Four-hour fishermen

The Hoi An Eco-tour takes tourists in woven bamboo dinghies and teaches them traditional fishing techniques
Tran Van Khoa’s ecotour in the provincial city of Hoi An offers a totally new spin for slightly more adventurous tourists by teaming them up with working fishermen for four hours.

During her official visit to Vietnam at the end of February, the President of Finland Tajia Halonen attended the Hoi An Eco-tour.

She wanted to spend a day learning about the country and was thrilled with the fishing experience.

“It’s a wonderful way to get to know the daily life of Hoi An’s farmers and fishermen.” Halonen said.

Floating baskets

Early in the morning, the Eco-tour pleasure boat heads to Cua Dai Beach in time to meet the fishing boats arriving with their night’s catch.

The adventure begins when Khoa invites the tourists to get in round woven bamboo dinghies to paddle out to the fishermen, who show them how to use a fishing net.

Most of the time all they catch is seaweed, but the foreigners yell out excitedly when they learn how to cast the net.

Back to the pleasure boat, they head for Bay Mau nipa forests, where they paddle the bamboo baskets in the cool water shaded by palms.

Khoa tells stories about Vietnamese guerrillas hiding and struggling in the forest in the US-led War.

In the next part of the tour Khoa takes them crab-catching in the forest.

Khoa’s father, an excellent cook and captain of the pleasure boat, cooks the crabs for lunch.

Director of Khoa Tran Travel Company Ltd. and owner of Hoi An Eco-tour, Khoa, 29, comes from a long line of fishermen.

The graduate from Da Nang Foreign Languages University spent two years working as a professional tour guide but had dreamed of introducing the life of fishermen to foreigners since he was in high school.

His parents lent him the money set up the business three years ago.

Hoi An Eco-tour costs US$45 per person, and it is a truly environmentally-friendly tour as Khoa, his staff and clients spend ten minutes to collect garbage on the way.

Contact: Khoa Tran Travel Company Ltd. Ganh Wharf, Cam Thanh Ward, Hoi An Provincial City.

Source: Lao Dong