Boat Tours in Vietnam

Đảo Bé - An Bình Island - is a small outer island 3 nautical miles west of Lý Sơn's main island, reachable by a 15-minute boat ride. With clearer water, more intact coral reefs, and a fraction of the crowds of the main island, it is the best snorkeling location in the Lý Sơn archipelago and a quieter alternative for a half-day by the sea.

Ba Be Lake is Vietnam's largest natural freshwater lake - a 8km-long body of water set within a national park of karst limestone mountains, primary forest, and Tày ethnic minority villages in Bắc Kạn province, one of the most genuinely wild nature destinations in the northern highlands.

Ba Hòn Đầm is a cluster of three small islands in the Bà Lụa Archipelago, Kiên Lương - undeveloped, rarely visited by foreigners, and reached by a 30-minute boat from Kiên Lương pier, with clear water, rocky coves, and basic overnight options on the island.

Bái Tử Long Bay - Ha Long's quieter, less-visited neighbour to the northeast - shares the same UNESCO-listed karst landscape but with far fewer cruise boats, better beaches, and a more traditional atmosphere. It's Ha Long Bay the way it was 20 years ago.

Bản Giốc is the largest waterfall in Southeast Asia and the fourth largest on a national border in the world - a 300-metre-wide curtain of water crashing across three tiers on the Vietnam-China border in Cao Bằng, surrounded by karst mountains and emerald pools.

Bàu Sấu is a remote oxbow lake deep inside Cát Tiên National Park - a 3-hour jungle trek from the park headquarters leads to one of southern Vietnam's last viable crocodile habitats and a prime birdwatching site.

Bảy Mẫu Coconut Forest is a 7-hectare water coconut palm wetland in Cẩm Thanh village - navigated by traditional Vietnamese basket boats through narrow waterways under the palm canopy, with fishing demonstrations and local music performances.

Bến Tre is the Mekong Delta's coconut capital - a province of dense palm groves, narrow canals, and traditional villages where coconut is processed into every conceivable product, explored best by bicycle on flat delta roads and by small boat through the shaded waterways.

Bưng Bình Thiên is a natural freshwater lake in An Giang's border district, known as the 'holy lake' - it expands dramatically during Mekong flood season and fills with lotus blossoms, surrounded by Cham Muslim villages.

Cái Răng is the largest and most active floating market in the Mekong Delta - hundreds of wooden boats loaded with wholesale fruit, vegetables, and goods trading on the river at dawn, 6km from Cần Thơ city centre, best seen from a small rowing boat at 5 AM.

Cần Giờ Monkey Island sits inside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve 60km from central Saigon - a river island in the mangrove forest where long-tailed macaques live in large semi-wild troops, reached by boat through the Cần Giờ waterways.

Cát Tiên National Park is the most accessible serious wildlife destination from Ho Chi Minh City - a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of 72,000 hectares protecting lowland rainforest, over 350 bird species, and the Dao Tien Endangered Primate Species Centre.

Dầu Tiếng Lake is the largest artificial reservoir in Vietnam - a 270km² expanse of water on the Tây Ninh and Bình Dương border, surrounded by forest and used for irrigation, with sunrise photography and lakeside cycling as the main visitor draws.

Điệp Sơn is a remote island cluster in northern Khánh Hòa where a narrow tidal sandbar connects three islands at low tide - one of Vietnam's most photogenic natural phenomena, reached by boat from Vạn Giã fishing port.

The Hai Tac Islands are a remote archipelago of 16 islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Kien Giang coast, historically known as the Pirate Islands. One of the least visited island groups in Vietnam, with coral reefs, white sand beaches, and almost no tourist infrastructure.

Ha Long Bay - Vietnam's most iconic landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - is 1,553 square kilometres of emerald water, nearly 2,000 limestone karst islands, sea caves, and floating villages in the Gulf of Tonkin. The only way to see it properly is by overnight cruise.

Hon Kho Island is a small uninhabited rocky island off the coast of Quy Nhơn in Bình Định province, known for its clear turquoise waters, coral reefs, and dramatic boulder-strewn coastline accessible by short boat trip from Nhơn Hải fishing village.

Hòn Mun Island is the centrepiece of Nha Trang Marine Protected Area - the best diving and snorkeling site in Nha Trang Bay, with the highest coral coverage and fish diversity of any island in the bay, 10km offshore from Nha Trang city.

Hòn Sơn is a mountainous island in the Gulf of Thailand, Kiên Giang province - larger and more scenic than most of the province's outer islands, with clear water, hill trails, fishing communities, and almost no resort development.

Hòn Tằm is Nha Trang Bay's most developed private island - a resort island 5km offshore with white sand beaches, clear water, water sports, and coral snorkeling, reached by speedboat in 15 minutes from Cầu Đá pier.

