Hoi An Countryside Tour: Lantern Making & Boat Rides

Farm, row a basket boat, and make a lantern in Hoi An's countryside villages

A 10-hour tour of Hoi An's countryside and ancient town, visiting three villages where you learn farming and row a basket boat, make a lantern to take home, enjoy lunch and a foot massage at a local family's house, then walk the UNESCO-listed old town and ride a sampan through the city. A guide in English leads the full day. Children from age 5 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Tra Que Vegetable Village2h · entry included
2. Hoi An Ancient Town2h · entry included
3. Japanese Covered Bridge1h · entry included
4. Tan Ky Old House25m · entry included

Hoi An countryside and city tour

• Ride bamboo basket boat in water coconut jungle
• Fish for crabs
• Farm vegetables and cultivate soil
• Lunch and foot massage at local family
• Guided walking tour of Hoi An Ancient Town
• Visit Japanese Covered Bridge
• Visit Tan Ky Old House
• Lantern making class and take lantern gift
• 20-minute sampan boat ride
• Explore shopping area and lantern night market

The experience

The morning starts in the villages outside Hoi An, where you'll spend time doing what the locals do. At Tra Que Vegetable Village, you cultivate soil, plant and water vegetables alongside the farmers who work there. You also ride a water buffalo and take a bamboo basket boat into the water coconut jungle to fish for crabs. Lunch comes at a local family's home, followed by a foot massage before you head back into town.

In the afternoon, you make a lantern in a hands-on class and keep what you've made. Then your guide walks you through Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, explaining the Japanese Covered Bridge (built by the Japanese merchants who lived here), the Tan Ky Old House, a Chinese Assembly Hall, and the central market. You get free time to shop among the stalls and lantern shops. A 20-minute sampan boat ride through the city rounds out the day, giving you a view of the night market from the water.

Your guide speaks English throughout, and a private car or minivan with a driver picks you up and brings you back. The tour runs 10 hours and includes all entrance fees, the boat rides, the farming activity, lunch, the foot massage, and the lantern class.

What’s included

• Private car or minivan with a driver.
• entrance tickets to the villages and Hoi An City.
• basket boat rowing, water buffalo ride, and farming activity fees.
• a 20-minute sampan boat ride.
• lunch at a local family home and a foot massage.
• a professional English-speaking guide.
• a lantern-making class with the lantern as a gift.
• and bottled water throughout the day.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (12 to 90 years) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Under 5: can't be booked

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 or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by Andy Private Tours and Transfers

Is this one for you?This tour works best for families with children from age 5 and for groups who want to do things rather than just watch. You're farming, rowing, making, and riding, not standing in front of sights. The 10-hour length means a full day, so book it when you have the time to move through three separate villages and the old town without rushing.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

1 verified traveler review

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years). Children under 5 can't be included in the booking.

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 is Tra Que Vegetable Village like, and what do you actually do there?

Tra Que is a working vegetable farm on the outskirts of Hoi An where you learn farming by doing it: you cultivate the soil, plant vegetables, and water them alongside the farmers. You also ride a water buffalo and take a bamboo basket boat out into the water coconut jungle to fish for crabs.

Do you get to keep the lantern you make in the class?

Yes, the lantern you make is yours to take home as a gift from the tour.

What does the walk through Hoi An Ancient Town include?

Your guide takes you through the UNESCO-listed old town and explains the history of the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Tan Ky Old House (a former merchant house), a Chinese Assembly Hall, and the central market. You also get free time to browse the shops and stalls on your own.

Is the sampan boat ride included, and how long is it?

Yes, a 20-minute sampan boat ride through Hoi An City is included. You'll see the night market and the town from the water.

What's included in the lunch at the local family's home?

Lunch is served at a local family's house, and a foot massage follows afterward. Both are included in the tour price.