Hoi An Boat Tours: Our 15 Best

1.Basket Boat Ride in the Coconut Forest

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 4,956 reviews · 50 minutes - 3 hours · from $3Our pick

Spend about 50 minutes in a round basket boat on Hoi An’s Bay Mau Coconut Forest. Your local guide may show you crab fishing, net casting, and how to paddle, with optional boat spinning and photos. Early morning departures are cooler and quieter. Guides speak English, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

“Quick smooth pickup/return from our hotel, and trip lasted about 2 hours in total. We had a really fun time in the basket boat ride in Coconut Forest - lots of fun photo stops from our guide, who also videoed our boat spinning too (the spinning itself was an extra 150,000vnd for 2 people, which was well worth it) They also had a professional photographer stationed on the water, and it was only 100,000VND for all the digital photos! Really recommend trip for anyone in Hoi an.”

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2.Cooking Class Hoi An:Local Market, Basket Boat, Fishing & Cooking

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,660 reviews · from $28Top rated

Spend about 4.5 hours exploring Hoi An’s market, riding a bamboo basket boat through Cam Thanh’s nipa palms, trying net fishing, and cooking four Vietnamese dishes. Guides such as Hai, Ly, Lily, and Phuong lead the class, which includes hotel pickup, a welcome drink, bottled water, recipes, and a full meal.

“This is a great experience and our Chef guide was so good a 5 star Chef The market tour and coconut boat ride was good and we got to eat the food we made so great value too”

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3.Market Tour, Basket Boat Ride and Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,208 reviews · from $17

Meet your English-speaking guide at the Ivegan shop for a Hoi An market visit, a 40-minute bamboo basket boat ride through water coconut palms, and a rural cooking class. Guides such as Anna, Thao, Linh, and Thuy lead hands-on lessons covering dishes such as bánh xèo, phở, steamed rice rolls, and chè.

“We had such a fantastic time on this tour! Thao was so kind and helpful, making it an experience we will remember for a long time & take the delicious recipes back to Ireland! Thank you again Thao 💗”

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4.Hoai River Boat Trip by Night and Floating Lantern

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,988 reviews · 20 min · from $8

Meet your English-speaking guide at the Kazimierz Kwiatkowski Bust on Tran Phu Street. You’ll walk five minutes to the dock, board a private wooden boat for up to five people, and release one paper lantern per person with help from the rower. Expect scenery and atmosphere, not commentary, with possible waits during the 18:30 to 19:30 rush.

“This was well worth booking… the normal queue for the boats was long and chaotic. My guide messaged me earlier in the day with meeting point, so met there and he escorted us down to the river and immediately onto a boat. No messing around, was great experience”

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5.River Lantern Boat Experience with Free 5G eSIM

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,819 reviews · 20 min · from $8

Meet at 153 Tran Phu Street near the Japanese Bridge, then walk five minutes to the Hoai River for a 20-minute lantern boat ride. You receive a floating lantern, herbal tea, and a free 24-hour eSIM with 8GB of data. Staff escort you to the boat, and guides can help with photos.

“Fantastic activity! 20 minutes was just the right amount of time. communication and organisation was excellent and the boat driver was lovely! thank you so much Quan & team!”

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6.Basket Boat with Lantern-Making & Cooking Class Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,444 reviews · 4h 30m · from $30

Meet an English-speaking guide such as Lily, Hami, Rose, or Henry for a five-hour Hoi An outing. Shop at a local market, ride a coracle through Cam Thanh’s coconut groves, make a lantern, then cook Cao Lau, rice pancakes, spring rolls, and papaya salad with chicken.

“Amazing! Really enjoyed making lanterns, the coconut boat tour and making a traditional vietnamese meal. Great value for money and our tour guide was brilliant. Thank you so much ♥️”

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7.Coconut Basket Boat Ride by Hangcoconut

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,364 reviews · 1 - 2 hours · from $3

At Cam Thanh village, a local boatman takes you through coconut-lined waterways in a traditional thung chai. You can row, catch small crabs, try fishing, watch spinning-boat performances, and sing karaoke. Guides such as Nam and Lai are known for friendly service and photos. Hotel pickup is optional, and the core ride lasts about an hour.

“Nam (our boat driver) was amazing. He was down for whatever we asked and was super friendly! Hang (tour owner) had great communication with setting up the hotel pick-and drop-off! It was a super smooth process! I had a lot of fun on the entire tour. Everyone was super friendly and the activities along the way like karaoke and watching and participating in the spinning boats were SUPER COOL! Oh and ensure you bring extra cash for tipping. Their performances really deserved it! BOOK RIGHT NOW! GREAT JOB HANGCOCONUT!”

