Hoi An Ancient Town & Cam Thanh Bastket Boat Shore Excursions

Hoi An is the star here, but the basket boat ride through Cam Thanh’s coconut forest gives the day its local flavor. You’ll start from Chan May Port, see how silk is made, eat lunch, then spend three hours walking Hoi An’s old streets and shopping for small Vietnamese keepsakes.

I like the easy port pickup and the fact that lunch, bottled water, transport, entrance fees, and an English-speaking guide are included. I also like the balanced mix of countryside and town life. The catch is the long road time between Chan May and Hoi An, so this is a full shore day, not a quick port outing.

Key points to know before booking

• A full-day port excursion: The tour lasts about nine hours, including the drive from Chan May Port to Hoi An and back.
• A traditional round basket boat: You’ll ride through the Bay Mau Coconut Forest at Cam Thanh, a setting linked with local river life.
• Silk making comes before the boat ride: The day includes a stop at a traditional silk-weaving village.
• Three hours in Hoi An: You get time for historic streets, local life, shopping, and a closer look at the town’s old architecture.
• Small enough to stay manageable: The group is limited to 20 people, with an English-speaking guide and air-conditioned vehicle.
• Useful cruise-port pickup: The driver and guide drop you inside Chan May Port, about 200 meters from your ship.

From Chan May Port to Hoi An

Your day begins at Chan May Port in Mỹ An, Phú Lộc, with pickup arranged at the port. The stated meeting point is Chan May Port Car Rental on the road into the port, and the driver and guide return you inside the port at the end, about 200 meters from your cruise ship.

That final detail matters. Shore excursions can become stressful when you are dropped at a city meeting point and left to find your own way back through port gates. Here, the return is built around the ship’s location. Still, give yourself a little breathing room before the ship’s departure time, as road conditions and port traffic can change.

The drive to Hoi An takes up part of the nine-hour day. The exact travel time is not stated, but the tour notes make clear that the remaining hours are used for the two-way journey between Chan May and Hoi An. In practical terms, you should expect a long day with several hours on the road, balanced by roughly three hours at Cam Thanh and three hours in the ancient town.

The air-conditioned vehicle is a welcome inclusion in central Vietnam’s heat. Bottled water is also provided. Since the tour is shared and capped at 20 people, you get a group setting rather than a private car, but the limit keeps it from becoming an enormous shore-excursion crowd.

Silk weaving and the craft behind the cloth

The first cultural stop is a traditional silk-weaving village. This gives you a useful introduction to local craftsmanship before the day moves on to the river and old town.

The appeal is not only the finished fabric. You can see the work behind it, which helps put Hoi An’s many textile and clothing shops into context. The information provided does not give the village’s name or spell out the exact demonstrations, so I would not expect a detailed workshop unless your guide confirms one on the day.

If you enjoy seeing how local goods are made, this is a worthwhile opening stop. If you are mainly interested in Hoi An’s buildings and lantern-lit lanes, the silk visit may feel like an extra layer rather than the main event. It is best viewed as a short cultural introduction, not the central attraction.

The tour’s guide is an important part of this stop. An English-speaking guide can explain what you are seeing and help distinguish a working craft tradition from a simple souvenir display. Up Travel Vietnam has previously handled arrangements with staff named Hannah and Lily, also called Linh Linh, while Celina was described as a local guide on a Hoi An visit. Guide assignments can change, so ask who will lead your departure if a particular guide matters to you.

Three hours at Cam Thanh Coconut Village

Cam Thanh is the rural half of the day. The village is known for coconut groves, waterways, mangrove forest, and a river-based way of life. You get about three hours here, including the basket boat experience.

The round Vietnamese basket boat is the memorable part. Rather than sitting in a standard sightseeing boat, you ride in a compact woven craft used in the region. The trip takes you through the Bay Mau Coconut Forest, where the water and coconut trees create a sharp contrast with Hoi An’s old streets.

The provided details do not specify the exact length of the ride, the number of people in each boat, or who rows it. Those details can vary, so do not book this expecting a fixed private ride or a guaranteed hands-on lesson. The confirmed point is that a traditional basket boat trip through the coconut forest is included.

I like this stop because it gives the day a change of pace. You are not spending all nine hours looking at buildings or sitting in a vehicle. Cam Thanh lets you see a greener, more rural side of the Hoi An area and gives the tour its most unusual transport.

There is one practical limit. The basket boat ride is an organized attraction within a popular village destination, so you should not expect complete solitude. The tour description promises a scenic ride and a look at river culture, not a remote wilderness trip.

Three hours at Cam Thanh also means you have time beyond the boat itself. You might find that the guide uses some of this time to explain the coconut groves and local setting. Since the precise schedule is not listed, the pace may depend on traffic, group timing, and the day’s conditions.

Local lunch between the countryside and town

Lunch is included and features local delicacies. That is useful on a shore day, since you do not have to spend time finding a restaurant or worry about fitting a meal into the return schedule.

The exact menu is not provided, so you should not assume a certain dish, restaurant, or dietary arrangement. If you have food restrictions, contact Up Travel Vietnam before booking and ask what can be accommodated. Personal expenses are not included, so drinks, snacks, or extra purchases beyond the provided meal may be your responsibility.

The lunch also works well in the day’s rhythm. Cam Thanh supplies the rural setting, lunch gives you a pause, and Hoi An follows with walking and shopping. That combination is more comfortable than trying to cover the old town immediately after a long drive from the port.

