND15,000-5,000,000 (US$1-350).

“It is the third time I have come here. The black sailboat and the modern-shaped one I bought have made my house become quite beautiful and they were praised lavishly by my friends. This time I’ll buy a large wooden one to decorate my husband’s work room,” says Tho, a female patron at Thanh’s shop.

Besides several kinds of boats, the shops also produce and sell wooden souvenirs such as model planes, helicopters, pedicabs and motorbikes with many orders coming from the US and Australia. Wooden-model enthusiasts can check out the Tan Thanh shop at 9 Cong Truong Lam Son Street, District 1 in HCMC. Several other shops can also be found in the area.

Reported by Kim