Hoi An Eco Tourism Experience In Vietnam

Post Last Modified – February 25, 2021

Enjoy Hoi An Eco Tourism Day Tours in Vietnam

Having reached our furthest destination to the north on our journey in Southern Vietnam, my son and I had the pleasure of spending a full day with the owner of Hoi An Eco Tourism; Mr. Hoang. What a wonderful Eco Friendly Day Tour it was exploring the countryside on bicycles and later, farming for rice and fishing in the river!

Step out of the box and discover an Eco Friendly Tour.

An Amazing Hoi An Eco Friendly Day Tour

Theres no better way to experience the Vietnam’s beautiful countryside and local village life than that on a bicycle tour with a local guide to show you the way. This day spent with our guide and owner Mr. Hoang, (first name) was truly the highlight for both of us on our 3 week tour up the coast of Vietnam!

Sure we had some great experiences along the way, such as a wonderful Scooter Food Tour in Ho Chi Minh City with some great local University Students, but to spend a day with the locals toexperience and learn about rice farming and fishing on the river, was incredible!

Mr. Hoang will bike you throughout thecountryside, passing by local farms, homes and the part of Hoi An town where the locals live. Biking at a leisurely pace, stopping many times to point out things as you go along, making it a perfect eco friendly adventure for most everyone!

Eco Tourism From Fishermen To Rice Farming

Cycling in the Countryside of Hoi An

Mr. Hoangs Hoi An Eco Tourism Businessis strictly local and he, along with family members who own a local rice farm in Cam Thanh village, is very enthusiastic and eager to show visitors his home and way of life on their farm.

They still grow rice on their farm today as many do to feed their families throughout the year.

The main purpose of Hoi An Ecotourism is to provide our guest with the opportunity to experience firsthand the authentic daily lives of the local fishing and farming communities in Cam Thanh village of Hoi An City.

A Brief History Of Historic Hoi An Vietnam

Ancient Bridge in Old Town Hoi An

Ancient Hoi An (Old Town) dates back over 2000 years of cultural history having been a major port for the Cham Kingdom controlling the spice trade from the 10^th to the 17^th Century, later becoming a major international port.

In 1999, the old town was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO with its many historic old buildings still standing, displaying how it once was a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries. Many of the structures show a special mixture of both local and foreign inspirations.

Today, although greatly commercialized for tourists with the majority of the buildings housing gift shops and restaurants, its still an exciting experience to walk the old streets, cross a bridge thousands of years old, shop and enjoy the many dining options and street vendor food available to tourists.

The evening hours are a particularly exciting time and not to be missed!

For more complete information on this UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Heritage Site, I have listed two informative website links below for your convenience.

Cycling In Th e Hoi An Countryside

Our Hoi An Eco Tourism Tour Adventure

Biking along Rice Fields

Our tour began bright and early in the morning, with Mr Hoang meeting us at our hotel for a 7:30 pickup. A good thing, because South Vietnam is Hot!!!

From the hotel, we hopped on our bikes and made our way through town to the nearby countryside and rice fields. We stopped many times for pictures with Mr Hoang explaining what the workers in the rice fields were doing.

Slowly biking on paths between the fields in a peaceful and quiet setting, we arrived at his home on the farm nearby.

Rice Farming & Cooking

Hoi An Eco Tourism

Dressed and Ready to Go Rice Farming!

Here, we would be given a hands demonstration of real authentic rice farming and cultivating.

From getting down and dirty plowing a rice paddy behind their water buffalo, to actually planting rice plants for farming, it makes you realize how hard these people work each and every day in order to feed their families.

Getting Up Close and Personal With Our Water Buffalo!

The farms Water Buffalo is very important to local farmers and still used today to plow the fields for rice farming. A very strong animal and devoted to its owner, it is taught basic commands for turns, stopping and starting and will only listen to its owner!

Smoothing Out The Field For Planting Rice

After excavating the soil with the plow, the farmers then ride on a bamboo platform smoothing out the soil under the water preparing for planting. Trust me, this is very hard work and I can’t imaging having to do this labor intensive work all day long!

