Hoi An’s mangrove palm forest interests foreign tourists

PSNews – In addition to various well-known places, Hoi An has more to offer to tourists, including a visit to Van Thanh village, Cam Lang commune, where visitors can experience a tour on basket boats exploring the Bay Mau mangrove palm forest.

Hoi An’s mangrove palm forest interests foreign tourists.
Hoi An’s mangrove palm forest interests foreign tourists.

According to local people, mangrove palm has grown naturally for years and turned an area of seven acres into a forest called Bay Mau. During wartime, the forest served as a revolutionary base and witnessed various important battles and victories of the local people and armed forces.

The forest also covered and sheltered local people from raids of foreign invaders during wartime.

The Bay Mau forest is in between the De Vong, Thu Bon and Hoai rivers and nearby the Dai Estuary. Although this area has recently been exploited by the tourism sector, the forest has attracted a large number of Vietnamese and foreign tourists.

Local rowers often perform their excellent skills in rowing and steering their boats to make the voyage more interesting.
Local rowers often perform their excellent skills in rowing and steering their boats to make the voyage more interesting.

Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, first days of the new year saw more visitors than normal days.

A unique feature of the tour to this area is the ride on “basket boats”, which has interested many foreign tourists.

In addition to ensuring absolute safety for tourists, local rowers often perform their excellent skills in rowing and steering their boats to make the voyage more interesting. They also sing folk songs or perform some tricks to entertain the tourists aboard.

Rowers also make various souvenirs from the palm’s leaves and offer them free to the tourists.

A rower said the free gifts represent the hospitality of local people to tourists. He added that he serve 4 or 5 groups of tourists a day and earn enough for his family.

The forest tour offers different experiences in each month of the year. For example, tourists can enjoy special rice cooked with coconut milk, go net-fishing themselves or catch varunidae with local people if they visit in August of the Lunar Calendar.

By Duy Tien

Other News

Ta Xua named Asia's leading emerging tourism destination 2026

Ta Xua named Asia's leading emerging tourism destination 2026

In recent years, Ta Xua, dubbed "the paradise of clouds", has emerged as one of the mountainous destinations attracting strong interest from young travellers, particularly for its spectacular sea of clouds stretching across the mountains in the northwestern region.

Digital transformation key to preserving, promoting ethnic cultural values

Digital transformation key to preserving, promoting ethnic cultural values

Training local young people in filming, audio recording, digital storytelling, data preservation and responsible use of AI can help build a new generation of cultural custodians. This, in turn, can help transform cultural heritage into a resource for economic development while contributing to the country’s broader development.

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

With growing recognition of indigenous knowledge, customs and cultural values as unique assets, ethnic communities in the northern mountainous region are shifting from simply providing tourism services to becoming creators and owners of tourism products, confidently telling their own cultural stories

UNESCO ready to work with Vietnam to implement International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development initiative: Representative

UNESCO ready to work with Vietnam to implement International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development initiative: Representative

Jonathan Wallace Baker, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, noted that the official proclamation of the 2027–2036 period as the "International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development" comes at a particularly important moment. As the international community works to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda while beginning to consider what comes after 2030, the Decade provides a ten-year framework to strengthen the place of culture in development.

Traditional culture finds new life in contemporary Vietnam

Traditional culture finds new life in contemporary Vietnam

Under Resolution 80-NQ/TW, dated January 7, 2026, November 24 was designated Vietnam Culture Day, to be observed annually. The occasion aims to give the public opportunities to participate in, create and enjoy cultural activities, helping spread positive values and foster pride in Vietnamese culture.

Vietnam prioritises MICE tourism as strategic product

Vietnam prioritises MICE tourism as strategic product

For the MICE tourism sector in both Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam, growth can no longer be driven merely by increasing the number of events; instead, the focus must shift to enhancing the value of each event and the competitiveness of each destination.

Potential of ethnic minority women's football

Potential of ethnic minority women's football

Women’s football movements in local communities have been quietly growing, but they’ve now built up enough momentum to inspire organisers to launch the first Vietnam Ethnic Minority Women’s Football – VTV Cup in 2026.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang named among Vietnam's 11 most beautiful destinations

Phong Nha - Ke Bang named among Vietnam's 11 most beautiful destinations

According to the magazine, boat trips into Phong Nha Cave and strolls through Paradise Cave (both family-friendly) offer a tantalising glimpse of their astonishing scale, but the real adventure lies deeper within the park, where cavers wade through underground rivers and weave among stalagmites.

Tourism seeks new growth momentum under Resolution 26

Tourism seeks new growth momentum under Resolution 26

Tourism effectiveness should be measured not only by visitor numbers and revenue, but also by spending, length of stay, repeat visits, job quality, visitor satisfaction and environmental carrying capacity, said experts.

Vietnam welcomes nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Vietnam tourism maintains strong growth, expands international markets

The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance reported that Vietnam welcomed nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. The figure represented 63.6% of the tourism sector’s full-year target of 25 million arrivals.

First ladies of Vietnam, Myanmar visit Van Phuc silk village

First ladies of Vietnam, Myanmar visit Van Phuc silk village

Ngo Phuong Ly, the spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam, said the two countries share similarities in silk weaving and can enrich their cultural heritage through exchanges and experience sharing.