Bay Mau coconut forest is an eco-tourism area with enjoyable experiential activities such as riding basket boats, watching basket dances, and setting fishing nets… attracting many tourists to Hoi An.
Bay Mau coconut forest is located in village 7, Cam Thanh commune, Hoi An city, right near Cua Dai bridge, about 4 km from Hoi An ancient town. The name Bay Mau is because this nipa palm forest previously had an area of about 7 acres. The coconut forest area has been developed much more, but Bay Mau remains the same.
General information about Bay Mau coconut forest
During the resistance period, Bay Mau coconut forest was a critical Vietnamese army and people base. The lush green coconut trees, stretching across the river, unintentionally became a shield to protect the villages, feeding countless generations of people during the years of fierce war.
Bay Mau coconut forest tourist area, also known as Hoi An coconut garden or Cam Thanh coconut forest, is located in the villages of Van Lang, Thanh Tam Dong, Thanh Tam Tay, Thanh Nhut, Con Nhan, Cam Thanh commune, About 3km from Hoi An ancient town, Quang Nam province. Few people would expect a unique coconut forest identical to the Western region to appear in the middle of a city famous for its ancient architecture, in the middle of a city dressed in old, peaceful clothing.
With peaceful natural scenery from green coconut groves and clear water canals winding between coconut groves, visitors will have exciting experiences on boats coming here. The basket is rustic and has a Western river character.
Having worked as a basket boat rower for decades, serving both domestic and foreign tourists, Ms. Nguyen Thi Sen, residing in Van Lang village, Cam Thanh commune, said that Cam Thanh coconut forest existed about 200 years ago. At that time, people from the Southwest migrated here, bringing nipa coconut varieties to plant. Thanks to location, climate, soil, and water advantages, coconut trees constantly grow, forming a large forest of about 7 acres. The name “Bat Mau” is still called until now, even though the coconut forest area is much larger.
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The unique characteristics of the Bay Mau coconut forest tour
One of the outstanding activities that many tourists experience is rowing a basketboat along a river path with coconut trees on both sides. During the scenic journey, we also heard exciting stories about coconut forests, and in the distance was the lovely melody of a country song.
The people rowing basket boats in the Bay Mau coconut forest not only have skillful rowing skills and are good at swimming but also act as accurate tour guides and know how to take photos and record cameras. Their work requires little professional training or much capital. Besides a few simple basket boats, their luggage is in good health, and they have a friendly smile towards everyone.
According to Mr. Tran Tai, husband of Ms. Nguyen Thi Sen, one of the “artisans” of basket boats, to be able to meet the minimum requirements of tourists, especially foreigners, every person in the Bay coconut forest The model must be truly dedicated to work, hospitable, and able to speak, listen, and understand common English words.
Sitting on the basket boat of Ms. Tran Thi Ngot, Van Lang village, Cam Thanh commune, we were told many interesting stories about the Bay Mau coconut forest. Accordingly, this coconut forest is located along three famous rivers: Hoai River, Thu Bon River, and De Vong River, which flow into the sea. This place has salty water suitable for the growth of nipa palms, so it is increasingly green; now, the area has reached hundreds of acres.
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Bay Mau coconut forest tour: A chance for you to enjoy “The West in the heart of Hoi An”
In particular, Bay Mau coconut forest was a cyber base during the years of resistance against the French colonialists and American imperialists. Thanks to the hidden terrain and dense coconut canopy, during the resistance war against the French colonialists and American imperialists, our army and people organized many ambushes and defeated hundreds of enemy raids. Our guerrilla soldiers were sheltered and protected safely by the Bay Mau coconut forest for a long time, causing the enemy fear and dismay many times. Cam Thanh commune was awarded the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces title for its significant contributions to the revolutionary cause.
Now, taking advantage of the beauty of the coconut forest, local people have “created” an entirely new way of doing tourism: to take tourists on excursions around the coconut forest by basket or boat. If that way of doing tourism in the past was just spontaneous, simply taking passengers for a walk, now it has developed into a large-scale community tourism activity, accompanied by a series of fun activities such as play, eating, and drinking along the river, attracting thousands of tourists from all over the region every day.
Coming to the Bay Mau coconut forest, visitors cannot help but be surprised by the vast number of nipa palms and the low-roofed houses made entirely of coconuts. What could be more interesting than rowing a boat on winding canals to enjoy the poetic natural scenery, fresh air, schools of fish swimming freely below, and coconut trees above? The water is green, and storks race to build their nests.
Considered “the West in the heart of Hoi An,” the Bay Mau coconut forest in Hoi An and Cam Thanh increasingly attracts tourists, especially around the Lunar New Year, becoming an indispensable highlight in their travel itinerary. Quang Nam-Da Nang schedule…
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