Basket Boats Activity

"Baskets Boats," by Jill MacGregor

1. Where is the story set? The story is set in Qui Nhon, Vietnam.

2. Who is the main character in the story? Than

3. What is the story about? The story is about Basket Boats and what are they useful for.

4. What is a basket boat? What is its' proper name? A Basket Boat is a boat shaped like a half sphere. It’s proper name is ‘Thung Chai’.

5. What is a basket boat useful? A Basket Boat is useful for fishing.

6. How is a thung chai made?  First they cut long poles of bamboo. They, then scrape the outer skin and slice the poles into thin slats. To make the bamboo easier to weave they soak it 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 it round shape.

7. What is a thung chai handy? What are some of its' uses? A thung chai is handy for fishing and catching crabs. They are also useful, because they don’t sink or tip over, it will just bounce between the wave like bobbing corks.

8. How many seats are in a thing chai? A Thung Chai has no seats, people use the rims  to sit in a squatting position.

9. Explain how safe a thung chai is? It doesn’t sink and tip over. It will only bounce and spin between waves.