Hoi An Eco Tour

Overview

As popular as Hoi An is with tourists, it is still possible to get off the beaten track. The villages, jungles and canals surrounding the town represent bastions of authenticity, where life is lived at a slower pace and the fundamental principles of existence are based on happiness through meaningful work and a connected family life. On the Hoi An Eco Tour, you will get a true feeling for these concepts as we explore Hoi An’s outlying attractions, in the villages of Tra Que and Van Lang as well as the farms, fields and forests that they encompass.

The hands-on aspect of the Hoi An Eco Tour is what sets it apart from the rest. We will spend the morning working with farmers to tend to their organic vegetable crop, all the while enjoying views of watery rice paddies that shimmer with the glow of the sun. We cycle along quaint village roads to Van Lang, a fishing community that backs onto the water coconut forest of Bay Mau, where nipa palm and mangrove reign on the banks of waters teeming with fish.

You will see the spirit of Vietnamese farming philosophy personified in Mr. Han, our smiling host who will welcome us into his beautiful family home for tea and the chance to create a wonderful lunch of local delicacies and delicious seafood. He, and the farmers and fishermen featured throughout the Hoi An Eco Tour, will surely leave us with a new idea on our own pursuits of happiness.

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Places you’ll see

Hoi An

Tra Que Village

Highlights

Cycling the flat paths around the idyllic Vietnamese scenery of farms, orchards and rice paddies
Helping a local farmer with some of their work in gorgeous surrounds
Taking a basket boat trip down canals flanked by lush, tropical vegetation while we fish with nets
Experiencing the warm hospitality of a third-generation local, Mr. Han, along with his family
Learning of local cuisine via a cooking class led by Mr. Han before enjoying the resulting feast

Itinerary

Activities: Cycling through Hoi An’s rural perimeters, helping farmers, catching fish and joining our local host for a cooking class and lunch before returning to Hoi An.

Await pick-up from your guide at 08:00 am in your hotel lobby when your tour will begin by cycling to the village of Tra Que, known for its rich variety of organic vegetables. Around 150 farmers make their living off the land here, cultivating vegetables and herbs such as lettuce, mint, coriander, broccoli and more. We will join a local farmer in preparing the soil, planting seeds and picking vegetables, 8 tons of which are sold from Tra Que each year, completely free of pesticides and GMOs.

We continue riding past vistas of rice paddies stretching far around us, past Ba Le market and beautiful, humble houses until we reach the fishing village of Van Lang, with its adjacent water coconut forest of Bay Mau. This is 7 hectares of abundant greenery running along the banks of the river in the form of hanging nipa palm and mangrove plants. During the American War, this was a hidden refuge for Vietnamese soldiers, but nowadays is a plentiful source of fish and other seafood for the residents of Hoi An and its satellite villages.

At Van Lang, we will meet the friendly Mr. Han, who will welcome us with green tea and explain his family’s long tradition of fishing around Bay Mau before taking us on a stroll around the village. Head out into Bay Mau on a basket boat and learn of the ancient fishing techniques that still prevail in this area today. Have a go at paddling the circular vessel yourself and catching fish using the traditional chai net.

We will return to Mr. Han’s family house for a medicinal foot spa, a therapeutic practice popular after time spent working on the water or in the fields. We will have a hands-on cooking class by helping the family to prepare lunch, consisting of tam hữu (spring rolls), bánh xeo (crispy shrimp pancakes), cá nướng (grilled fish in banana leaf) and more.

We enjoy a delicious lunch with Mr. Han and his family, experiencing the strong concepts of sharing and community intrinsic to Vietnamese mealtime. After some free time spent relaxing in Van Lang, we return to Hoi An, where we will drop you off at your hotel at around 15:30 pm.

Thank you so much for coming with us on this Hoi An Eco Tour; we trust you enjoyed yourself and learned a lot about the rural life of Central Vietnam along the way!

Meals: Lunch