An interesting destination
From the boat dock, tourists leisurely ride basket boats down the Thu Bon River, experiencing the peaceful and fascinating beauty of the Bay Mau coconut forest and watching unique basket boat dance performances by skilled rowers with their impressive and attractive spinning manoeuvres. Moreover, visitors can listen to traditional folk songs and melodies praising the homeland performed by local residents.
After visiting the Bay Mau coconut forest, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao from Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa) happily shared: “I got to sit in a basket boat enjoying the scenery while experiencing the activities of a fisherman. I really like the natural landscape of this area. This is an interesting destination for people to relax and regenerate new energy for life.”
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh from Tam Ky City (Quang Nam) said that although she lives near Hoi An, this was her first time visiting the Bay Mau coconut forest. “I took beautiful photos and tried the thrilling experience of swaying in a basket boat with a 70-year-old rower who was still impressively strong and healthy,” Anh said.
The coconut forest area is often compared to a miniature Mekong Delta beside the ancient town of Hoi An. In recent years, this mangrove coconut forest has helped local people escape poverty and prosper thanks to tourist visits and related experiences. According to Cam Thanh Ward statistics, there are currently 1,393 basket boats operating in the Bay Mau coconut forest area. In 2023, the total number of tourists buying tickets to visit the coconut forest reached about 790,000. As of this point in 2024, the area has welcomed approximately 800,000 visitors.
Le At, a local who has been rowing basket boats for many years, said: “A basket boat can accommodate 3 to 5 passengers. During peak season, I serve hundreds of guests per day. Both myself and many locals here participate in providing services, so we have stable incomes and lives.”
Local economic development driver
Along with infrastructure investment and environmental landscape enhancement to create an attractive destination, recently, authorities from city to local level have focused on ensuring service quality and security for tourists, notably in managing and organising basket boat services.
Recently, the Cam Thanh Coconut Forest Basket Boat Service Cooperative was established to support business development, increase benefits for its members, and contribute to the safe and effective operation of the waterfront system in the tourist area. Tran Quy, Director of the Cooperative, said: “Our immediate priority is systematic infrastructure investment. We are gradually introducing additional basket boat service activities for direct resident management. Next is connecting with businesses operating in the coconut forest area to cooperate based on ensuring environmental protection, benefits, and safety for tourists.”
Hoi An City Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Lanh emphasised: “There are several reasons to develop tourism services in Cam Thanh in general, especially the coconut forest, toward sustainable and multidimensional growth. First is the economy. Next is preserving and effectively promoting the value of living space and biodiversity of the coconut forest. This is also a way to establish and maintain the indigenous cultural foundation of Cam Thanh people, and most importantly, to engage the community in service development and management.”
Having been involved with Cam Thanh Commune and Hoi An City for many years through environmental protection and community livelihood development projects, Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, representative of the Global Environment Facility (UNDP), believes that the role of the Cam Thanh Coconut Forest Basket Boat Service Cooperative extends beyond economic development to helping protect the unique local ecosystem. This is an approach that many countries worldwide have adopted and continue to implement, in alignment with the current popular trend of tourism exploring natural values.
