Hoi An: My Son Sanctuary with Basket Boat and Lunch Options

My Son’s brick temple towers sit in a green valley about an hour from Hoi An, and a good guide can make the old Champa site far more meaningful than a quick photo stop. This full-day trip pairs the temples with a Cham performance, a home visit to make rice paper, lunch, and a boat ride back toward town.

I like two things in particular: the guide-led visit gives you context before you wander among the ruins, and the route mixes road, river, and local activities instead of making the day only about a temple visit. The Bay Mau basket boat is an optional extra, not part of every booking.

One point to watch: the My Son entrance ticket costs about 150,000 VND per person and is not included in the advertised price. The basket boat is also a separate tour option with a different price, so check which version you select before paying.

At a glance

• My Son’s Cham temples: Explore the sanctuary with an English-speaking guide and time to look around and take photos.
• Traditional performance: The visit includes a Champa show, with music and dance.
• Make rice paper: Stop at a local home and try making the rice paper yourself.
• Two kinds of boat ride: The standard day includes a Thu Bon River boat trip. The optional add-on takes you through Bay Mau’s coconut forest in a round bamboo basket boat.
• Lunch is included: The meal offers noodles with chicken, pork, or shrimp, plus vegetarian and vegan choices and fruit.
• Budget for the entrance ticket: My Son entry is extra, at about 150,000 VND per person.

My Son, where the day begins

The pickup window in Hoi An is 7:30 to 8:00 am. An air-conditioned minivan takes you toward My Son, where the tour is due to arrive at about 8:45. Getting there early is useful: you can explore the temple grounds before the day grows hotter and busier, though crowds can still build later in the morning.

My Son was a religious and political centre of the Champa kingdom. Its brick towers, set within a small valley, are the main reason to make the trip. The scale is more intimate than a vast city of ruins, so a guide’s explanations can help you notice details and understand how the site fits into the area’s past.

The tour includes an English-speaking guide at the sanctuary and an electric car transfer to the temples. Guides named in connection with this experience include Amy, Yen, Vu, Toan, Nick, and Van Pham. The particular guide changes, but the accounts of the tour consistently highlight clear explanations, a friendly manner, and a good balance between talking and letting you explore independently.

That balance matters here. You will want time to take photos and look around at your own pace, not just follow a guide from one stop to the next. Some guides also discuss the Champa people and their religious traditions, giving the towers more context than you would get from a quick walk through the site.

The sanctuary’s position in a valley means you may spot wildlife, although sightings are not guaranteed. Bring water, sun protection, and shoes you are comfortable walking in. The heat is a recurring challenge, and the site is not suitable for people with high blood pressure.

A Champa show and time among the towers

A traditional Champa performance is part of the My Son visit. The show adds a cultural note to the temple walk, with music and dance; one performance has been described as featuring impressive trumpet playing. It is a brief way to connect the site to living artistic traditions rather than treating it as a set of old buildings alone.

Your guide leads the visit, then gives you time to take in the grounds and photograph the towers. The sanctuary is a moving place to see, but it is also a site affected by war damage. Some of the temples were heavily damaged in the Vietnam War, a fact that can shape how you read the remains and appreciate the work involved in preserving them.

The tour is not a specialist archaeology outing, and the amount of detail may depend on your guide. If you are keen to understand restoration or the finer points of the temple architecture, ask questions while you are there. The most useful guides make room for questions and adjust the pace to the group.

The morning schedule is fairly full, but the site visit is not meant to be a race. Try to listen at the start, then use your free time to look closely at the structures that interest you. A few visitors have found the area crowded, especially as the morning progresses, so arriving on the earlier side is one of the day’s practical advantages.

Lunch before the return journey

Lunch is scheduled for about 11:40 am at a restaurant at My Son. The meal includes noodles with chicken, pork, or shrimp, spring rolls, grilled rice dumplings, and fruit. Vegetarian and vegan choices are available, and bottled water and tea are included.

Food is a practical part of the value here. You do not have to arrange lunch separately or search for somewhere to eat between the sanctuary and the return journey. Still, expectations should stay modest: the meal is a group-tour lunch, and reports on its quality vary. Some have found it tasty, while others have found portions small or the food less appealing.

If you have specific dietary needs, choose the vegetarian or vegan option when arranging the tour, and confirm details with the operator if you need more than the choices listed. The itinerary does not give a full menu or promise particular substitutions.

After lunch, the minivan leaves My Son at about 12:30 pm. On the way back toward Hoi An, the group stops at a local home for a rice paper making demonstration and hands-on attempt. You can try making your own piece, which gives the journey a welcome change of pace after a morning of temple history.

This is a small stop, not a long cooking class. Its appeal is the chance to see and try a familiar local food-making process in a home setting. If the temples are the day’s main draw, the rice paper visit is an enjoyable extra; if you like practical cultural activities, it may be one of the details you remember.

Back to Hoi An by boat

The standard tour includes a boat ride on the Thu Bon River. The minivan and boat combination breaks up the return trip and gives you a different view of the area, with villages and river scenery along the way. The boat is scheduled to bring you to a station in Hoi An’s Old Town around 2:00 to 2:30 pm.

