Four crafts in one half day

About this experience

It starts with a hotel pickup in Hoi An and a car to Phu Lanh Restaurant, which sits in the Bay Mau coconut forest. A tour guide stays with your group from the first stop to the last, and the half day takes about 4.5 hours before you are dropped back at your hotel. The Bay Mau coconut forest in Cam Thanh lies about 3 km from the old town and was a revolutionary base during the wars, per the Da Nang Department of Tourism.

First, the basket boat ride. You cruise along the river through the coconut palms, watch the basket boat performances and see how local fishermen live: net casting, fishing and crab catching. Back at the restaurant you brew Vietnamese coffee with a phin filter, from the grounds to the cup you drink. Then the lantern class: the story behind Hoi An's lanterns, and one you build and carry home. Last comes the kitchen, with a local chef. The listing names fried spring rolls, banh xeo, fried wontons and cao lau, Hoi An's signature noodle dish, and you eat them at the restaurant in the palms.

Included: hotel pickup and drop-off, the guide, entry fees, the coracle (basket boat) ride, mineral water and the souvenir lantern. Not included: personal expenses and the spinning boat, the fast spin some boatmen offer. Lantern making is for children aged 5 and above, per the listing. Everything after the boat (the coffee, the lantern, the class) happens back at the restaurant. A friendly tip: decide before you go whether the spinning boat is on your list, since it is the one part with its own cost.

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Hoi An
• A basket boat ride through the Bay Mau coconut forest
• Basket boat performances, net casting and crab catching
• Vietnamese coffee you brew yourself in a phin filter
• A lantern you make and take home (from age 5)
• Cao lau, banh xeo, fried spring rolls and fried wontons with a local chef

How the day runs

1. StartHotel pickup

   A car from your hotel in Hoi An to Phu Lanh Restaurant in the Bay Mau coconut forest.

2. On the waterBasket boat ride

   A cruise through the palms, the boat performances and the daily work of the fishermen: nets, fishing and crabs.

3. At the restaurantPhin coffee

   Brew traditional Vietnamese coffee with a phin filter, then drink the cup you made.

4. NextLantern making

   What the lanterns mean to Hoi An, then a lantern of your own to keep.

5. LastThe cooking class

   Four dishes with a local chef, eaten at the restaurant.

6. About 4.5 hours in allBack to your hotel

   Drop-off in Hoi An.

What's included

Who it suits

What guests say

Tips before you book

• The spinning boat is not in the price, per the listing. Everything else on the boat (the ride, the performances, the entry) is.
• Lantern making is for children aged 5 and above, per the listing. Check the ages in your group before you book.
• After the boat, the rest of the half day runs at the restaurant: the coffee, the lantern and the class.
• From September to November Hoi An sees a lot of rain and some small floods, per the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism. In high water an operator may change or move the boat part, so check with the operator before your day.
• Curious about the boats themselves? Our basket boat and coconut forest guide covers Bay Mau, the crab lines and the spinning show.

Read next:

• Basket boats
• Hoi An food
• Hoi An Ancient Town

Frequently asked questions

Compare with

Market Tour, Cooking Class & Basket BoatThe market with a guide, a basket boat and crab catching in Cam Thanh, then a class with local chefs. 3 options.★ 4.9 · 1 to 4 hours · from $5Basket Boat Ride & Cooking Class by HangcoconutHotel pickup, crab fishing and a boat show in the Bay Mau nipa forest, a class with the chefs, lunch or dinner.★ 4.8 · 4 to 4.5 hours · from $20Lantern Workshop & Cooking Class with Coconut BoatThe market, a basket boat, a class with pho and banh cuon, and a lantern you make in the old town, by option.★ 4.8 · 1 to 5 hours · from $6