Cham Island, Son Tra, or My Son: Which Far-Out Hoi An Tour Should You Actually Book?

You’ve got one day to spend further afield, and three genuinely different options are competing for it — an island with snorkeling, a deep sea fishing trip off Da Nang, or ancient ruins by Jeep. They don’t overlap much, which makes the choice easier once you know what each actually involves.

Cham Island Sightseeing and Snorkeling Tour

6 hours, 8:30 AM–2:30 PM. A speedboat out to the island, starting at Bai Lang fishing village for a look at traditional net weaving, then Hon Dai for snorkeling among coral and a genuinely diverse reef system by mid-morning. The stop at Bai Chong beach offers a choice — sunbathe, or trek around the Green Hill Garden — before a seafood-and-BBQ lunch and the boat back to the mainland.

Physical activity: Moderate — snorkeling requires being comfortable in open water, and the Green Hill Garden trek is optional if you’d rather relax on the beach instead.

Price: 1.950.000 VND per adult.

Best for: travelers who want water, reef, and beach time as the core of the day — this is the only one of the three built around swimming and snorkeling specifically.

Full Day Deep Sea Fishing Trip (Son Tra Peninsula, Da Nang)

8 hours — the longest of the three, based out of Son Tra in Da Nang rather than Hoi An’s immediate area. Fishing equipment, bait, and a technical guide are provided, along with a seafood lunch cooked using the gas stove on board and a cold box with an ice chiller for your catch. A personal toilet on the boat is a detail worth knowing for a full-day trip on the water.

Physical activity: Low — this is a seated, boat-based day rather than an active one, though it’s the longest single day of the three.

Price: 4.110.000 VND per adult.

Best for: travelers specifically interested in fishing, or who want a Da Nang day as part of their Hoi An trip — this is also the one tour in the catalog that actually takes you into Da Nang itself.

Excursion by Jeep: My Son Sanctuary – Bronze Casting Village

6 hours, 8:00 AM–2:00 PM. Countryside hamlets, a local market for Vietnamese coffee, a piglet market, then My Son itself — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, walked on foot among red brick tower ruins built between the 7th and 13th centuries. The return trip stops at a bronze casting village before lunch at a traditional house.

Physical activity: Moderate — walking among the ruins at your own pace over uneven ground, no swimming or water activity involved.

Price:4.050.000 VND per adult.

Best for: travelers who want history and culture over water or fishing — the only one of the three centered on an ancient site rather than the coast.

Comparing all three

Worth knowing about weather and season

All three are cancelled outright in bad weather rather than run as scheduled — this matters most for Cham Island and Deep Sea Fishing specifically, since both depend on calm water and reasonable visibility to actually deliver what they’re built around. My Son doesn’t have this same water-dependency, though it’s an outdoor walking tour with limited shade, so intense heat affects comfort there in a different way. If your travel dates fall in a period with unpredictable weather, it’s worth having a backup plan rather than building your one far-out day entirely around Cham Island or the fishing trip.

Tips for choosing and booking

Check the forecast before committing to Cham Island or Deep Sea Fishing specifically. Both depend on calm water and decent visibility to deliver what they’re actually built around — a My Son booking is less vulnerable to a change in weather.

Pack differently for each. Cham Island means sun and water exposure for hours (reef-safe sunscreen, a swimsuit, water shoes); Deep Sea Fishing means a full day on open water with less direct activity but still real sun exposure; My Son means walking outdoor ruins with limited shade, so real shoes and consistent sunscreen matter there too.

If you’re not confident in open water, ask about Cham Island’s snorkeling before booking. The Green Hill Garden trek is a fine alternative if swimming isn’t for you, but snorkeling is still the tour’s core activity.

Book Deep Sea Fishing only if fishing itself appeals to you. At 8 hours and the highest price of the three, this isn’t the tour to pick just because “boat trip” sounds appealing — the whole day is built around the fishing.

Give whichever one you choose its own day, with nothing else scheduled. All three run long enough, with enough travel time built in, that pairing any of them with another tour the same day usually means rushing one or both.

Frequently asked questions

Which of the three is the cheapest?

Cham Island, at 2,100,000 VND per adult — significantly less than both Deep Sea Fishing and My Son.

Which one is best if I want to swim?

Cham Island — it’s the only one of the three built around snorkeling and beach time.

Is Deep Sea Fishing worth it if I’m not really into fishing?

Possibly not as your first choice — the whole day is built around the fishing trip itself, so it suits travelers genuinely interested in that activity, or who specifically want a Da Nang day.

Which tour involves the least walking?

Deep Sea Fishing — it’s a seated, boat-based day, versus the walking involved at Cham Island’s optional trek or My Son’s ruins.

Can I do more than one of these on the same trip?

Yes, but give each its own day — all three run long enough, with real travel time built in, that combining two in one day usually means rushing both.