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8.Hoi An Cooking Class(Local market,Basket Boat,Fishing & Cooking)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,323 reviews · from $28

Spend about 4.5 hours with an English-speaking chef such as Tram or Sonny, starting with a Hoi An market visit and fresh ingredient shopping. You’ll cook several Vietnamese dishes, ride a round basket boat through Bay Mau Coconut Forest, and try catching crabs. Hotel pickup, food, safety gear, and recipe cards are included.

“This was a great experience. From the pick up to the drop off everything went smoothly. Going to the market to shop for ingredients was the best. And the Basket boats were so much fun. Sonny, the Chef, was not only skilled but very entertaining and made the whole group look good. And the food was delicious. It was one of the best cooking tours I have taken. I will do it again next time I am in Hoi An. I definitely recommend this tour. Just do it. It was great.”

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9.My Son Sanctuary, Rice Paper, Boat Trip & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,154 reviews · from $18

Start from Hoi An for an early visit to My Son Sanctuary with an English-speaking guide, then enjoy a Champa performance, lunch, rice-paper making at a local home, and a Thu Bon River boat ride. Guides such as Nick, Van, Anna, and Vinh are praised for clear explanations and warm personalities. Entry costs extra.

“Our guide, Anna, was very professional. She was informative and kind. The temple is located in a valley, and the whole place is absolutely breathtaking. However, it’s also really hot and humid, so be prepared!”

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10.Ba Tran: Hoi An Basket Boat Ride in Water Coconut Forest

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 894 reviews · from $4

Meet at Ba Tran Basket Boat & Cooking School for a 50-minute ride through Hoi An’s Bay Mau water coconut forest. A local guide rows you through narrow canals, helps you try crab fishing and net casting, and may add singing, dancing, or boat spinning. Guides speak English and Vietnamese. Bring a camera, but leave large bags behind.

“Very good better than expected and they gave us water for free, you have the option to buy photo”

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11.Basket Boat Ride, Cooking Class by Hangcoconut

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 802 reviews · 3 hours · from $19

Start with a coracle ride through Bay Mau nipa forest, where local boat rowers show you crab fishing, boat tricks, and countryside life. Then join chef Thuy or another local instructor for a hands-on class making three or four Vietnamese dishes. Hotel pickup, transport, entry, and your meal are included.

“Really good fun, my children really enjoyed, staff are so friendly, the cooking lesson was so fuch's fun as well, thank you to Lin”

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12.My Son Sanctuary and Thu Bon River Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 653 reviews · 5 hours · from $16

Travel from Hoi An to My Son Sanctuary with an English-speaking guide such as Philip, Ben, Lee, or Tu. Walk among Champa temple ruins, watch a short Apsara-style dance performance, eat a local lunch or banh mi, then cruise back along the Thu Bon River. Entry fees are extra.

“All perfect! The My Son Sanctuary is really unbelievable!”

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13.My Son Sanctuary Afternoon Tour & Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 497 reviews · 5 hours - 330 minutes · from $16

This small-group afternoon trip takes you from Hoi An to My Son Sanctuary with an English-speaking guide such as Hai, Ellie, Tin, or Cam. You’ll see 1,600-year-old Cham ruins, watch a traditional dance performance, enjoy a bánh mì and water, then return by motorized boat along the Thu Bon River.

“Hai was a wonderful host, very knowledgeable and shared history of My Son on our way to the site. This ensured we had an understanding of the significance and importance before the site tour started. Once we were at My Son, Hai continued to share her knowledge at each relevant location, which made for an incredibly interactive tour. Hai is also quite funny, and I loved getting to see the person behind the tour. The boat road at the end was a lovely way to finish our time together.”

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14.My Son Sanctuary & Sunset River Cruise BBQ or Banhmi

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 345 reviews · 5 hours - 330 minutes · from $18

You’ll visit My Son Sanctuary from Hoi An with guides such as Thao, Tin, Van, or Lam, who bring the Cham temples and local history to life. After a two-hour guided visit and traditional performance, enjoy a 40-minute Thu Bon River sunset cruise with either a BBQ meal or banh mi. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

“We enjoyed the tour! Very friendly and informative guide.”

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15.Bay Mau Cooking Class w/ Market & Basket Boat Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 292 reviews · 3 hours - 330 minutes · from $25

At Bay Mau Cooking Class, an English-speaking chef such as Trang, Mo, Hon, or Kieu guides you through four Vietnamese dishes, including pho. Choose the market and basket boat option for fresh ingredients, a Cam Thanh coconut forest ride, and hands-on cooking with stone mortars, wooden pestles, rice milk, and rice paper.

“We were picked up by Mo our chef and guide and taken to the market. Please note that if you do an afternoon option, the market is mostly closed. We took the basket boat option which was kind of touristy but still fun. The cooking class was excellent. Mo showed us the traditional ways to make rice milk and rice paper. We cooked 4 dishes; soup, beef salad, prawn fresh rolls and crispy pancakes. Mo’s instruction was excellent and always careful and friendly explaining. The bus dropped us back to our hotel. A great trip.”

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