The province’s geographical and historical links stretch from the highlands through river basins and estuaries to the East Sea, creating a foundation for connecting seaports, logistics, craft villages, tourism, heritage and highland production areas.
That perspective reflects a broader interpretation of Vietnam’s history in which the sea played a central role in economic, political and cultural change.
In Vietnam facing the sea: From the earliest times to the 19th Century, historian and Vietnamologist Dr. Li Tana argues that Vietnamese history cannot be understood solely through its deltas, villages and agricultural economy. Maritime trade and connections between regions also profoundly influenced the country’s development.
Seen through that lens, present-day Gia Lai forms part of a historical continuum linking the highlands, river systems, estuaries and the sea.
Centuries-old highland-sea trade links
During the Champa period, political and economic centers were often closely associated with port towns. Thị Nại–Quy Nhơn served as an important link between the Vijaya capital, the Côn River basin and trade routes extending deep into the interior.
Forest products, agarwood, beeswax and other valuable commodities from the highlands were transported to the coast before entering the wider maritime trading network of the East Sea.
In the opposite direction, goods, technologies, religions and ideas moved inland through estuaries, rivers and mountain passes.
The network remained active from the 17th to 19th centuries, involving Vietnamese, Cham and Chinese merchants.
Chinese trading vessels called at Thị Nại, Quy Nhơn and other coastal trading points, bringing goods, capital, technology and commercial practices while purchasing local products for distribution to other markets.
Chinese communities in An Thái, Nước Mặn and parts of An Nhơn and Tuy Phước illustrate how maritime commerce reached beyond ports, linking coastal trade with inland markets, towns and craft villages.
Following administrative mergers, Gia Lai’s eastern coastal strip now provides a gateway connecting the province with the East Sea.
The Quy Nhơn-An Nhơn-Tây Sơn-An Khê-Pleiku axis, supported by Quy Nhơn Port and National Highway 19, has the potential to function as an East-West economic and cultural corridor, providing a modern expression of the historical relationship between the highlands and the sea.
Maritime heritage beyond the ports
One of the most distinctive symbols of that heritage is the ghe bầu, a sailing vessel widely used along Vietnam’s central coast from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Its broad hull, substantial cargo capacity and ability to operate in the region’s rough seas made it suitable for transporting food, salt, fish sauce, ceramics, forest products and other commodities between coastal ports.
The vessel was more than a form of transportation. Its construction and operation also reflected technical and cultural exchanges among Vietnamese, Cham and other Southeast Asian communities.
Gia Lai’s maritime heritage also survives in the traditional knowledge of fishing communities.
Generations of fishermen accumulated expertise in reading clouds, winds, tides and currents; determining fishing seasons and routes; selecting appropriate departure times; and navigating by the sun, moon, stars and other natural signs.
That body of knowledge extends to boatbuilding and repairs, net weaving, seafood processing and preservation, fish sauce production and the organization of labor around fishing seasons.
These practices are closely intertwined with the customs and spiritual traditions of coastal communities, including whale worship, fishermen’s festivals, ceremonial songs, rituals before setting sail and traditions of mutual assistance during hardship.
Together, they form a system of knowledge, beliefs and livelihoods developed over generations and shaped by the relationship between coastal communities and the sea.
Turning heritage into cultural products
Rapid technological change, however, has increased the need to preserve this maritime knowledge.
Gia Lai could inventory, document and digitize traditional practices, restore models of ghe bầu vessels, collect materials on Chinese merchant ships and map fishing villages, maritime occupations and sea-related beliefs.
Such efforts could provide a foundation for both heritage conservation and the development of cultural industry products.
A maritime-oriented development strategy could integrate ports and logistics with craft villages, marine culture, tourism, heritage, creative industries and highland raw-material areas.
A maritime heritage interpretation space in the Quy Nhơn-Thị Nại area could present the history of port towns, Chinese merchant vessels, Champa maritime technology and the daily lives of fishing communities.
Artifacts could be combined with digital maps, documentaries and virtual-reality technology, alongside hands-on activities such as boatbuilding, net weaving and fish sauce making.
The same heritage resources could also support the creation of documentaries, animation, digital games, souvenirs and fashion products, extending maritime culture beyond conventional museums and historical displays.
Linking the highlands with the coast
Local tourism has increasingly shifted from conventional leisure travel towards cultural experiences.
Gia Lai has an opportunity to build on that trend through a route linking Pleiku, An Khê, Tây Sơn, Hoàng Đế Citadel, Thị Nại and Quy Nhơn.
Such a journey could combine gong culture, Tây Sơn heritage, Champa culture, traditional craft villages and coastal life, creating an integrated tourism experience stretching from the highlands to the sea.
The development of the maritime economy and marine culture, however, needs to proceed alongside the protection of natural resources, the environment and community livelihoods.
Viewing Gia Lai from a maritime perspective therefore means reconnecting the province’s highlands and coast as a single historical and developmental space.
If maritime heritage is systematically inventoried, digitized and transformed into educational, tourism, design and media products, it could become an important component of Gia Lai’s cultural industries.
Combining that heritage with the maritime economy, ecological protection and stronger community livelihoods could also give Gia Lai’s “highlands-ocean” narrative a foundation for long-term development rather than a short-lived tourism theme.