Bay Mau Coconut Forest

Paddling the green channel, seen from above · Vietnam Hidden Light · Pexels License

A brackish water-coconut forest travelled by basket boat — once a wartime base, now Hoi An's loudest afternoon.

Water coconut grows in the brackish reach where the Thu Bon meets the sea: fronds well above head height, roots tangled beneath the surface, terrain only someone who knows the channels can move through. That is precisely why it served as a base during the war, with liberation forces hidden in the palms within sight of Hoi An. Today visitors board round basket boats and a rower threads them through the narrow channels, teaches them to fold grasshoppers from coconut leaf, then reaches open water and spins the basket flat out to a drumbeat. Know what you are choosing: this is a fun and very noisy outing, not a quiet trip into the forest.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Bay Mau Coconut Forest?

February to August, in the morning

How much does it cost to visit Bay Mau Coconut Forest?

Entry and boat hire charged separately, roughly 150,000 - 250,000d per basket boat

How long do you need at Bay Mau Coconut Forest?

2 hours

What are the opening hours of Bay Mau Coconut Forest?

07:30 - 17:00

Did you know

The water-coconut forest grows in the brackish lower reaches where the Thu Bon river meets the sea.
The area served as a wartime base thanks to a maze of channels that made it hard to enter.
Visitors travel by round basket boat, one rower per boat.
The spinning basket-boat display, performed to drums, is a fixture of the tours here.

Travel tips

Agree an all-in price for the whole boat first, including tips and the spinning display.
For quiet, go early in the morning; afternoons are when the groups and the noise arrive.

Source: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138660353

Updated: 2026-08-16