Unique Fishing Tools Museum in Nha Trang

Hundreds of fishing specimens from classic to modern are displayed at the Fishing Tools Museum at Nha Trang University, attracting not only students but also tourists.

Many generations of lecturers and students of Nha Trang University have traveled to many remote areas to collect and restore ancient fishing tools that are no longer available or rarely seen in Vietnam's fishing industry, along with modern fishing artifacts, to establish the Fishing Tools Museum under the University's Institute of Fisheries Science and Technology.

Over 100 rare specimens at the Fishing Gear Museum

According to lecturers, since 2007, Nha Trang University has converted the fishing gear gallery into a museum with an area of nearly 500 square ^meters , adding many artifacts for visitors to see and admire. Field model with fishing gear by region

Field model with fishing gear by region

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung, museum manager, said the specimens are divided into five groups: closed fishing gear, filtering fishing gear, pulling fishing gear, fixed fishing gear, trapping fishing gear and fishing gear.

Pointing at the bamboo fishing pole, Mr. Hung said: "It looks simple, but it took a whole month to create this model. This is a popular fishing tool in the North used to catch aquatic species in places where the water is not too deep, now hardly anyone uses it. To have this specimen, we had to go all the way to Thai Binh to see the original specimen and record the whole fishing process of the people." Hurricane lamp, ancient marine compass

According to Mr. Hung, building a museum is about culture, so the difficulty lies in the painstaking research required. Some specimens no longer exist, and with scarce resources, it is very difficult to restore them.

Here, you can see a snail trap for catching octopus, a compass, a rusty hurricane lamp, fishing nets, and a Lo Hac boat (a popular fishing vessel in the 15th century in Da Nang)... Next to each specimen, there are annotations of its name, function, and structure for viewers to better understand.

Fishing trawler model vividly recreates fishing

Mr. Hung said that the most elaborate and time-consuming specimen of the Fishing Gear Museum is the inland sand table with water areas such as ponds, lakes, lagoons, corresponding to the typical fishing gear of each region.

"We not only want to recreate the history of fishing, but also want to affirm the territorial position and sovereignty of the sea and islands , thereby helping students and tourists who come here to learn more knowledge and understand the value of fishing" - Mr. Hung shared.

Interesting sights and learning

Types of nets on display

Types of nets on display

The Fishing Gear Museum is also an interesting place for students, researchers and tourists to visit and study. For subjects that require direct observation, instead of having to go to seaports or areas with fishing gear to study, students only need to go to the museum to directly observe and learn information.

This adds to the need to learn about ancient fishing gear that is no longer in use.

Nguyen Quynh Nhu, a student majoring in business and commerce at Nha Trang University, happily shared: "Although I don't study a subject related to fisheries, when I came here to see the artifacts, I was very impressed, especially the map of Vietnam with LED lights placed in the middle of the room."

Students build ship models to add artifacts to the museum.

Students build ship models to add artifacts to the museum.

Dr. Huynh Le Hong Thai - Head of the Department of Marine Engineering (Faculty of Transportation Engineering, Nha Trang University) - said that besides scientific research , the museum also educates marine knowledge to the younger generation.

According to Mr. Thai, some ship models on display at the museum were made by students and lecturers of the faculty.

A model of a fishing vessel

A model of a fishing vessel

"Making boat models helps students apply theory to practice. From those products, they understand and love more the fishing tools of their ancestors," said Mr. Thai.

Currently, the Fishing Tools Museum continuously adds specimens of fishing not only of the Kinh people but also of the Cham, Raglai and other ethnic groups.

Mr. Vo Thien Lang - Vice President of Vietnam Fisheries Association - commented: "I had the opportunity to visit the Fishing Tools Museum of Nha Trang University. Although they are not professional museum workers, the teachers and students here have created a very valuable and meaningful museum. The museum is a way for students to go from theory to practice about the fishing profession".

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