This was a private tour which differs from what I had experienced before. My original interest was only Hoi An but Xuan Tu brought us to the outskirts of Hoi An to meet the locals. Do note these local Vietnamese are not the usual vendors targeting at tourists for the “big money”.
We traveled to Cam Kim Island, a village across from Hoi An by a big, noisy ferry run by a local man. We cycle throughout our trek into the village. Introduced to the trade – building, restoring boats; wood carving; local homes where the families make rice paper, noodles and also another who does weaving of mats. In fact, the families who make rice paper and weaving of mats are poor families. It gave us an insight how simple life can be, and what your tourist dollar can do to help these families – just by looking into their lives.
This visit was indeed the highlight of our trip and Xuan Tu’s goal to show us local families was perfect for us. Xuan Tu was also able to bring us around Hoi An and share the history of each place. It was indeed a memorable experience with bubbly Xuan Tu as our guide.
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Traveller: Margaret P from Tripadvisor