Unique community tourism in Hoi An

Article and photos:Quoc Hai

According to "his profession"

Originally a fisherman who has been attached to the sea for over 50 years, Mr. Doan Tan in Cam An Ward - Hoi An City switched to driving a sampan to enjoy a new joy on the river with tourists. He is taking a group of Northern European tourists on a cruise on the Thu Bon River down to Cua Dai.

Before that, the tourists had visited the traditional vegetable village of Tra Que in Cam Ha with him by bicycle and then leisurely returned by boat to enjoy the wind. He said in a rustic way: “Just stopping by for a bit but the smell of basil still lingers in the nostrils, the visitors also feel the same, not me. Now they also play on the river, cast nets and cast nets with the same “his profession”!”.

Helping the guests down to the boat, Mr. Tan pointed to the net that his son was keeping in the nearby river, then wrapped his arms and legs around the fishing net and spread it out into the air as if to catch the water and the shiny fish. The boat swayed and made the guests blush, but he remained calm as if playing, asking the guests to put on life jackets and then spreading his legs to show them how to do it.

The customer, who has the same name as the singer - Connie Francis, laughed as if in the middle of nowhere when he threw his net without straightening it, causing it to get tangled up. He said: “This is the first time in my life, but it seems like thousands of years ago my ancestors also fished this way. It was fun and unforgettable!”

A day on the river

The prelude to a day of living with Hoi An residents was “so fun and unforgettable”. Connie Francis and the group continued to be taken to the Bay Mau coconut forest. The boat stopped before the river covered with nets and invited guests to get on the bamboo basket boat. With the help of 8 Cam Thanh residents, everyone learned how to swing the basket boat deep into every corner of the coconut forest.

In the story told from this place, Mr. Tran Van Manh - a resident of Thanh Chau village - Cam Thanh talked about his father's generation: "There, they lived with the vastness of water coconuts, caught crabs, fished, then went out to sea to Cham island to fish and exploit bird's nests. Now let's fish together!".

Tourists are extremely excited about the crabs, clams, and students that crawl on coconut leaves or along the shore. “I caught one that looked like a crab with a small red claw. I don’t know what it was called, but its legs ran very fast. I learned a really good way to fish in the middle of this vast river!”, said Barry Mann, a Norwegian tourist.

Before returning to the big boat, the eight basket boats stirred up a section of the river with a rappelling race. They then learned how to make mirrors, clocks and grasshoppers from coconut leaves.

While instructing guests on how to play these folk games, Tran Van Manh sang enthusiastically the folk songs of the river. He said: “Whenever a group of guests comes, I sing, sing familiar, rustic melodies of my homeland. I may not sing well, but guests listen attentively!”

There is a new Hoi An

The above tour program named “Fish & Chip” has been implemented by Hoi An Travel for nearly half a year now. After many adjustments and additions, “Fish & Chip” is a tourism product built on the foundation of traditional community culture of Hoi An.

Nguyen Trong Tuan - Director of Hoi An Travel Center - said: "Previously, we built the program "A day as an old town resident", now it has taken shape and has a brand. However, in an effort to innovate and improve product quality, "Fish & Chip" was born as a way to explore and experience life closer and more strangely through the values ​​of daily labor".

In fact, to convey the program content, especially bringing the singing and folk games to tourists, Hoi An Travel has tested both the space and time psychology of each tourist market. "Finding new products for Hoi An tourism is very difficult, however, the efforts of businesses to innovate by investing in depth is a remarkable way of doing things," said Ms. Dinh Thi Thu Thuy - Head of Hoi An Trade and Tourism Department.

The Thanh