6 March 2026
One of Hoi An’s popular tourist activities is the Coconut Boat tour that offers an unique experience in Vietnam. Here, tourists could ride the iconic Vietnamese basket boat through serene waterways and coconut forest, plus more which I would described later.
What is a “coconut” boat?
The “coconut” boat is actually a large circular bamboo basket boat known as thúng chai. They are traditional, hand-woven, circular vessels primarily used by fishermen in Central Vietnam to navigate coastal waters and rivers.
This basket boat was invented during the French colonial era. During that time, the authorities began to levy a tax on the ownership of boats. Most of the poor Vietnamese fishermen who depended on boats for their livelihood could not afford to pay the taxes. So, the ingenious Vietnamese invented a new type of “boat” woven from bamboo strips and coated with tar for waterproofing. This round basket “boat” is functional but technically not a wooden boat, so escaped the tax!
I first saw this boat and even had a chance to row one when I visited Banyan Tree Lang Co in 2017. See my post here.
The coconut boat tour at Hoi An is vastly different from what I experienced back then. The coconut boat tour in Hoi An is more touristy and includes singing, dancing and boat spinning performances.
There are many operators offering this activity in the Bay Mau coconut forest, just north of the Cua Dai Estuary and 5 minutes drive away from our hotel.
Beware of the Entrance Fee Scam
Most people would enjoy the coconut boat tour by booking a package through a tour operator. For us, we came on our own. We had booked a private van with driver to bring us from our hotel to the Bay Mau Coconut Forest area.
Once we alighted from our vehicle, we were approached by touts offering boat tours services. One of the couples in my group had been to Hoi An several times before and had also recently took a coconut boat tour here. So, we had an boat tour operator in mind before we came.
From the car park, we walked towards the village and were stopped by a man in uniform pointing to a sign that says we had to pay an entrance fee of 40,000 VND per person.
My friend who had been here recently did not have to pay anything to enter the village, so she knew something was fishy. The man kept pointing to the sign and asked for money but we refused to give in. For me, 40,000 VND is not a lot of money but we do not like being scammed. Eventually, we called our van driver who spoke to the guy. He probably told him to give up since we know that this is a scam.
Our driver also called our intended boat tour operator who sent out a guy to escort us in.
Following our “escort”, we walked through the village. There are many stores along the way offering souvenirs and snacks. I think these legit shops should stop the ”entrance fee scammer” since he is adversely affecting their business.
Our Coconut Tour
As we approached the premises of the tour operator, we were welcomed by loud Korean music. Apparently, there are many Korean tourists in Da Nang and Hoi An.
We had to cross a narrow wooden bridge to get across the river.
Even posing for photos on the bridge can be fun. 
The cost of taking the boat tour is negotiable. Our “leader” who had been here before bargained the cost down to 120,000 VND per couple per boat. We told them we do not want to experience the crazy boat spinning during our rides before the start of the tour. Some tour operators would do this during the tour and asked for the passengers for more money for the extra “service”.
Once everyone were on board the circular boat and had their photos taken, the tour begins. To propel the non-streamlined “boat”, the boatman has to move the paddle back and forth through the water in an arcing motion at the “front”.
The first part of the tour is quite serene and slow along the calm waterways between the coconut groves. Actually the palm growing in this area is not the usual coconut palm but some kind of sea coconut.
We soon entered an area with open water (like a lake) where many boats from other operators had gathered. The vibes changed instantly into a party atmosphere with loud Korean music, singing and boat spinning performances.
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The boat spinning performance to the tune of Gangnam Style was actually quite entertaining and thrilling to watch.
Although not mandatory, we offered tips to the boat spinning performer and also to the singer on another boat belting out Korean pop songs which was much appreciated.
Then it started to rain a little.
Our boatman offered us an umbrella. Then the rain got heavier. I did not feel comfortable holding an umbrella in the middle of a lake in a thunderstorm.
We told the boatman to cut short the tour and head back to base. Our boatman paddled furiously in the heavy rain. Despite its shape, the thúng chai can move quite fast under the control of a skilled boatman.
By now, our boatman was all drenched in rain and sweat. We were also slightly wet, especially our feet which was in inches of water from the downpour. He paused a few times to rest his weary arms as going back to base was against the flow of the water.
Our boatman all drenched and rowing as fast as he could in the heavy downpour.
We made it back safely. For his hard work I gave our boatman a tip that was almost the cost of the tour.
Overall, I enjoyed our little adventure on a coconut boat despite the scam attempt and sudden rain.
As we leave the village, we saw large groups of visitors streaming in from tour buses that had just arrived. The man asking for entrance fee to the village was nowhere to be seen.
But I saw a familiar face. I saw our boatman at the car park, touting for more business so he could earn some honest money to feed his family. The boatman saw us and came over to say goodbye with a smile on his face. I am glad that we had make someone happy for the day.
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