Cham Island Guide Book
Cham Island Hoi An Viet Nam
1. How come to Cham Island?
Cham Island also known as Chiem Bat Lao, Tiem Bich La, from 18 km from the mainland. The area of about 15 km2 includes 8 islands: Hon Lao, Hon Dai, Hon Mo, Hon Kho, Hon Kho Baby, Hon La, Hon Tai, and Hon Ong, of which forests about 90% and have more than 3,000 people are living.
To get to Cham Island you need to be at Cua Dai Port or Bach Dang Port (Hoi An ancient town), Quang Nam province, then travel by speed boat or wooden boat to Cham Island.
See more: Speed boat time and prices from Cua Dai Port to Cham Island
Cham Island Tour
1.1 Go to Cham Island from Hoi An
✈ Aircraft: Hoi An in Quang Nam province near Chu Lai Airport and Da Nang Airport, Currently, airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, and Jetstar have routes from the city. Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi City to Da Nang City
🚉 Train: From Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi City, there are train lines to Da Nang station, and Tam Ky station (Quang Nam), ticket prices from 400,000 VND to 1,200,000 VND depending on the type of train and seat type. It takes 14 to 20 hours to travel from 2 cities.
🚌 Bus: Only cost about 400,000 – 500,000 VND. There are many car express such as Hoang Long bus, Camel Travel, Hung Thanh bus, Mai Linh bus, Queen Cafe bus, Thuan Thao bus, and Phi Hiep bus …. Time 18 to 20 hours from Ha Noi / Sai Gon to Hoi An or Da Nang.
As your requests go to Cham Island for dependents please to refer How come to Cham Island from Hoi An City to Cua Dai Port:
- Taxi from Hoi An to Cua Dai Port: 08 km from central of Hoi An. From 70,000 – 100,000 vnđ / 1 Way
- Motorbiker rental from 100.000 – 150.000 vnđ /1 day. Not including gasoline and parking fee
See more: Cham Island motorbike rental
From the train or airport, you can take a bus, call a taxi, or a motorbike taxi, rent a car, and a motorbike to Cua Dai Port. Refer to the prices of vehicles from Da Nang city center to Cua Dai Port:
- Taxi, Car Da Nang to Cua Dai Port: From 35 km, prices 400,000 – 450,000 vnđ / 1 way / 1 car.
- Hoi An bus from Da Nang to Hoi An: 50,000 vnđ / 1 way. After you should take the car to Cua Dai Port for more than 100.000 VNĐ
- Motorbike rental from Da Nang to Cua Dai Port from 100.000 – 150,000 vnđ /1 day Not including gasoline and parking fee of 10,000 vnđ /1 car.
Cham Island
- Speed boat: Normally, in summer, there will be 2 daily departures, departing at 08:30, returning at 14:00, and 14h00 to 07:30 the next day.
- Advantages: Fast, convenient, safe, and comfortable.
- Round trip ticket price: 450,000 VND / 1 person going back in the day.
- Please update information about the departure time of a speed boat from the Cua Dai port to Cham Island at DEPARTURE TIME
See more: Cham Island daily tour free pick up at the hotel
Wooden boats (market ships): In the past, wooden boats were the main means of transportation, also used to transport from the mainland to the island and from the island to the mainland. If you choose a market ship, you will save a lot of money, especially bringing a motorbike to the island.
- Depart from 07:30 at Hoi An port to Cua Dai port at 08:30 and return at 12:30 on the day.
- Advantages: Cheap price 80,000 VND / 1 person Cons: Going slowly and easily getting seasick and very tired
1.3 Which kind of transportation at Cham island
- Wooden boat (Local fishing boat): In addition to being used for fishing, the wooden boats have been upgraded to serve tourists. You can rent a wooden boat to take a tour around the island the price per boat is about 700,000 – 900,000 VND for 4 hours.
- Basket Boat: This is a small transport used to move from the pier to the boats, as you request new feelings you can directly contact local people to try, a price agreement.
- Motorcycles, motorbike rental: You can choose for yourself a motorbike or motorbike to explore every corner of the island from 300,000 – 350,000 VND / day (excluding gas costs). Note that on the island many vertical slopes and rough roads, so it is necessary to check the brake system. And the special thing to note is that you should wear a helmet when in traffic.
2. When should go to Cham Island?
The most reasonable time you should travel to Cham Island Hoi An from March to the end of September. The weather is nice, and sunny, and quiet waves are an opportunity for you to freely explorer. The best time to go is in the morning, so there’s plenty of fun and sightseeing here.
A very important time you should not go to Cham Island Hoi An to avoid danger and may be stuck on a long island that usually falls from November every year and ends at the end of January of the next year. This time is heavy rain, high winds will last long and it is very dangerous for your trip.
Cham Island’s special festivals, you can join yourself in the exciting atmosphere of the festivals and learn about the culture and beliefs of residents such as the Cau Ngu Festival (April 3-4 of the lunar calendar) or Yen’s anniversary (March 9-10 of the lunar calendar).
