Waterway tourism along Thu Bon River to connect Hoi An with craft villages and heritage sites
DNO - The study of the Bach Dang - Dong Khuong waterway tourism route helps expand the city’s tourism space, enrich visitors’ experience, and bring greater tourism benefits to local communities.
Scenic and cultural advantages
The Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has coordinated with relevant departments and agencies to survey the proposed waterway route from Bach Dang Wharf in Hoi An Ward to Dong Khuong Tourism Site in Dien Ban Ward.
The survey is part of the city’s plan to develop inland waterway tourism during the 2026 -2030 period.
The Bach Dang - Dong Khuong route boasts significant scenic advantages, particularly its potential to connect a network of cultural and historical attractions and traditional craft villages along the Thu Bon River.
The proposed tourism network will include the Hoi An Memories Island, Kim Bong Carpentry Village, Thanh Ha Pottery Village, Dong Khuong Craft Village, Bang An Cham Tower and various other cultural sites and craft villages.
Beyond its scenic value, the waterway could help tell the story of the Thu Bon River’s history as a trade route.
According to the cultural sector’s leaders, the goal is to develop an itinerary in which the Thu Bon River serves as a “connecting artery”.
This will allow visitors from Hoi An to access riverside craft villages, heritage sites and local communities, while experiencing traditional crafts, cuisine and local life.
Expanding tourism space
Beyond creating a new tourism product, the Bach Dang - Dong Khuong waterway route will help expand the tourism space from the Hoi An Ancient Town to surrounding areas.
Instead of concentrating visitors in central Hoi An, the route can transport them to Cam Kim, Thanh Ha, Dien Ban, and various riverside craft villages.
This will help distribute tourist flows and tourism revenue more widely, as well as create opportunities for local communities to provide services, sell handicrafts and food, and organize experiential activities.
The approach is also consistent with Da Nang’s sustainable tourism development goals, which balance product and market growth with the preservation of indigenous culture, the creation of community livelihoods, and environmental protection.
According to Mrs. Candy, an American visitor, Hoi An is more than just the ancient town. There are many surrounding villages, craft villages and people preserving fascinating traditional crafts.
“I think if visitors could travel by boat from Hoi An, stop at individual villages, meet local people and experience firsthand how they make pottery, woodwork and other handicrafts, it would be a very different experience” she added.
In the immediate term, the development of the Bach Dang - Dong Khuong route will initially add a new waterway tourism product for the Hoi An - Dien Ban area.
In the longer term, the route could be extended to other areas along the Thu Bon River and toward My Son.
This could gradually create a network of waterway tourism products associated with culture, heritage, traditional crafts and local communities, thereby helping diversify Da Nang’s tourism products space.