Hotel drop-off is included for the Hoi An tour. The sequence and exact arrival time can vary with the day’s arrangements, so leave some flexibility in your afternoon plans. The river ride is not the same as the Bay Mau basket boat experience: it is part of the standard route back toward town.

The journey combines several forms of transport, which is part of its appeal and also something to consider. You spend time in a minivan, then walk around the sanctuary, visit a local home, and take a river boat. If you prefer one long stop with no transfers, this busy day may feel over-organized. If you like a varied itinerary, the changes keep the trip moving.

Add the Bay Mau coconut forest basket boat

The basket boat is an optional extension, with its own price. After the standard itinerary, the minivan takes those who chose it to Bay Mau coconut forest village. You spend about 45 minutes in a round bamboo basket boat with a local boatman, moving through narrow canals among coconut palms and mangrove growth.

The boat ride is playful as well as scenic. Activities can include boat spinning and dancing, karaoke, a traditional folk song performance, trying a fishing net, and crab fishing. These are lively group activities rather than a quiet nature cruise, so choose this option if you are open to a bit of show and participation.

For many people, the basket boat is the day’s most unusual stop. It is also the part most likely to feel tourist-oriented, especially if you are hoping for a calm trip through an untouched forest. The experience is built around local boatmen and a set of activities, so go expecting a lively outing, not solitude.

The timing matters. The standard tour returns to Hoi An around 2:00 to 2:30 pm, while the version with the basket boats ends around 3:30 to 4:00 pm. The van may drop off people who did not choose the add-on before taking the rest to the coconut forest. That can extend the day for those continuing, so do not schedule a tight appointment in Hoi An.

If heat or rain makes the basket boat less appealing, you can still have a complete day with My Son, rice paper making, lunch, and the Thu Bon boat ride. One visitor chose to skip the basket boats because it was too hot, and still enjoyed the sanctuary and home visit. Treat the extension as a choice, not an obligation.

What the price covers, and what it does not

The advertised starting price is $18 per person, but the tour has two versions: My Son Sanctuary with the standard activities, or My Son combined with the Bay Mau basket boat. Each has a different price, so check the selected option carefully. The My Son entrance ticket is not included and costs about 150,000 VND, roughly $6.50, per person.

The base package includes Hoi An hotel pickup and drop-off, an air-conditioned vehicle, an English-speaking guide at My Son, the electric car transfer to the temples, lunch, water and tea, rice paper making, and the Thu Bon River boat trip. The basket boat option adds the local boatman experience and entry to the bamboo boat village.

For the money, the day offers more than transport to a historic site. You get a guided visit, a performance, a meal, a home activity, and river transport. The low advertised starting price looks especially attractive if you want several activities bundled together, but calculate the sanctuary ticket and any chosen boat option before comparing it with a self-arranged visit.

If you are staying in Da Nang, hotel pickup is not included in the base arrangement. A transfer to the Hoi An meeting point costs an extra 300,000 VND each way for a four- or seven-seat car, for a group of one to five people. Alternatively, you can make your own way to 143 Ly Thai To in Hoi An for the 7:30 am meeting time.

Who should choose this day trip

This trip suits you if you are staying in Hoi An and want to see My Son without arranging transport, lunch, and the return journey yourself. It is especially useful if you value a guide who can explain Champa history and culture, and like adding smaller local activities to a major sight.

The basket boat version is a good fit if you enjoy lively, hands-on experiences and have the time to stay out until late afternoon. Choose the standard option if you prefer a shorter day, want the temple visit to be the focus, or would rather avoid the heat and activity at Bay Mau.

The pace is active but varied. There is an early start, time on foot at the sanctuary, a lunch stop, a home visit, and boat transport. It is not a slow day, but the mix can make the hours pass easily. The tour is less suited to anyone who needs a quiet, unhurried visit or who has high blood pressure.

My advice: book this tour if you want a practical, well-rounded day from Hoi An and are comfortable with a group itinerary. Pay the extra for the basket boat only if the playful, busy format appeals to you. Before booking, confirm the option, add the My Son ticket to your budget, and plan for heat.

FAQ

Is the My Son Sanctuary entrance ticket included?

No. The ticket costs about 150,000 VND per person, or roughly $6.50, and is paid separately.

Does every option include the Bay Mau basket boat?

No. There are two options, one for My Son Sanctuary and one that adds the Bay Mau coconut forest basket boat. They have different prices, so check your selection before booking.

What time does the tour start in Hoi An?

Hotel pickup is between 7:30 and 8:00 am. If you go to the meeting point at 143 Ly Thai To, the stated meeting time is 7:30 am.

Can I be picked up in Da Nang?

Da Nang hotel pickup is available for an extra 300,000 VND each way for a four- or seven-seat car, for a group of one to five people. You can also make your own way to the Hoi An meeting point.

Is lunch included, and are there vegetarian choices?

Yes. Lunch and fruit are included, with noodles served with chicken, pork, or shrimp. Vegetarian and vegan options are also available.

How long does the basket boat ride last?

The Bay Mau basket boat outing lasts about 45 minutes. The tour with this option is expected to finish around 3:30 to 4:00 pm.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. You can also reserve and pay later.