Emeraude Classic Cruises on AirAsia Inflight Magazine - Travel 3Sixty

1. AIRASIA INFLIGHT MAGAZINE
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58
MAY 2012
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2. 05 FEATURE • Vietnam
2012
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R omancingthe
meraude
E

3. 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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5. “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 find 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 figured 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
ABOVE: A boatload of French tourists on excursion in Ha Long Bay.
stride as an international port.
TOP: One of many piers in Hai Phong Harbour.
OPPOSITE: Paddleboat returning to the Saphir on Ha Long Bay.
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
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6. ABOVE: Office 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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7. black and white snapshots was the familiar bow of our Phong and Ha Long Bay. An excursion on the
ABOVE: A coolie waits vessel’s namesake, the original Emeraude. Emeraude was, very simply, the epitome of luxury
on the dock at the Hai
Phong Harbour. I remember being struck by how, even then, the travel in the colony.
Emeraude appeared pristine and elegant in each The Emeraude that operates now is a replica of the original steamer.
photo. Whether in the dingiest surroundings, or floating www.emeraude-cruises.com
serenely on the bay, she looks every bit as romantic and
GETTING THERE AirAsia flies daily to Hanoi from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
inspirational as the replica I steer today. Go to www.airasia.com for details.
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 Do you have photographs of
1920s. As captain of the Emeraude, they gave me a yourself with old heritage buildings
fuller understanding of the vessel’s story.
from your town/city in the background?
Share with us what the building is and
These pictures show beyond a doubt what the
why it is special. Send your photos to
original Emeraude represented to the people of Hai www.facebook.com/travel3sixty
102 TRAVEL 3SIXTY˚