Moving Water from Field to Field with a Bamboo Basket

Above is how farmers traditionally moved water from field to field using a bamboo basket. This method is still used among Vietnamese farmers who do not have access to water pumps and more modern farming equipment.

Inserting Rice Plants Into The Prepared Ride Paddy

Once the soil is prepared and ready for planting. Farmers then painstakingly plant individual rice plants by hand into the wet muddy soil.

Enjoy A Fun Cooking Class – Hoi An Eco Tourism

Having Fun Cooking A Rice Pancake!

After demonstrating how rice was once cultivated and made ready for eating, we enjoyed a small cooking class preparing delicious rice pancakes.

Your tour will include an excellent traditional Vietnamese lunch prepared by family members at his home. A lovely surprise we did not expect, to enjoy a wonderful lunch outdoors on his private patio in the countryside!

From Farming To Fishing – Hoi An Eco Tourism

Bikes Loaded Onto Our Private Boat

Bundles of Bamboo shown in the picture above are soaked for days making them stronger then ever for multi uses in Vietnam!

After enjoying a break and our lunch, we hopped back on our bikes with Mr Hoang taking us on a scenic ride through the local village and homes to the river bank. Once we arrived at the river, we loaded our bikes on to a river boat to head out and try our luck at net fishing!

Getting Ready to Board Our Tiny River Fish Boat

Stopping in the middle of the river and boarding a narrow fish boat with a lovely elderly couple showing their amazing skills on the water, they showed us the art of and skill of net fishing.

They then had us hop in their small boat and had us give it a try an opportunity to try. Great fun had by all!

Giving it a try!

It literally was like standing in a canoe, trying to keep your balance and throwing a heavy weighted net into the water without you falling in! I was so impressed with these two elders and watching how easy it seemed to them after years of fishing.

She manages the boat in the strong waves and current, while he does the fishing.

Hopping into a Traditional Vietnamese Round Boat

We then made our way to a small canal in the countryside, where we boarded a traditional small round fish boat. Here we had a great time paddling and making our way along the bamboo laced canal.

It was like taking a small boat ride at Disneyland, complete with singing and laughter thrown in for good measure!

Making our way along theRiver Canals in our Round Boats

After a short time on the water, enjoying the scenery and fresh cool river air, we made our way back to shore and continued our bike journey making our way back to the hotel by mid – afternoon.

What a wonderful day and experience with such Mr Hoang graciously inviting us to his home, demonstrating his knowledge of rice farming and so much more!

Enjoying the Scenery Along the River Banks

This truly is a wonderful Eco Adventure Day Tour that the whole family will enjoy and simply must not be missed when visiting this historic destination in Vietnam!

Mr. Hoang offers a variety of small group tours and will certainly put together anything that you may wish besides those listed on his website.

Below, I have listed the official Hoi An Eco Tourism website for your convenience, where you can access much more detailed information including an email address where you can contact him directly.

Mr Hoang is a highly educated man with superb English and would be happy to answer any email questions you may have regarding his tours.

Hoi An Eco Tour

A tripadvisor 5 star rating!

Mr Andy Hoang is proud to announce the expansion of his tour company, now offering exclusive Da Nang and Hoi An private shore excursions for Cruise Ship passengers.

If your travel plans include a cruise to these destinations, then be sure to check out what Andy has to offer. For more detailed information on these tours, I have listed a website link for your convenience below.

DA NANG HOI AN PRIVATE SHORE EXCURSION

I’ve also listed the Official Vietnam Tourism link below to their website for your convenience. It’s filled with excellent information to assist in your travel planning to this Beautiful Country.

Visit Vietnam Tourism

Safe and Healthy Travels!

Although our tour was in collaboration with the Hoi An Eco Tourism In Vietnam, rest assured all content and opinions are that of the author and reflect my personal experience only.

✨ Did You Know

“Approximately 38% Of Vietnamese People Have The Surname Nguyen (pronounced as “win”).”

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