Bay Mau Coconut Forest is a must-visit eco-tourism destination in Hoi An. Here, visitors can enjoy bamboo basket boat rides through lush coconut forests in a tranquil atmosphere, witness basket boat performances, join boat racing, and savor local specialties.
I. Where is Bay Mau Coconut Forest located?
Situated in Thon 7, Cam Thanh commune, near Cua Dai Bridge, approximately 3 km southeast of Hoi An ancient town center, Bay Mau Coconut Forest boasts a convenient location, making it an ideal spot for those wishing to explore the culture and nature of central Vietnam.
Before becoming a popular tourist spot in Hoi An, Bay Mau Coconut Forest served as a vital base during the resistance against French colonialism and the American empire. It witnessed fierce battles between our nation and France and the US, contributing significantly to the victory of the Vietnamese people’s army.
II. How to Get to the Bay Mau Coconut Forest?
From Danang
If traveling from Danang, you have two options to reach the Bay Mau Coconut Forest:
- Option 1: Starting from Dragon Bridge, drive to Hoi An ancient town via the Ngo Quyen-Ngu Hanh Son direction. From there, proceed to Bay Mau Coconut Forest as previously described.
- Option 2: Starting from Dragon Bridge, go along Vo Van Kiet Street, then turn right onto Vo Nguyen Giap Street and continue straight to Lac Long Quan Street. From there, turn onto Tran Nhan Tong Street and drive a short distance more until reaching the foot of Cua Dai Bridge. Just drive about 500 meters further to reach the Bay Mau Coconut Forest.
From Hoi An
If departing from Hoi An, you have two options to reach the Bay Mau Coconut Forest:
- By river route: depart from Hoi An ancient town, board a boat at Bach Dang Wharf. The boat will take you along the Thu Bon River to the Bay Mau Coconut Forest.
- By road route: depart from Hoi An city, take Tran Nhan Tong Street, cross Cua Dai Bridge, and drive a short distance further to reach the Bay Mau Coconut Forest. This route takes about 10 minutes by car.
III. When is the best time to visit Bay Mau Coconut Forest?
For an ideal visit to Bay Mau Coconut Forest, you can choose from three time frames:
- February to June: The weather in Hoi An during this period is cool, dry, and not too sunny, making it very suitable for exploring the rivers and countryside.
- May to July: During this time, Hoi An ancient town hosts many interesting festivals, allowing you to combine a visit to Bay Mau coconut forest with experiencing lantern festivals. However, the climate during this period is quite hot and sunny, so you need to be aware of this.
- August to November: During this time, the climate in Bay Mau Coconut Forest is cool with little rain. You can choose to visit during the full moon, coinciding with the lantern festival, which is very attractive.
IV. What to do in Bay Mau Coconut Forest, Hoi An?
Bay Mau coconut forest, known as the “second Mekong Delta of Vietnam,” has amazed many visitors when they come to this destination in the midst of the sunny and windy central region. Let’s explore what Bay Mau Coconut Forest has to offer with Ula Travel!
1. Boating and sightseeing on basket boats
Sitting on small basket boats weaving through lush green coconut groves and enjoying the fresh air is a unique experience favored by many in the Bay Mau coconut forest tourist area. The coconut forest is famous for its simple but extremely safe basket boats. These boats will take tourists to explore the winding river channels, with coconut trees stretching on both sides of the river.
Here, tourists have two types of basket boats to choose from: a small one for 2 passengers and a large one for up to 4 passengers. During the leisurely journey and sightseeing, you will hear interesting stories about the coconut forest and the distant melodies of Quang folk songs echoing from afar.
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2. Admire the basket boat dance on the river.
In addition to sightseeing, visitors can enjoy interesting basket boat performances and participate in exciting boat races. You will surely be amazed by the excellent balancing skills of the “artists” on the basket boats as they cope with agile, graceful, and fast movements, providing you with impressive performances.
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3. Making Handicrafts from Coconut Leaves
Handmade gifts made from coconut leaves embody simplicity, rustic charm, and craftsmanship. They are truly creative and unique works of art that rival any luxurious gifts. These small gifts not only express simplicity but also show the warmth, enthusiasm, and simplicity of the people of the Quang region. The artisans here will enthusiastically guide you on how to make your favorite items yourself.
4. Enjoying the Spectacle of Fishing Net Casting
For tourists unfamiliar with rivers or coastal regions, watching a fishing net being cast into the sea will surely evoke a sense of novelty and excitement. At Bay Mau Coconut Forest, tourists will have the opportunity to sit on boats and directly witness the skilled fishermen casting fishing nets. You will witness impressive moments when the large net is cast into the river, and if you want, you can even participate in casting the net yourself.
Especially, you can enjoy this net casting spectacle in the late afternoon, when the sunset brings along golden light, creating a romantic and mysterious atmosphere. It’s a wonderful time to capture beautiful moments with timeless photos.
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5. Fishing in the Coconut Forest
Similar to the Mekong Delta, the Bay Mau coconut forest is also rich in various kinds of fish. If you want to experience the relaxation and excitement of waiting for a fish to bite, you can sign up for fishing activities here. Fishing will bring a sense of relaxation as you sit and wait for the fish to bite while enjoying the cool atmosphere of the coconut forest.
The special and interesting thing is that you will fish on a basket boat. This experience allows you to both cruise on the basket boat, enjoy fishing, and admire the beautiful scenery while immersing yourself in the cool breeze.
