Hoi An Countryside Tour: Water Buffalo, Pottery & Local Lunch

You work the soil, shape clay, and ride a buffalo, then eat what the village makes.

A private countryside tour from Hoi An that takes you beyond the Old Town to meet farmers, potters and fishermen in their daily work. You'll plant vegetables at Tra Que, make pottery by hand, ride water buffalo through the fields, paddle bamboo basket boats through coconut palms, and finish with an authentic lunch of Bánh Xèo and Cao Lầu cooked in a local home. Hotel pickup within 5 miles of the Old Town, English-speaking guide, all entry tickets and drinks included. The tour runs 4 to 5 hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Hoi An countryside adventure and local culture

• Visit bustling local fish market
• Make pottery in pottery village
• Travel to farming village on country roads
• Hoe soil and water veggies in herb garden
• Ride water buffalo in countryside
• Enjoy local drip-coffee and learn roasting
• Learn to paddle Vietnamese bamboo basket boats
• Take basket boat ride and catch crabs
• Visit local family for traditional lunch
• Return to hotel and end trip

The experience

The day starts at a fish market where you walk through the stalls, then move by scooter or Vespa into the pottery village to learn how to shape clay by hand. From there you head into the farming countryside along quiet country roads, stopping at Tra Que Vegetable Village to work alongside local farmers: hoeing soil, watering herbs in the organic garden, getting your hands into the actual work instead of watching it happen. The guide is English-speaking and knows the villages well enough to introduce you to the people who live there.

After the fields, you ride a water buffalo through the landscape, then stop at a local café to learn how coffee is roasted before drinking it fresh. The next stop is the coconut waterways, where you learn to paddle a Vietnamese bamboo basket boat (a round, shallow vessel that looks nothing like what you'd expect), and drift through the palms. Some tours include a chance to catch small crabs in the green water. The guide will explain the history of these waterways during the war and what soldiers endured on both sides.

Lunch happens at a local family's home, where they cook two signature Hoi An dishes: Bánh Xèo (crispy rice pancakes) and Cao Lầu, the famous noodle specialty that exists almost nowhere else in Vietnam. This is where you eat what the village actually eats, not a restaurant version of it. After lunch, the driver takes you back to your hotel. The whole experience is built around doing things with your hands and meeting the people who do them every day.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup within 5 miles of Hoi An's Old Town.
• English-speaking local guide and licensed driver.
• all entry tickets to the villages and waterways.
• bamboo basket boat rental.
• cold bottled water, local drip coffee and fresh juice.
• pottery-making instruction at the craft village.
• water buffalo ride through the farming fields.
• and a choice of lunch options: some tours include Bánh Xèo and Cao Lầu cooked at a local family's home, while others skip the meal.

Options for this experience

4 options

Modern scooter without a mealGuide in English · 7 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 14:00Private tour: only your group takes part, traveling at a flexible pace. Lasts 4 hours 30 minutes, from hotel pickup to drop-off. Pickup and drop-off in Hoi An: you are collected at your hotel or meeting point in downtown Hoi An (no more than 5 km away). Modern 125cc scooter: all guests ride as passengers behind experienced drivers. An infant rides on a scooter together with an adult. Pickup is included.

Modern scooter with a local mealGuide in English · 7 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 14:00Private tour: only your group takes part, traveling at a flexible pace. Lasts 4 hours 30 minutes, from hotel pickup to drop-off. Pickup and drop-off in Hoi An: you are collected at your hotel or meeting point in downtown Hoi An (no more than 5 km away). Vietnamese lunch or dinner: enjoy tasty local dishes at a pleasant restaurant before the tour ends. Modern 125cc scooter: all guests ride as passengers behind experienced drivers. An infant rides on a scooter together with an adult. Pickup is included.

Classic Vespa without a mealGuide in English · 7 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 14:00Private tour: only your group takes part, traveling at a flexible pace. Lasts 4 hours 30 minutes, from hotel pickup to drop-off. Pickup and drop-off in Hoi An: you are collected at your hotel or meeting point in downtown Hoi An (no more than 5 km away). Lasts 4 hours. Classic Italian 150cc Vespa: ride a vintage Vespa. All guests ride as passengers behind experienced drivers. An infant rides on a Vespa together with an adult. Ride a vintage Vespa. Vespa is more than transportation; it stands for a lifestyle and freedom. Experience it with JohnLee Tours. Pickup is included.

Classic Vespa with a local mealGuide in English · 7 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 14:00Private tour: only your group takes part, traveling at a flexible pace. Lasts 4 hours 30 minutes, from hotel pickup to drop-off. Pickup and drop-off in Hoi An: you are collected at your hotel or meeting point in downtown Hoi An (no more than 5 km away). Vietnamese lunch or dinner: enjoy tasty local dishes at a pleasant restaurant before the tour ends. Classic Italian 150cc Vespa: all guests ride as passengers behind experienced drivers. An infant rides on a Vespa together with an adult. Vespa: you can sit on and try Vespas first built right after World War II, in 1946. Vespa is more than transportation; it stands for a lifestyle and freedom. Experience it with JohnLee Tours. Pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day7 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 14:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (15 to 90 years) · Youth (10 to 14 years) · Child (5 to 9 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by John Lee Tours

Is this one for you?Book the option with the meal if you want to eat where locals eat and spend time in a family's home. Choose the no-meal version if you prefer to keep the tour shorter or eat separately. Either way, this is built around doing things with your hands (planting, shaping clay, paddling) not sitting in a van watching the countryside pass by.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (10 to 14 years); Child (5 to 9 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the difference between the Scooter and Vespa options on this tour?

You choose your transport at checkout: a modern scooter or a classic Vespa. Both follow the same route and stops. The Vespa is the vintage experience, the scooter is the practical one. Some options include the local lunch, others don't.

Do I need to know how to ride a scooter or Vespa to book this?

No. The driver operates the vehicle and you ride as a passenger. You're not driving yourself. You're traveling by scooter or Vespa as your transport through the countryside.

What exactly do you do at Tra Que Vegetable Village?

Tra Que is an organic farming village where you work alongside local farmers in the fields: hoeing soil, watering vegetables and herbs. You're not observing. You're doing the daily work they do, then riding a water buffalo through the same landscape afterward.

Is the bamboo basket boat ride safe?

Yes. The bamboo basket boats are traditional fishing vessels used on the coconut waterways for generations. The guide teaches you how to paddle one, and you drift through the palms. It's a hands-on activity, not a passive boat tour.

What does the lunch include, and where do you eat it?

Lunch is cooked at a local family's home and includes Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese crispy rice pancakes) and Cao Lầu, a noodle dish unique to Hoi An. You eat in their home and experience Vietnamese hospitality directly. This is included in some options but not others. Check which one you're booking.

How far is the tour from central Hoi An, and what time does it start?

Hotel pickup is included for any hotel within 5 miles of the Old Town. The tour runs 4 to 5 hours total. Specific start times depend on which option you book. Confirm the departure time when you reserve.