My Son Ruins Tour: Private Guide & Rice Paper Workshop

The Cham people built My Son over ten centuries, and the ruins still stand in the jungle where they left them.

A private tour from Hoi An that takes you to My Son, one of Vietnam's most important heritage sites, where a local English-speaking guide explains the thousand-year history of the Cham civilization among the temple ruins. The tour includes hotel pickup within 8km of Hoi An city centre, entrance to My Son, an Apsara dance demonstration beside the temples, a rice paper workshop with a local family, and fresh rice paper with Vietnamese coffee or tea. Children from age 6 are welcome. The tour runs about five hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore My Son ruins and rice paper workshop

• Pick up from Hoi An hotel
• Drive through countryside to My Son
• Visit My Son temple complex
• Watch Apsara dance at temples
• Stop at rice paper workshop
• Make and taste rice paper snack
• Return to Hoi An

The experience

The morning starts with pickup from your hotel in Hoi An, then an hour's drive through the countryside into rural Vietnam. The landscape opens up as you leave the city behind: rice fields, small villages, the quiet that comes when you are away from the tourist zones. My Son appears gradually, a temple complex built by the Cham people over more than ten centuries to honor Hindu gods. Your guide walks you through the ruins and explains who built them and why, turning the stones into a story instead of just a backdrop.

At the temples themselves, you stop to watch an Apsara dance performance: the classical Cham style, performed right there beside the historic structures. It is a short moment but it anchors the place in something living instead of only archaeological. The guide shares details about what else to see and do in Hoi An while you are there, practical tips for the rest of your stay.

On the drive back to Hoi An, the tour stops at a rice paper workshop run by a local family. You make fresh rice paper yourself: learning the technique, handling the materials, tasting what you just made with a cup of Vietnamese coffee or tea. It is the kind of thing travelers usually only read about. Here you do it. The family talks about the rural Vietnamese way of life while you are there, not as a performance but as part of the day.

What’s included

• Private hotel pickup within 8km of Hoi An city centre (or meeting point at Hoi An Post Office if further).
• English-speaking local guide.
• entrance fee to My Son.
• Apsara dance performance at the temples.
• rice paper workshop with a local family.
• fresh rice paper with Vietnamese coffee or tea.
• tips on what to see, do and eat in Hoi An.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (6 to 11 years) · Under 6: 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.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Intrepid Urban Adventures - Vietnam

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to leave the city and spend a morning with a guide who knows the Cham history and the countryside. The private format means the pace stays yours, and the rice paper workshop is the kind of hands-on moment most visitors miss.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 11 years). Children under 6 can't be included in the booking.

What exactly is My Son and why is it important?

My Son is one of Vietnam's most important heritage sites, a temple complex built by the Cham people over ten centuries to honor Hindu gods. It provides a unique insight into the lives of the Cham civilization, which flourished here over a thousand years ago.

How long is the drive from Hoi An to My Son?

The drive takes about an hour through rural Vietnam, starting early in the morning from your hotel in Hoi An.

Do I make the rice paper myself, or just watch?

You make the rice paper yourself as part of the workshop: learning the technique from the local family who runs it, then tasting what you made with Vietnamese coffee or tea.

What if my hotel is outside the 8km pickup zone?

If your hotel is further than 8km from Hoi An city centre, you can meet the tour at the front entrance of the Hoi An Post Office (6 Tran Hung Dao street) instead of arranging a separate pickup.

What if the rice paper workshop is closed on the day of my tour?

The rice paper workshop is run by a local family and occasionally closes without notice. If that happens, the tour visits an alternate site of equal interest instead.