Bamboo Basket Boat Dancing in Hoi An

October 02, 2019

An Upside Down Hat

We had seen many of what, to us, looked like upside-down Vietnamese styled, “floating hats”. They were common on the beaches where we stayed in Da Nang. We just thought they were a bit of a plaything for the local kids.   But here in Hoi An, we got to check them out, up close and personal.

They really do look like a large, round, brown, bamboo golf balls, cut in half and all hollowed out. We were assured by smiling locals though that we could use them to explore and even fish the Thu Bon river. Those smiles that we had come to love during our travels looked positively sinister now!

Off we set though, grinning idiotically at each other about what we had gotten in to and how crazy we were feeling.  We’re both a bit larger than your average Vietnamese fisherman.

Hoi An town in Vietnam

Bubbles on the Water

We were dubious as to how to stay floating on, rather than in, the river. Especially as what we were about to launch didn’t even have a front or back end. It just sat atop the water as delicate as an inverted half bubble of washing up liquid.

We sat cross-legged on mats at our river guides house, sharing stories and tea. while eying the ‘boats’ suspiciously. Then up he shot and we were off to the river’s edge.

Here we got a closer inspection and some brief instructions. Theyré made from really tightly woven bamboo.  Think of the rubber tightly wound inside a golf ball and you get the idea.  Then a resin which is leached from one of the local coconut trees is plastered on nice and thick.  This helps to stop the leaks, but I wasn’t too sure about helping its buoyancy!

Vietnamese floating market

Onto the Water

We waded about knee-deep into the slow-flowing river. Held firmly by our guide, we clambered aboard. Sitting perched on either side of the bench across the middle, small paddles in hand he pushed us away from the bank. Then, at the last minute, our guide literally jumped into the boat and wedged himself between us. The boat barely even rocked.

And Round and Round we go…

As we moved slowly into the center of the river, we dipped our oars in and prepared to make our way upstream. We stuck the oars in and paddled deep and hard. With excellent effect. The boat spun round and round, faster and faster in the same spot, Never moving forward or back. Our guide thought this was the funniest thing he’d seen. Soon we had to agree and joined in with slightly manically laughter. What a sight we would have been from the riverbank.

A little demonstration and we had the hang of it. Now we glided slowly along, with short shallow strokes. The peace of the river and the quiet, gentle beauty along its edges made up for a comical start.

Wonderous Views from the Water

All along we could see dense green foliage, broken by small river huts. Ther families and animals going about their daily lives. As we passed, many of the small kids, and sometimes even the adults looked up and gave us a wave and big toothy smile from under their bamboo and palm-leaf hats. Not sinister now!

We continued until our guide directed us to a break in the jungle along the bank up ahead. We steered towards the opening and found ourselves carried into a smaller side river.

Tranquil Water Jungle

This even slower tributary was a magical, tranquil water jungle. From both sides of us great towering coconut trees. Their base deep in the river, their fronds reaching high over our heads. This provided a lush canopy where the air was cooler and seemed sweeter.

As we paddled along, all sound seemed to be absorbed into the Coconut Forest, and we marveled at its beauty and tranquility. Our guide found a small break between them and we nuzzled our little boat in.

Putting our paddles down, we now took up bamboo fishing pools.  We had a quick lesson on the art of river fishing and dropped our lines in. After twenty harmonious minutes, we had managed to catch absolutely nothing but were in peaceful bliss.

Luxury Beach Resort at Hoi An

Boat Dancing at its Best

Too soon we started back out to the main river. Coasting down back to our guides river hut, he promised a display of Basket Boat Dancing. We were relaxed and uncaring by now, so whatever!

As we sat, hands gripped to the side, he hopped up on the middle on the bench. Then, with legs planted on rims on either side of the boat, he began to rock us up and down. Coupled with his using his long oar, we found ourselves spinning round and round as the bat rocked close to the very edges of the water.

I suppose we should have been scared, but we were so stress-free by then, we just sat back and laughed along with him. All three of us grinning and laughing like kids.

When we pulled back into our boat storage area, we climbed out slowly and a little reluctant. Our trip in the bamboo basket, along a beautiful river, amongst the beautiful landscapes and people, had ended. We’ll forever look back with joy at it, and laughter at our bamboo boat dancing on the river in Vietnam!