Tourists here are lured in by the beautiful fishing village images – little houses on boats, groups of boats tied together to defend against storms and typhoons, the simple and honest fishermen and the sunburnt faces of the innocent little children. It is all peaceful and charming.
Cua Van is completely different from others: the village is free from busy lanes and streets, electric lights, houses and high rise buildings. Instead, there are only herds of little boats and rafts.This makes it ideal for anchoring boats here. In general, floating houses of the fishermen look spacious and clean, and well-off families are characterized by tiled house roofs and furnished with radios, television sets, tables and chairs, etc.
Cua Van is unique as it is the only village with a primary school and a clinic (floating, of course). The village is home to generations of
fishing families and many of the residents never leave, but grow up and grow old in this tiny unique world they are born into.
The children learn to swim before they can walk and they row little bamboo-basket watercraft on their own, and amazingly deftly, when only about 5 or 6 years old. Cua Van is at the top of any list of places to see when cruising Halong Bay, those who are lucky enough to visit are captivated by this extraordinary little community and its distinctive way of life. Looking at the small boats driven by tiny oars going to school, and the radiant faces of the children, one feels confident in a bright future for the fishing village.
Cua Van now has become a tourist attraction and has been present in the itinerary of almost all tourist agencies. In the future, a Floating Cultural Center will be established in Cua Van fishing village, which will become an important interface between the Halong people and tourists.
