Home » Viet Nam Travel Guide » Farmer Experience in Hoi An Vietnam: Planting Rice, Riding Buffaloes with Locals

Farmer Experience in Hoi An Vietnam: Planting Rice, Riding Buffaloes with Locals

Spent a full morning in Hoi An sweating in a rice paddy — and weirdly, it was one of the best things I’ve done in Vietnam.

We signed up for this “Cam Thanh – Hoi An Farming and Buffalo Riding and Cooking class” tour mostly out of curiosity. I’d seen a few photos online of tourists in conical hats standing knee-deep in water, trying to look like farmers. Honestly, I half-expected it to be a little gimmicky.

See more >>> Hoi An Wet Rice Growing Daily Tour Half Day Experience

The guide picked us up from our homestay around 9:00 a.m., which felt like it had been through a few hundred rice fields itself. He was a local guy, probably in his 30s, super chatty and kind of hilarious in the way only Vietnamese uncles can be. His name was Hoang (Smith’s English name). Told us he grew up farming and still helps his parents out in the fields when he’s not doing tours.

They took us just outside the ancient town — about 20 minutes away, past the rows of nipa palms and sleepy villages. The spot wasn’t one of those commercialized setups, which I appreciated. No big signs, no polished bathrooms. Just a muddy field, a wooden shack, and a very real-looking water buffalo chewing on something questionable.

We began with a brief introduction to how rice is traditionally planted. Honestly, watching videos on YouTube does not prepare you for the squishy feeling of mud between your toes. The water came up to my shins. Every step was like dragging a sandbag. The sun was brutal — and this was only May. I can’t imagine doing this every day, two crops a year.

See details >>> Hoi An Wet Rice Growing – Riding Buffalo And Plowing Farm At Cam Thanh.

We took turns transplanting the seedlings, side by side with a couple of older farmers — I think they were husband and wife. They didn’t speak much English, but the woman laughed a lot, especially when one of us slipped and sat down in the mud. Yeah, that was me. Twice.

Then came the buffalo ride

I’ll say this: water buffaloes look calmer than they actually are. The one we met was named XE, which means “car” in Vietnamese. Getting on wasn’t so bad. But staying on while XE trotted around the field like he was training for some muddy buffalo Olympics? Whole other story. But I survived. Didn’t fall. Can’t say the same for the couple from Germany who were with us.

After rinsing off (with a garden hose, behind a banana tree — very glamorous), we sat down for what they called a “cooking class.” Really, it was just us helping chop vegetables and roll a few spring rolls, but the food was legit. Câu Lầu, bánh xè,o sizzling pancakes, and a super refreshing green papaya salad. Everything was cooked by the aunt and served on plastic stools in a breezy open kitchen. No frills. No filters. Just real food and good people.

Tour cost was about 35 USD per person, which felt more than fair considering it included transport, the whole farming-buffalo-cooking combo, and one of the most honest slices of rural life I’ve seen here.

Would I recommend it? If you’re after something a bit messy, a bit silly, and very, very real — yeah. Just bring sunscreen. And maybe a second pair of clothes.