Private car & guide · tailor-made · 1–4 guests · shared speedboat
Cham Island Tour from Hoi An with Your Own Car and Guide
You cross on a shared speedboat with other guests, on its normal run. Everything else is yours: the car, a guide who stays with your group all day, and your own table at lunch. The boat and island fees are paid before you travel.
Your sample day in six steps
What the private price pays for
A car only your group rides in
Private car and guide, 1-4 guests, with no other hotels to collect on the way
A licensed local guide of your own
Speaks fluent English and tells your group, not a whole boatload, the story of the pagoda, the old well and the reef rules
Door to pier in your own car
Your driver collects you at any Hoi An hotel. There is no meeting point to find
Boat and island fees prepaid
Your seats and fees are bought for you. You hand over nothing at the pier or the pagoda
No shopping detours, in writing
No shop pays us, so no stop on the day is there for that reason
Seats on a shared boat, a table of your own
The speedboat carries other guests and runs to its own times. Lunch does not: the table is yours alone
Duration
About 7.5 hours
Departure
07:45 hotel pickup
Pickup
Any Hoi An hotel
from $101 / personCheck your price ›
Pick your group size · the price covers the whole group
1 guest$225 BOOK →2 guests$285 BOOK →3 guests$345 BOOK →4 guests$405 BOOK →Free cancellation until 3 days before · tailored on request
How the day runs
This sample day is a starting point: drop a stop, add one or stay longer and we will rework it. The shared boat keeps its own times, so those two legs are the only ones we cannot move.
Hotel pickup · 07:45 · anywhere in Hoi An, in your own car
Cua Dai pier · about 08:10 · your guide handles the tickets
Shared speedboat · about 08:30 · 25 to 30 minutes, longer when the sea is up
Bai Lang village
About 09:00 to 10:15 · on foot
Island fees included — nothing to pay on the pier
4 photos · tap to enlarge
Your guide walks you from the pier to Hai Tang Pagoda, built in 1758 and moved to this spot in 1848 after storms damaged the first site. It backs onto the hill and looks over the island’s only rice field. On the way back you pass the old well at Xom Cam, built in the Cham manner, where passing ships once took on water. Then Tan Hiep market by the pier, and Au Thuyen, the man-made basin where the fishing boats sit out storms.
Back on the boat · a short run around the coast
Snorkelling off Bai Xep
About 10:30 to 11:15 · from the boat
Mask, snorkel and life jacket included
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The captain chooses the reef by the swell that morning, usually off Bai Xep. You swim from the boat, which ties to a buoy so that no anchor lands on the coral. The reef lies a few metres down, and your guide stays with your group. What you see depends on the water: we cannot promise coral or fish on any given day.
Short run to the beach · about 15 minutes
Seafood lunch and a swim
About 11:30 to 14:00 · Bai Chong or Bai Ong
Lunch and water included
4 photos · tap to enlarge
Your group has its own table at a seafood restaurant on Bai Chong or Bai Ong, whichever suits the boat that day. The rest of the time is yours for swimming. Bai Ong has public fresh-water showers. Other tour boats use these beaches too, so in the busy months expect company.
Shared speedboat back · between 14:00 and 14:30 · about 30 minutes across
Back at your hotel · about 15:15 · About 7.5 hours after pickup
Shared boat, private everything else
No stops we have not told you about, nothing to pay on the pier, and anything but the boat timetable can be changed.
For the whole group · all listed items included
1 guest$225 BOOK →2 guests$285 BOOK →3 guests$345 BOOK →4 guests$405 BOOK →Group total, not per person · free cancellation until 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Five or more of you, or a different day in mind? Tell us and we will send an all-inclusive quote in writing. ›What the price covers
Included
- Private car with driver, for your group alone
- Licensed local guide who speaks English, for your group alone
- Pickup and drop-off at any Hoi An hotel
- Return seats on a shared speedboat
- Cham Island visitor fees
- Snorkel gear and life jackets
- Seafood lunch at your own table, vegetarian if you tell us beforehand
- Drinking water
Not included
− Drinks other than the water we provide
− Scuba diving
− Anything you choose to buy at Tan Hiep market
− Tips, which are entirely up to you
− Travel insurance, worth having on any boat day
Is this the right day for you?
Book this if
You want your own guide and car, and do not mind sharing the boat.
