Coconut Basket Ride in Hoi An

Coconut Basket Ride in Hoi An

Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An is one of the places where you can do this popular activity. You will be taken in a coconut basket along the river while exploring the heart of the coconut forest and attend some Korean karaoke on different spots of the tour.

There are several companies that organize this activity with very different prices, for example, Green Tours (located here). You can book it through the Klook app. In addition to this, they also offer cooking classes or rice paper making classes, which might be a good option on rainy days. Otherwise, the price of the coconut basket ride is around 125.000 VND (per basket, 1-2-3 pax).

Door to door service is included. Once you have booked it, a driver will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the place of the activity. After the boat ride, they will drop you off wherever you want (in Hoi An).

You will spend 50 minutes on the boat. The coconut forest is quite beautiful, and the way they paddle is interesting. You will see many wooden platforms on the river with enormous speakers and entertainers playing Korean music and singing. If you are looking for an authentic and a peaceful experience, this is not the place. It’s completely made for mass tourism and it's very loud.

There will be locals making acrobatic turns with their coconut baskets. If you want, you can get in the boat with them, but they will ask you to pay (if you negotiate, you can get it for 50.000 VND the ride). In addition to that, you will see a "traditional fisherman" throwing a net as if he’s trying to catch fish. It makes cool pictures, but again it is probably not the most authentic scene that you will encounter in Vietnam. If you are back too early, your guide will make time and will improvise a fishing rod with a small and thin stick and a thread, so you will be busy putting the futurist gadget in the water.

At the end of the tour, chances are that the guide will ask for a tip.

The landscape is beautiful, as are the colorful coconut baskets. Although very touristy and loud, this bizarre activity can be a fun option to spend a few hours in Hoi An.