Cycling to Cam Thanh Village: After admiring the lush green coconut forest, you can rent a bicycle and ride around Cam Thanh Village. The journey will immerse you in the beautiful and simple space of the vast rice fields and allow you to breathe in the fresh air filled with the scent of ripe rice.
6. Unique Folk Games
The journey to explore Bay Mau Coconut Forest still has many exciting activities waiting for you! So why hesitate to hop on a balance bike across the river, race boats, tug-of-war, and smash rice pots? Simple yet incredibly fun folk games are waiting for you to discover!
Immerse yourself in the beautiful Western space, where coconut trees are scattered, and enjoy the typical rustic life. This is the ideal destination for families to participate in traditional games and enjoy the lively atmosphere, immersing themselves in the delicious and exciting feeling.
7. Stone crab fishing in the coconut forest
For local fishermen in Bay Mau coconut forest, stone crab fishing is a profession with a relatively high income and full of hardships. But for tourists, catching “student crabs” is very easy and entertaining as the basket boats move around the ecological area.
The fishermen prepare fishing rods and bait with live shrimp. When the boat stops near the mangrove forest in the muddy area, you release the fishing rod. After a few minutes, you can catch cute little crabs, considered small gifts from the trip.
8. Cooking together and learning to cook with local fishermen
Each region has its own distinctive flavor. You will be surprised when you participate in exploring the cuisine in the Bay Mau coconut forest ecological area. With seafood caught in this river, such as shrimp, crab, stone crab, clams, oysters, and various types of snails, all vegetables are also grown in the garden, so everything is very clean and safe for tourists. The dishes that tourists should not miss are pancakes, spring rolls, fried shrimp, sour clam soup, grilled snails, etc.
V. What to Eat in Bay Mau Coconut Forest?
1. Banana Flower Salad
Delicately sliced banana flowers combine with the refreshing taste of banana flowers and the delicious aroma of shrimp and meat. Each bite evokes a mouthwatering sensation, enticing you to indulge in more and more. The unique and enticing combination is irresistible.
2. Grilled Fish
Being a region abundant in rivers and waterways, Bay Mau Coconut Forest boasts a variety of fresh fish. You can experience dishes made from catfish, mackerel, various types of birds,… Among the fish dishes, grilled fish with a light scent of charcoal is probably the most delicious and highly praised by many tourists.
3. Grilled Pork Rolled in Hoi An Rice Paper
Grilled pork in Bay Mau Coconut Forest is a unique and delicious dish that will surely captivate you with its wonderful flavor. Fresh pork with lean meat and fat is marinated with various spices, such as five-spice powder, pepper, lemongrass, honey, shallots, and a little white wine, before being skewered onto wooden chopsticks.
These skewers of meat are grilled over a red-hot charcoal stove. The fat drips, emitting a fragrant, rich aroma, making it irresistible. You will savor each piece of delicious grilled meat, full of the essence of the homeland. Just one piece, and you’ll want more and more.
4. Coconut-based Dishes
As the scorching summer approaches, coconut water desserts are the perfect and ideal choice for tourists visiting Bay Mau Coconut Forest. With the refreshing and sweet taste of coconut water desserts, you will feel nourished and comfortable, even on hot summer days. Surely, this is the perfect choice for those who are undecided about what to eat when visiting Bay Mau Coconut Forest.
In addition to coconut water desserts, you can also enjoy other dishes made from coconut water, such as coconut candy, coconut water with ice and sugar, and braised fish in coconut water. Sweet coconut candy, refreshing coconut water with ice, and flavorful braised fish in coconut water are all delicious and enticing dishes at the Bay Mau Coconut Forest tourist area.
VI. Things to Know When Visiting Bay Mau Coconut Forest
1. Ticket Prices
- Entrance ticket: 30,000 VND/person
- Basket boat rental ticket: 280,000 VND/boat for 2 adults and 1 child under 1m tall, 150,000 VND/2 people.
- Some games and experiences in the coconut forest will require an additional ticket fee. The cost of tickets for participating in games or experiences, entrance tickets, and boat rental tickets may vary depending on the time.
2. What to Prepare When Visiting Bay Mau Coconut Forest?
- To fully enjoy your visit to Bay Mau Coconut Forest, you should prepare a few items to bring along:
- Some dry snacks and drinks to prevent hunger during sightseeing.
- A phone or camera to capture the beautiful and simple images of Bay Mau Coconut Forest.
- Wear a hat to protect your head, as most activities take place outdoors.
- A small umbrella in your bag or a conical hat to prepare for rainy days.
- Cash and personal documents for necessary situations.
- Motion sickness medicine is the highlight of the tour, as are the moments spent on the basket boats admiring the lush coconut trees.
3. Appropriate Clothing for Visiting Bay Mau Coconut Forest
- Your fun activities and experiences at Bay Mau Coconut Forest mostly take place on basket boats and in the water. The atmosphere here is very rustic and simple, so you only need to wear comfortable outfits for a more enjoyable experience.
- You can wear sweat-absorbing T-shirts, shorts, sports shoes, or flip-flops, and avoid wearing overly long or dangling clothes.
Hopefully, a few of the of the travel experience tips above will help you have wonderful experiences at Bay Mau Coconut Forest. Ula Travel will always update you with the most useful experiences on your journey to explore Vietnam.
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