Hon Yen Island is a small coral island off the coast of Phú Yên province accessible by boat or on foot at low tide, known for its clear shallow reefs, lobster farming, and the unhurried atmosphere of one of central Vietnam's least-visited island day trips.

Kê Gà Lighthouse is a French colonial lighthouse built in 1899 on a granite islet off the Bình Thuận coast - reached by a short boat crossing from the mainland, it is the oldest standing lighthouse in Vietnam and a striking landmark on the south-central coast.

Kỳ Co Beach is a secluded cove near Quy Nhơn with turquoise water, white sand, and dramatic cliff scenery - accessible only by boat or a mountain trail, making it one of central Vietnam's most visually striking beaches.

Lan Hà Bay is the southern section of the Ha Long Bay karst system - 400 limestone islands, hidden beaches, floating fishing villages, and some of the clearest water in the Gulf of Tonkin, with a fraction of Ha Long's boat traffic and far better kayaking conditions.

Mũi Cà Mau National Park is the southernmost point of Vietnam's mainland - a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of 42,000 hectares of mangrove, melaleuca forest, and tidal mudflat at the tip of the Cà Mau Peninsula, where the South China Sea meets the Gulf of Thailand.

Nam Du is Vietnam's southernmost island archipelago - a group of 21 islands in the Gulf of Thailand, Kiên Giang, with some of the clearest water in southern Vietnam, untouched outer islands, and a fishing community that has operated without resort infrastructure.

Nho Quế River - a ribbon of impossible turquoise threading through the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia, seen from above at Mã Pí Lèng Pass and explored by boat from Mèo Vạc.

Phong Nha Cave is the oldest and most historically significant cave in the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng UNESCO World Heritage Site - a 7.7km limestone grotto with an underground river, navigated by wooden boat through cathedral chambers of ancient stalactites and glowing formations.

Phú Quý Island is a remote coral island 120km off the Bình Thuận coast with some of the clearest water and best diving in southern Vietnam - a 3-hour ferry from Phan Thiết that delivers an island experience with fishing community character and minimal resort infrastructure.

Rạch Vẹm is a quiet fishing village on the northern coast of Phú Quốc - known for Starfish Beach (Bãi Sao Biển), where hundreds of large starfish are visible in the shallow water, and for its mangrove coast and traditional fishing community untouched by the island's resort development.

Tà Đùng Lake in Đắk Nông province is called the 'Hạ Long Bay of the Central Highlands' - a vast reservoir studded with 37 forested islands rising from the water, formed by the flooding of Tà Đùng National Park, offering kayaking, island camping, and some of the most unusual inland scenery in southern Vietnam.

Tam Cốc - three river caves cut through towering limestone karst in Ninh Bình, rowed by local women through flooded rice paddies that turn gold in harvest season. Vietnam's most scenic boat journey.

Thường Phước Border Gate in Đồng Tháp is one of the Mekong Delta's international river crossings into Cambodia - a working border post on the Mekong where boats, traders, and travelers cross between Vietnam and Kandal Province.

Thiên Mụ Pagoda is the oldest and most iconic religious site in Huế - a 21-metre seven-tiered tower on a hill above the Perfume River, founded in 1601, and the unofficial symbol of the city that has witnessed every major chapter of Vietnamese history.

Thung Nham Bird Park is a flooded karst valley and wetland in Ninh Bình home to one of northern Vietnam's largest egret and heron colonies - over 40,000 birds nesting in the bamboo forest during breeding season, explored by rowing boat through the flooded valley.

Trà Sư Cajuput Forest is a 850-hectare flooded cajuput woodland in An Giang province - navigated by rowboat through mirror-flat green waterways, one of the Mekong Delta's most photogenic natural landscapes and an important bird sanctuary.

Trang An is Vietnam's only UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for both natural and cultural values - a labyrinth of karst mountains, jade-green rivers, ancient caves, and centuries-old temples navigated entirely by wooden rowboat.

Tri An Lake is a large reservoir in Dong Nai province, 60km from Ho Chi Minh City, formed by the Tri An hydroelectric dam on the Dong Nai River. A popular weekend camping and kayaking destination for city residents, with forested islands, calm water, and dramatic sunset views.

Tuyền Lâm Lake is Đà Lạt's largest reservoir - a 320-hectare expanse of calm water surrounded by pine forests, accessible by cable car, kayak, or bicycle, with Trúc Lâm Thiền Monastery on the hillside above the northern shore.

Vân Long Nature Reserve is Vietnam's largest inland wetland - a flooded valley of karst peaks, submerged rice fields, and clear shallow water navigated by rowing boat, home to Vietnam's largest population of the critically endangered Delacour's langur.