The war junk of Tonkin gulf in the 19th century was formidable. They served in the fleet of the great Chinese lady pirate Ching Shih. Although lacking in firepower, they were swift and well suited for the region. Tonkinese junk differs from its cousin in China, having pointy bow instead of boxed transom bow, and the rudder could be raised manually instead of complex pulleys and chains.

Nearly a thousand year earlier, legends had it that mightier junks exceeded the tonnage of the 19th century version. They could ferry two Vietnamese princeses as far as Korea to escape political upheavals back home. The princeses' descendants still live in Korea as testimony to the junks' greatness.