Three hours walking Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site with preserved historic buildings, narrow streets, and a blend of cultural influences. You get about three hours here, with time to explore, shop, and take in the town’s daily character.

This is where the tour earns much of its price. Hoi An is not just a single sight you check off in a few minutes. Its appeal comes from moving through the old center, looking at the architecture, noticing how the streets are used, and seeing shops and local businesses woven into the historic setting.

Your guide can help give the town a sense of place rather than leaving you to wander without context. The supplied information does not name specific buildings or promise entry to individual landmarks, so treat the three hours as a guided visit with free time, not as a ticket covering every attraction in town.

The free time is especially useful. You can browse for souvenirs, look at local products, or simply walk at your own speed. Hoi An is known for shopping, but you should keep personal expenses in mind because purchases are not included in the tour price.

Three hours is a reasonable amount of time for a first look, though it will not cover every lane and museum. If you want a slow, detailed study of the town, a full independent day would give you more freedom. If you want to see Hoi An while also fitting in Cam Thanh, the schedule makes sense.

The old town stop also balances the boat ride. Cam Thanh shows you a water-based rural setting, while Hoi An shows you a preserved urban center. Neither stop has to carry the whole day by itself.

Is $155 a fair price?

At $155 per person, this is not the cheapest way to reach Hoi An from a cruise ship. But the comparison should be with the real cost and effort of arranging a long port day yourself, not with the price of a short city walk.

The fee includes:

• Pickup and return inside Chan May Port
• Air-conditioned transport
• An English-speaking guide
• Lunch
• Bottled water
• Admission fees and taxes
• Cam Thanh and Hoi An visits
• The basket boat experience

You are paying for coordination as much as sightseeing. The driver, guide, port return, meal, countryside stop, and town visit are combined into one day. That can be good value for you if you want a structured outing and do not want to negotiate transport from the ship.

The value is less clear if you only want Hoi An Ancient Town. A tour that includes Cam Thanh and a long road journey will feel busy if your sole priority is shopping or architecture. The $155 price makes more sense for someone who wants several experiences in one shore excursion.

Group size also affects the calculation. With a maximum of 20 people, you are not buying a private tour, but you are getting a smaller limit than a large coach group. Ask how many people are booked when you reserve if group atmosphere is important to you.

What the earlier service details suggest

The strongest service theme in the supplied feedback is communication. Hannah was praised for helping with planning and answering questions, including unusual ones, before departure. Lily, also referred to as Linh Linh, handled arrangements through a cruise Facebook group and WhatsApp and was described as responsive.

That matters because cruise excursions need clear timing and meeting instructions. You may want to confirm the pickup point, ship return time, meal arrangements, and assigned guide before sailing. Celina was identified as a local guide on a Hoi An and basket boat outing, so you can ask if she is available for your date, though no guide is guaranteed.

The service was also described as disciplined and well organized, with good road conditions noted. That does not remove the risk of a long day on the road, but it supports the tour’s main strength: keeping a complicated port-to-Hoi-An route under one plan.

The experience has a top rating based on only three submitted ratings. That is encouraging, but it is a small sample. I would put more weight on the specific details: responsive planning, local guiding, organized transport, and good hospitality.

Who should book this shore excursion?

This tour fits you best if you want to see both rural Cam Thanh and historic Hoi An in one day. It is also a good match if you prefer having transport, lunch, and the return to port arranged in advance.

Families and mixed-interest groups may like the variety. One person can enjoy the basket boat, another can focus on the old town, and everyone gets free time in Hoi An. Most people can participate, according to the tour information, but the activity includes walking through the ancient town and boarding a basket boat, so anyone with personal mobility concerns should ask the operator for current details.

You may want a different plan if you dislike long drives, prefer a private schedule, or want several quiet hours in Hoi An alone. The tour is designed for coverage, not a slow day in one place.

Free cancellation is available when you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Changes or cancellations made less than 24 hours ahead are not accepted for a refund.

Should you book it?

Book this if you want a well-organized full-day introduction to the Hoi An area from Chan May Port. The strongest reasons are the port pickup, the unusual basket boat ride, included lunch, and three hours in Hoi An rather than a rushed photo stop.

Think twice if $155 feels high for a shared tour or if you want to spend nearly all day in the ancient town. The road journey takes a real portion of the schedule, and the silk village and Cam Thanh stops mean less free time in Hoi An.

For a first visit from a cruise ship, I find the mix appealing. You see craft work, countryside waterways, local food, and one of Vietnam’s best-preserved old towns, with the return to the ship built into the plan. That is a lot for one day, but it is also the reason to choose it.

FAQ

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts and ends at Chan May Port Car Rental on Đường Vào Cảng Chân Mây, Mỹ An, Phú Lộc, Huế, Vietnam. The guide and driver return you inside Chan May Port, about 200 meters from your cruise ship.

How long does the experience last?

The tour lasts approximately nine hours. The remaining time beyond the listed visits is used for travel between Chan May Port and Hoi An in both directions.

Is lunch included?

Yes. Lunch featuring local delicacies is included. Personal expenses are not included.

Is the basket boat ride included?

Yes. The tour includes a basket boat ride through the Bay Mau Coconut Forest in Cam Thanh.

How large is the group?

The tour has a maximum of 20 travelers.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.