Summer travel and the dream of rivers and waterways.

(VHQN) - The summer waterways of Quang Nam province are "painting" a portrait of river tourism routes and sketching out a dream of life on the docks and boats...

Nighttime sightseeing on the Han River today. Photo: HXH

A date with the coconut forest.

My old school friend Luan Phan, originally from Binh Nguyen commune (Thang Binh district), recently took a trip to the Bay Mau Coconut Forest in Hoi An city. That day, after cruising along several stretches of the river, we chose a spot in a bamboo hut to relax, fish, and chat.

Luan Phan's hometown is no stranger to rivers and waterways, with the Ly Ly River flowing through it. Returning to Vietnam and visiting the Seven-Acre Coconut Forest, Luan Phan developed a particular fondness for it, perhaps due to the familiar feeling of being by the riverside of his homeland.

In February 2025, Hoi An City issued a plan for the arrangement and development of new tourist routes to serve visitors in the Bay Mau Coconut Forest Historical Site.

Foreign tourists on a tour exploring the Bay Mau Coconut Forest. Photo: HXH

Notably, the plan will divide the routes according to tourists' preferences for tranquility or excitement. In addition, there are two more routes that will take tourists to explore the values ​​of the buffer zone of the World Biosphere Reserve and the Cam Thanh bamboo and coconut craft village.

Currently, Cam Thanh district has recorded 1,347 people registered to participate in the tourist transportation and experiential activities using traditional basket boats, which is enough to imagine how vibrant this riverside area in the lower Thu Bon River region is. The livelihoods of the local people are truly emerging.

This is also the reason why the Hoi An city government is confident in researching and developing a dossier for the "Best Rural Tourism Village of 2025" for Cam Thanh tourism village. Initially, representatives from the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) assessed that Cam Thanh coconut forest fully deserves to be recognized as the best tourism village, as it possesses community products typical of a rural riverside area.

Awakening the "river of heritage"

Tourism in Quang Nam province is not just about exploring the lower reaches of the Thu Bon River. From the lower reaches, some tours have been designed to go upstream. These "small group tours" include boat trips on the Thu Bon River and tours of the My Son Sanctuary, starting from Da Nang and Hoi An.

Tourists enjoy the scenery at Hon Kem Da Dung, upstream of the Thu Bon River. Photo: LQ

“Board a boat and cruise along the Thu Bon River to admire the most beautiful sights in the area. Enjoy stunning views of the Thu Bon Valley, the Cua Dai riverbank, and the ancient houses of Hoi An from the water…” – a Thu Bon River cruise tour describes.

For several years now, the Thu Bon River has been mentioned with the hope of becoming a "heritage river." During a meeting earlier this year (2025), Mr. Le Thai Vu, owner of Hoi An Silk Village, enthusiastically spoke about his plan to revive the silk industry in Quang Nam province, a plan he had previously mentioned in a major project.

But perhaps the "heritage river" remains just a beautiful idea, as it needs more time to take shape, especially to be synchronized with the silk industry. Clearly, tourism has not yet fully "awakened" the rivers of Quang Nam province, especially the mother river Thu Bon, as the destinations are not yet attractive enough and remain monotonous.

Ferry routes like Truong Giang and Co Co were once interesting options. However, the dredging and clearing of the waterways alone have slowed down the development of these tour routes.

I remember, more than 10 years ago, there was a colorful plan: tourists would board boats from the Han River, follow the Co Co River to Hoi An… But even now, tourist boats still haven't gone past the Marble Mountains, and some even turn back towards the Thuan Phuoc Bridge after only reaching the Tran Thi Ly Bridge.

At night, the Han River currently only has 37 boats taking tourists to watch the dragon breathe fire and water on the Dragon Bridge, and to see fireworks displays… and it already feels "crowded". Therefore, the previously proposed idea of ​​500 flower boats will certainly have to wait until the river space is expanded to Hoi An and further north to the confluence of the Cam Le and Do Toa rivers.

"The water is clear and blue, both banks are blue," the Thu Bon River in composer Nguyen Huy Hung's song is depicted so smoothly, but to truly see the bustling activity of boats and people along its entire length remains to be seen. A whole dream still lies ahead. The glorious summer can only be "intermittent" along certain stretches of the river, or concentrated in the downstream areas…

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/du-lich-he-va-giac-mo-song-nuoc-3156216.html