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FEATURE • Vietnamwww.airasia.com/travel360

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FEATURE • Vietnamwww.airasia.com/travel360

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The Emeraude was an elegant paddle wheeler that doubled as cargo and cruise vessel in early 1900s. Owned by one Paul Roque, the Emeraude plied the Ha Long Bay area and was one of the very few ships there that had electricity, ventilation and even refrigeration. In 1937, the Emeraude collided with a submerged rock and sank into the ocean, never to be found again. Old photographs of the original Emeraude in its heyday capture the romance of a bygone era and provide an insight into the era and an understanding of the port and how its dwellers lived in the past.

Years later, a replica of the Emeraude plies the same waterways of Ha Long Bay, bringing travellers up close and personal with the renowned karst formations of this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Jacques Le Fur, the current captain of the new Emeraude, talks about the history of the place and the steamer in this pictorial based on a set of images taken by Rene Masse.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The Emeraude leaving the dock in Hai Phong; Bank of Indochina counter in Hai Phong; coolies pull rickshaws toward Hai Phong dock, with the Emeraude in the background.

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“Every now and then in my job as captain of the Emeraude, I come across a passenger carrying some link to our vessel’s history. 

When I met one Stephane Masse, who had called us about a set of photographs he’d just inherited from his grandfather, I expected to fi nd one or two new things we could add to the Emeraude’s story. As it turned out, Stephane had enough links to form a chain of memories that went back a whole century. 

The photos Stephane showed us were taken by his grandfather, Rene Masse, who was one of four children born into the Masse family in Hai Phong in the early 1900s. At the age of 16, Rene took a job with the local electric company. 

From the images and what his grandson told us, we fi gured out that as a young man, Rene’s hobbies included hunting deer, joining the city’s social dances, and apparently, photography. Rene’s camera captured the Hai Phong of another era, just as the town hit its stride as an international port.

There were images of local daily life with coolies waiting on docks and villagers pulling rickshaws down the city’s newly-paved streets. Scattered between these

ABOVE: A boatload of French tourists on excursion in Ha Long Bay.

TOP: One of many piers in Hai Phong Harbour.

OPPOSITE: Paddleboat returning to the Saphir on Ha Long Bay.

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ABOVE: Offi ce workers attend their company’s hanami party along Honkawa River, Hiroshima City.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: French tourists sail into the secret passage of Hai Tac (pirates) Bay; Rene Masse’s sister, Andree Masse, relaxing on board the Emeraude just after its launch in 1926; the Emeraude and its sister steamer, the Saphir, moored at Hai Phong port.

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black and white snapshots was the familiar bow of our vessel’s namesake, the original Emeraude.  

I remember being struck by how, even then, the Emeraude appeared pristine and elegant in each photo. Whether in the dingiest surroundings, or fl oating serenely on the bay, she looks every bit as romantic and inspirational as the replica I steer today. 

Rene Masse’s photographs interested me on many levels. For me as a sailor, they brought to life what seafaring life must have been like in Vietnam of the 1920s. As captain of the Emeraude, they gave me a fuller understanding of the vessel’s story. 

These pictures show beyond a doubt what the original Emeraude represented to the people of Hai

Phong and Ha Long Bay. An excursion on theEmeraude was, very simply, the epitome of luxurytravel in the colony.

The Emeraude that operates now is a replica of the original steamer. www.emeraude-cruises.com

GETTING THERE AirAsia fl ies daily to Hanoi from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. Go to www.airasia.com for details.

ABOVE: A coolie waits on the dock at the Hai Phong Harbour.

Do you have photographs of yourself with old heritage buildings

from your town/city in the background? Share with us what the building is and why it is special. Send your photos to www.facebook.com/travel3sixty

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