Farming and Fishing Tour in Hoi An, Vietnam

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.