Tra Que Village farming and lantern making day trip

Plant, harvest and make a lantern in a working vegetable village

This day trip from Hoi An takes you to Tra Que Vegetable Village to farm alongside local growers and prepare lunch with a host family, then return to Hoi An to craft your own silk lantern with a craftsman. The morning covers five hours of hands-on work in the garden — preparing land, sowing, watering and picking greens — followed by lunch, a foot massage, and the afternoon lantern-making class. Bicycle, farming tools, guide and all meals are included; pickup from your hotel is arranged.

Step-by-step itinerary

Farm visit and lantern making

• Meet guide at hotel lobby
• Choose a bicycle at shop
• Ride to Tra Que vegetable farm
• Tour vegetable garden with farmers
• Prepare land and fertilize with seaweed
• Rake ground, sow, water, and pick greens
• Work the land with farmers
• Prepare and enjoy lunch with host family
• Relax with a foot massage
• Say goodbye and ride back to Hoi An
• Ride to craftsman's home
• Learn about lantern history and making
• Make your own lantern souvenir

The Experience

Your guide meets you at your hotel in the morning and takes you to a bicycle shop to choose a bike, then rides with you out to a working farm in Tra Que Village. The village sits on the edge of Hoi An and supplies the fresh vegetables that go into the region's signature dishes — Cao Lau and Quang noodles. Once at the farm, you join the farmers in the actual work: preparing the land, spreading seaweed fertilizer from the local lake, raking, sowing seeds, watering the greens and picking what is ready. This is not a demonstration — you are working alongside them in the garden for the rest of the morning, doing the labor the way they do it.

After the farm work, you break to prepare lunch with your host family. The meal includes local dishes like tam huu spring rolls and banh xeo, the crispy pancakes made in the central region. You eat with the family, then rest with a foot massage before saying goodbye and cycling back to Hoi An.

Late afternoon, you ride to a craftsman's home. He shows you the history and construction of the traditional silk lanterns — the shapes, colors and the steps that go into making one. Then you make your own lantern from start to finish and keep it as a souvenir. The guide speaks English throughout the day, and bottled water is provided.

What’s included

• Bicycle for the day.
• all farming tools.
• English-speaking guide.
• lunch with a host family at a local restaurant.
• foot massage.
• lantern-making class and materials.
• the lantern you make.
• bottled water.
• hotel pickup.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by A Travel Mate And Trading Company Limited

Is this one for you?The morning is spent doing real farm work in the garden — preparing soil, sowing and harvesting — so come ready to get your hands dirty and move at the pace the work sets. If you want to sit and watch, this is not the right tour; if you want to work alongside farmers and understand how the vegetables that flavor Hoi An's meals actually grow, this one is built for that.

Top questions

What kind of farming work do I actually do in Tra Que Village?

You work the land alongside local farmers, preparing soil, spreading seaweed fertilizer, raking, sowing seeds, watering greens and picking vegetables that are ready to harvest. It is real farm labor, not a tour of someone else's work.

What is included in the lunch at the host family's home?

Lunch consists of local dishes including tam huu spring rolls and banh xeo, the traditional crispy pancakes of central Vietnam. You eat with the host family after the morning's farm work.

Do I get to keep the lantern I make?

Yes, the lantern you craft is yours to keep as a souvenir. The craftsman teaches you the steps and you make it yourself in the afternoon class.

Is the bicycle included, or do I need to bring my own?

A bicycle is included in the tour. You choose one at a local bike shop in the morning before riding out to Tra Que Village.

What time does the day start and end?

Your guide picks you up from your hotel in the morning. The full experience runs about five hours, ending in late afternoon after the lantern-making class in Hoi An.

Is this tour suitable if I have never farmed before?

Yes, the tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. The farmers show you what to do, and you learn by doing the work alongside them.