You want the old village as well as the water, explained rather than pointed at.
You are a family or a few friends and would rather eat at your own table than a long group one.
You want one price that covers the boat, the fees and lunch.
Skip it if
You are travelling alone on a tight budget. A full shared group tour will suit you better.
You want a boat to yourselves, or to leave before the other tour boats.
You cannot move your date and are coming between October and February, when boats are often cancelled.
You have a flight the same afternoon. The boat keeps its own times, and we are back around 15:15 at best.
If you want your own speedboat and an early start at the reef, the Cham Island private tour adds the Bai Huong fishing village as well. Or tell us what you came for and we will build a day around that.
Before you decide
On the day
How long is the day, and when does it start?
About 7.5 hours from hotel to hotel, with a 07:45 hotel pickup. The boat back leaves between 14:00 and 14:30.
Where do you pick us up?
Pickup at any Hoi An hotel is free. We can also collect you from a Da Nang hotel for a transfer surcharge shown at checkout, about 45 minutes earlier than the times here. Your guide allows 20 minutes at the hotel lobby.
Is the speedboat private?
No. On this tour the speedboat is shared with other guests and runs to its own times. Your car, your guide and your lunch table are private. If you want the boat to yourselves, see the private speedboat tour.
Will we see coral and fish?
Often, but not always. It depends on the swell and how clear the water is, which tends to be best from about May to August and cloudy from December to March. We do not promise a particular sight.
Can non-swimmers come?
Yes for the boat day, as long as you tell us. The crossing and the snorkel stop are the only parts on the water, and a life jacket is always provided. Non-swimmers can stay on board or float in a life jacket next to the guide.
Can we change the plan?
Yes, on the island. Drop a stop, or stay longer in the village or on the beach. The shared boat keeps its own times. Tell us before booking and you get the plan and one all-in price in writing.
Will our guide speak English well?
Yes. Our guides are licensed locals with fluent English, and they talk you through the island’s history, its fishing life and the rules of the marine reserve during the day.
Price, booking and the sea
Is that price per person?
No, each price is for the whole group of 1–4. Under-5s come free and are not counted in your group; from age 5 a child counts as one guest. For five or more, message us on WhatsApp and we will quote.
How and when do I pay?
Pay in full online by card. Or put down a 30% deposit online and give your guide the balance in cash on the tour day, in Vietnamese dong or US dollars. A secure link on WhatsApp works too. Your booking stands once the online payment clears, and your pickup time and guide’s name follow in writing.
Can I cancel or change my date?
Yes. Free cancellation until 3 days (72 hours) before departure, with a full refund, and you can move your date free of charge until then if we have space. Inside 3 days, no-shows included, 30% of the tour price is charged since the boat, car and guide are by then committed. Date changes are arranged over WhatsApp.
What happens if the weather turns?
Light rain does not stop the day. If the port authority bans boats, you choose a new date free of charge or a 100% refund. If boats still run but the swell is big, the captain drops or swaps a snorkel stop, and that change is not partly refunded. We confirm the sea with you 2 days before.
Which months are best?
We run all year, and the sea decides how good the day is. March to September is the settled stretch. From October to February boats are often cancelled, and from December to March the water tends to be cloudy with fewer fish. From November to January some island restaurants and boats may stop running, so we cannot promise lunch on a particular beach in those months. We confirm the sea with you 2 days before.
What should we bring?
Swimwear, a towel, a hat, sunscreen, and a layer for your shoulders and knees at the pagoda. Bring a reusable bag: plastic bags are not allowed on the island. There is nothing to pay at the pier, since boat and fees are already settled. If you are paying the balance in cash, have it ready for your guide.
Can you handle food allergies?
Lunch is seafood with rice, and what arrives depends on the day’s catch. Tell us about allergies when you book and we will arrange it with the kitchen. Vegetarian lunch is available if you tell us beforehand. Drinks other than water are yours to order.
Book your day on Cham Island
Your own car and licensed local guide, a hotel pickup, your seats on the shared boat and every island fee already settled.
For the whole group · all listed items included
1 guest$225 BOOK →2 guests$285 BOOK →3 guests$345 BOOK →4 guests$405 BOOK →Group total, not per person · free cancellation until 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Five or more of you, or a different day in mind? Tell us and we will send an all-inclusive quote in writing. ›