Sampan

A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed wooden boat traditionally used across coastal and river regions of East and Southeast Asia, most closely associated with Chinese and Vietnamese waterways, typically propelled by a single oar worked from the stern in a sculling motion rather than by paired oars or a sail. Sampans have traditionally served multiple roles in the communities that use them, including small-scale fishing, short-distance cargo and passenger transport, and in some harbor communities as a permanent floating home for a family, and simplified sampan-type boats remain in everyday use in parts of Asia alongside more modern motorized craft.