During a recent holiday in Hoi An, we joined a farming and fishing tour in Hoi An’s beautiful surrounding countryside. Everybody told us we were crazy taking our 2-year old and 4-year old out on a 6-hour day tour in the full-on Vietnamese heat, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. We had a blast, and it was an incredible experience for the kids, who loved every minute.
We kicked off our Hoi An tour by cycling bikes through the paddy fields and taking in the rural scenes – conical hat wearing farmers tending to their crops and water buffalo ploughing the fields.
Our first stop was at the Tra Que Vegetable Village. This organic vegetable and herb farm is so beautifully presented, it is hard to believe it is a working farm that supplies much of Hoi An with its fresh produce. Here, we learnt the traditional methods for planting and watering the vegetables, with everyone having a chance for some hands-on fun.
My 4-year old daughter loved learning to till the soil and plant the vegetables – while I had a bit of fun wielding a watering can! I hear there is a very good restaurant on site here too, where you can also do cooking classes.
From Tra Que Vegetable Village we cycled along palm-lined paths through the paddy fields, passing flocks of ducks scrabbling up muddy banks and water buffalo catching forty winks in the shade to reach our next stop – water buffalo riding! My kids were beyond excited at the prospect of riding a water buffalo, and it didn’t disappoint – although I confess my thighs were sore for days afterwards from gripping on for dear life.
Our brush with the farming life over, we joined a boat on the Cua Dai River for the fishing section of the tour. First we learnt to paddle bamboo basket boats and take them for a ride along the secluded waterways, before meeting up with some local fishermen – an ancient husband and wife team who taught us to a few traditional net fishing techniques. We were none of us very good – but it was certainly fun to give it a go.
Our tour ended with a delicious Vietnamese lunch on board the boat, cooked by our friendly crew, who also kept the kids entertained by making them some amazingly intricate creations from palm fronds.
Click here to book this tour through Viator.com
This family friendly tour in Hoi An is included it in our roundup of Things to Do in Hoi An with Kids. You can see more photos of this fun tour on our Facebook page.
If you are looking for hotel recommendations in Hoi An or Danang check out our article about the Best Family Friendly Hotels in Hoi An and Danang.
Mum on the Move went ‘undercover’ and paid for our own tour with Jack Trans EcoTours. As always all opinions in the review are honest, and our own.
Thanks Lindsey – Hoi An really is an amazing place, definitely one of my favourites! And yes the kids had a blast!
Marianne Rogerson recently posted…Farming and Fishing Tour in Hoi An, Vietnam
Looks awesome – so educational, not to mention, fantastic for the children. 🙂 #MBPW
Absolutely Anya – good for the kids to learn there is more to Vietnam than beach resorts 😉
Marianne Rogerson recently posted…Pulau Ubin with Kids: A Singapore Day Trip
Looks like fun! Great post, Glad the kids loved it! It has to be hard planing adventures around the kids.
David recently posted…9 Adventures You Must Have in Europe
Thanks David! Yes we are slowly trying to turn them into intrepid travelers! We have to balance it out though – an adventure followed by a playground or a swimming pool!
Marianne Rogerson recently posted…Gift Ideas for Families who Travel
Your trip proved very educational. Learning to paddle bamboo basket boats and traditional vegetable gardening seems like an interesting way to spend a trip.
Thanks Dennis!
Marianne,
What types of produce were they growing on the farm? Traditional Vietnamese produce? Anything we are used to seeing here? What was the most unusual thing growing there?
Rick
It was mainly herbs, salad and vegetables. Nothing particularly new to see in terms of produce, it was more about the experience 🙂
This looks like a great tour, especially the fishing. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Marianne, I think, This resembles an extraordinary place to visit and it would appear that the youngsters truly delighted in the trek. BTW thanks for sharing.
This looks truly amazing. I’m about to go to Vietnam later this year, and I’m trying to read up a bit before I go. Judging from these pictures I have a great time to look forward to 😉
Anna recently posted…Sommaren tar all fokus
Thanks Anna – I hope you have a great time! Vietnam is one of my favourite places 🙂
Looks fab. We are in Hoi An at the moment. Did they have bikes for the kids?
Annie
Sorry for the late reply, I was traveling. I think they did have kids’ bikes but as ours were too young we opted for child seats.
hi thanks for your sharing. I want to join this Farming and Fishing tour with my 6-year old. I’m concerned about the cycling part as my kid can’t ride a bike yet. Do you mind sharing how your 4-year old handled that part? The tour i’m looking at could provide scooter service, which means a local will have my kid on back of their scooter. I have been told the cycling part is about 45mins long. This gets me a bit concerned. it would be great if you could share further experience of yours. Thanks
Hi – they gave us bike seats for the kids, so they rode on the back of our bikes. It’s all along paddy fields and off-road paths, so not on the roads at all. I hope that helps! Have a great time!