Hoi An Full Day Tour: Fishing, Cooking & Ancient Town

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/10

Duration8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Catch crabs in basket boats, cook what locals eat, then walk the lantern-lit streets of a 16th-century trading port.

This full-day tour in Hoi An puts you in the daily rhythms of rural and urban local life: you fish for crabs and fish using simple tools in Bay Mau coconut forest, join a cooking competition in a fisherman's home learning to make Banh Khoai and spring rolls, eat lunch from what you cooked, then explore Hoi An ancient town's Japanese bridge and Chinese clubhouses before making lanterns and catching a local theater performance. Private car and English-speaking guide included; children from age 1 welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Hoi An countryside and ancient town tour

Pick up at hotels
Go to Bay Mau water coconut forest
Take basket boats to fish crabs
Learn to use simple fishing tools
Visit local family for cooking class
Cook local specialties and compete
Have lunch with cooked food
Enjoy foot massage with local herbs
Visit Hoi An ancient town highlights
Watch performance at Hoi An theater
Make lanterns and visit market

The Experience

The day starts with a pickup at your hotel and a drive to Bay Mau water coconut forest, where you board a basket boat with local fishermen. You learn to handle the simple fishing tools they use—bamboo traps, hand lines—and try your luck catching crabs and fish in the shallow water. It is not staged; the fishermen are working, and whether you catch anything depends on the tide and the day.

From the water you move to a local family's kitchen for a cooking class that doubles as a friendly competition. You prepare Banh Khoai (Vietnamese rice pancakes) and Nem ran (fried spring rolls) alongside other travelers, and the family's cook judges who deserves the title "Local Master Chef" and awards a prize. Lunch is what you just cooked, eaten at the family table with fresh coconut water drawn from the trees outside. After the meal, a local-style foot massage using herbal medicines rounds out the afternoon at the house.

The second half moves into Hoi An ancient town, the largest international trading port of Vietnam from the 16th century onward. Your guide takes you through the Japanese covered bridge, the Tân Ký ancient house, and the Phuc Kien clubhouse—all still standing with their original wooden architecture and lantern decorations. At the Hoi An theater, you watch a live performance: plays, dramas, Champa dance, or a round of bingo. The tour closes with a stop at a lantern maker's workshop where you craft your own, then a walk through Hoi An market before heading back to your hotel.

What’s included

Private car pickup from your hotel.
basket boat rides in the coconut forest.
a hands-on cooking class where you prepare Banh Khoai and spring rolls, compete for the "Local Master Chef" title, and eat lunch from what you cooked.
a traditional foot massage with local herbal medicines at the fisherman's family home.
entry to Hoi An ancient town, the Japanese covered bridge, Tân Ký ancient house, and Phuc Kien clubhouse.
a live performance at Hoi An theater.
lantern-making materials and instruction.
two bottles of water per person.
and an English-speaking guide for the full day.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Private Tours By Local Guides

Is this one for you?This tour suits small groups and families who want to move beyond sightseeing into the actual work and meals of rural and urban Hoi An life. The private car and fixed itinerary mean the day holds together without anyone building it, and the cooking class and fishing are hands-on rather than watched from a distance—you are doing the work, not observing it.