Vietnam » Central Vietnam » Hoi An | 🏛 Hoi An Lantern Boat Ride

Hoi An: Basket Boat Ride, Lantern Release & Night Market

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.92 (161 reviews) 94% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/13

Duration5h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Hoi An’s evening glow, basket boats drifting and lantern wishes

You’ll paddle a basket boat through Cam Thanh’s coconut groves, wander Hoi An’s ancient lanes with a local guide, share real Vietnamese food for dinner, and float your own lantern down the Hoai River at dusk. The evening ends with free time at Nguyen Hoang night market—expect laughter, gentle chaos and moments you’ll want to hold onto.

Step-by-step itinerary

Pick up from Hoi An hotels
Visit Museum of Folk Culture
Visit Old House of Tan Ky
Visit Japanese Covered Bridge
Visit Fukian Assembly Hall
Transfer to Cam Thanh coconut village
Paddle basket boats in coconut forest
Enjoy authentic Vietnamese food
Evening boat ride on Hoai river
Release lantern on Hoai river
Explore Nguyen Hoang night market
Hotel drop off

The Experience

The first thing that stuck with me wasn’t even the famous Japanese Covered Bridge or the old Tan Ky house — it was the way our guide, Minh, grinned as we squeezed into those round bamboo basket boats in Cam Thanh coconut village. The boat felt wobbly at first (I might’ve squeaked), but Minh just laughed and spun us gently between tangled palms. There was this earthy smell from the water and a kind of soft clapping sound as the oar hit the surface. I didn’t expect to feel so much like a kid again, honestly.

We’d started earlier in Hoi An Ancient Town, weaving past yellow walls and red lanterns with Minh pointing out tiny details — a dragon carved into a doorframe here, a faded Chinese poem there. He told stories about how Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese families all left their mark on these narrow streets. The sun was still sharp then, but by late afternoon it mellowed out and everything felt golden. At some point I tried to say “Fukian Assembly Hall” in Vietnamese; Minh laughed (probably kindly) and said I had invented a new word.

Dinner came after paddling — proper home-style Vietnamese food that tasted like someone’s aunt had cooked it just for us. Then back to town as dusk crept in. The real magic hit during our boat trip on the Hoai River: each of us got a small floating lantern to set adrift. It sounds cheesy maybe, but watching those lights bob away under old bridges… yeah, I still think about that part sometimes. We ended up wandering Nguyen Hoang night market after — sticky fingers from sweet snacks, neon everywhere, people bargaining softly over trinkets. The tour wrapped up before 8pm but my head was still buzzing when we got dropped off at the hotel.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off within central Hoi An, entry to key sites in Hoi An Ancient Town with an English-speaking guide leading you through stories and details you’d miss alone.
a shared bamboo basket boat ride through Cam Thanh coconut village.
an authentic Vietnamese dinner.
a short evening cruise on the Hoai River with your own floating lantern.
bottled water along the way.
plus free time at Nguyen Hoang night market before heading back to your hotel.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelers

Operated by Hoi An Food Tour - Private Day Tours