Cam Thanh Coconut Forest and the Hoi An Basket Boat Ride: What It Actually Is

Cam Thanh is a tidal river-mouth district 4 kilometres east of Hoi An's Old Town, where nipa palm (often called 'coconut palm' by tourists, though technically different) grows on small islands separated by salt-water canals. The area covers about 110 hectares and was originally a Viet Cong hiding base during the Vietnam War — the dense palm canopy provided cover from American aerial surveillance.

Today Cam Thanh is the most-visited countryside landmark in the Hoi An area. About 60 families operate basket boats for visitors, fish in the canals, and harvest coconut palms for thatch. The whole place is small enough that you can paddle a full circuit in 30 to 45 minutes.

The specific palm species growing here is Nipa fruticans, a brackish-water palm whose leaves were historically the main roofing material for Hoi An's wooden houses. The 'coconut forest' nickname stuck because the dense palm canopy looks similar.

The boat is called a thung chai — a circular bamboo basket, roughly 2 metres in diameter, waterproofed with tar and used by central Vietnamese fishermen for over 200 years. Each boat carries 2 to 4 passengers plus a paddler at the back.

A basic 30-minute ride costs 100,000 to 150,000 VND per person and includes paddling through the canals while the boatman points out fish, crabs, and plant species. The boatman usually demonstrates how the basket boat is propelled (a single sculling motion with one paddle, more efficient than it looks).

The show element — the boatman spins the boat in circles to wild music, throws a fishing net, demonstrates crab catching — costs an extra 50,000 to 100,000 VND tip if you want it. This is what most travellers remember from Cam Thanh; it is also what some travellers find embarrassing. The decision is yours.

Avoid the larger boats that play loud Vietnamese pop music and serve beer. Those are designed for group tour clients and cost 250,000+ VND per person. The traditional 2-to-4-person basket boat is the version locals would recommend.

Cam Thanh has a working fishing community alongside the tourist boats. If you visit in the early morning (06:00 to 07:30) you can see fishermen setting crab traps along the canal banks, casting fishing nets from larger wooden boats, and harvesting palm leaves for thatch roofing.

The net-casting technique is genuinely impressive — a 4-metre circular net is folded into one hand, swung in a single motion, and lands open on the water to trap small shrimp and fish. Local fishermen learn this from age 8 or 9. Most basket boatmen know how to do it and will demonstrate for a small tip.

Crab catching uses a baited string lowered into the water. When a crab grabs the bait, the line pulls taut and the catcher slowly lifts the string until the crab is close enough to scoop up. The technique is over 100 years old and still in daily use.

From Hoi An Old Town: 12 minutes by taxi (about 70,000 VND, $3) or a 20-minute cycle along the riverside road. Some hotels in Cam Thanh district are 5 minutes away by walking.

From Da Nang or An Bang Beach: 25 to 35 minutes by car. If you are not already in Hoi An, pair Cam Thanh with the Tra Que vegetable village (3 km away) and the Old Town walking tour into a full day.

On a private tour: Cam Thanh is the second stop on the Hoi An countryside and local life tour, after Tra Que. The boat ride is included in the standard tour price; the show tip is at your discretion.

Best window: 09:00 to 11:00 in the morning. Tide is usually high enough for easy paddling, the heat is manageable, and most group tours haven't arrived yet. By 11:30 the area gets busy with bus tours from Hoi An hotels.

Second-best window: 15:30 to 17:00 in the afternoon. The light is warm, fewer crowds, and the sunset paddle back is photogenic.

Avoid: 12:00 to 14:30 (hottest, most crowded), and low-tide hours where the canals get shallow and the paddling slows down. Tide tables are posted at the entrance; ask your hotel to check before you go.

Wet season note: October to November rain can flood the area and make the paddles muddy — basket boats still run but the experience is wetter.

Cam Thanh works best as one stop on a 3-stop half-day countryside route. The Fingo countryside and local life tour combines:

— Tra Que vegetable village (30 to 60 minutes, herb-planting optional) — Cam Thanh coconut palm forest with basket boat (45 minutes) — Rice fields and buffalo or pottery stop in Thanh Ha village (45 minutes)

This covers the three rural landscapes around Hoi An — vegetable peninsula, coconut delta, rice plain — in 4 to 5 hours. Pricing starts at $35 per person for two guests on the car-only version; cycling versions cost slightly more.

Cam Thanh alone is also fine as a 90-minute stop between breakfast and a Hoi An Old Town walking tour in the afternoon.