3. When you should stay at Cham Island?
Where to stay at Cham Island? is the question that is most interested in clients. Cham Island is a quiet place, not so much in terms of accommodation. This place focuses mainly on homestays, instead of luxury hotels and resorts. Through the friendly homestays of the local people.
As you requested you can to travel Cham Island for 2 days and want to spend the night on the island, you can rent a room while relaxing and experiencing a simple life with fishermen, cooking, eating, and cultural exchange with local people like in your family.
Cham Island Homestay
Cham Island homestays are located at Lang Beach and Huong Beach. Currently, the national power is available, so the Hostel Cu Lao Cham is very fully equipped, you are completely assured. The price of the homestay is from 350,000 VND – 500,000 VND / 2 person. To ensure room availability please book at least 15 days in advance.
3.1 Cham Island Homestay listing as below
- Gia Thanh Homestay
- Address: Lang Village, Cham Island, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
- Sun Bay Homestay
- Address: Lang Village, Cham Island, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
- Ms. Tam Hien Homestay
- Address: Lang Village, Cham Island, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
- Ms. Bich Van Homestay
- Address: Lang Village, Cham Island, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
- Mr Huynh Van Tri Homestay
- Address: Lang Village, Cham Island, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
- Ms Thu Trang Homestay
- Address: Lang Village, Cham Island, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
- Ms Lan Homestay
- Address: Huong Village, Cham Island, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
- Ms Hiep Homestay
- Address: Huong Village, Cham Island, Hoi An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
3.2 Camping on the beach
In addition, if you want to enjoy nature, you can bring tents or rent camping tents on Cham Island overnight on the beaches: Ong Beach, Huong Beach, and Xep Beach… The rental price for 1 tent is from 250,000 VND to 350,000 VND depending on the size of the tent. Contact phone number 0905 121 243 to rent a tent at Cham Island
4. Where should to visit Cham Island?
Hai Tang Pogoda
5. What should to eat at Cham Island?
When you come to Cham Island, one of the things that will make you remember most about this place is probably the cuisine, which always leaves visitors with unforgettable impressions.
5.1 Cham Island Seafood
Cham Island seafood is famous for being very nutritious and salty with the taste of the sea, Tan Hiep local market is famous for many delicious, cheap to choose from and enjoy. Let’s explore and enjoy the best and most attractive specialties of Cham Island.
5.2 Local Snails
A famous specialty of the Central Coast region that is famous right from its name. Snails have a conical conch shell, resembling the mounds of puberty, and the body is yellow and green, but whenever a human hand touches it, it turns a pale pink color. Gourmets often only use lemon pepper salt to eat with her boiled nipples
5.3 A Sunny Squid
The fresh squid is washed and spread on the blister to dry. After nearly a day of sun and sea breeze, the squid will reduce the water, the squid will dry and cook with embers. When the grill just cooked, use your hands to blow and tear combined with chili sauce …This is also a special gift that can be brought back to the mainland
5.4 Abalone
Abalone is a species of snail, with many names such as snail, and sea urchin … visitors to love and enjoy abalone when coming to Cu Lao Cham. This snail clings to the reefs in the coral area with high salinity, and large waves, so it is difficult to detect and very difficult to separate them from the rocks. Abalone is boiled with salt and lemon pepper, the meat will be sweet, and delicious, very special more than other seafood.
5.5 Echinus
Grilled Echinus is also a dish that tourists should try once when traveling to Cham Island. Echinus is considered the “ginseng” of the sea because it is not only delicious but also very nutritious.
5.6 Lobster
Lobster is a seafood that not only has a delicious taste but also has a high nutritional value. No matter what it is processed into, at Cham Island lobster meat still retains the irresistible natural sweetness.
5.7 Stone Crab (Spical only Cham Island)
Not only famous for fresh seafood from the fishing men caught from the coasts of Cu Lao Cham, but rock crabs caught from rock caves in the mountains also make many visitors. The special thing about this crab is that they eat leaves on rocks and drink dew water, so the meat is very sweet, soft, creamy, and does not taste fishy like normal sea crabs. This type of crab is often washed, boiled, steamed, or fried with tamarind. Coming to Cham Island, you should not miss this delicious dish.
5.8 Wild Vegetables from Cham Island
Growing wild and quite rich in species, with several dozen types: Don vegetables, Son vegetables, Dui vegetables, Ma De vegetables… Late spring, or early summer is the main season of wild vegetables on this island. There are many ways of processing wild vegetables. Often people mix many types, of spicy, sweet, and fatty flavors. The simplest way is to boil vegetables and eat them with fish sauce, and garlic chili (the fish sauce is made by fresh fish from the Cham Island beach.)
5.9 Duck Cake
5.10 Quang Noodles at Cham Island
If you have to enjoy My Quang on the mainland when you go to Cham Island, you should try a bowl of Quang noodles, you will have a different view of this rustic dish. Same way of processing but the taste is very different.
With traditional noodle dishes that visitors feel when returning to Quang Nam provinces. Quang Noodles at Cham Island have processing: Noodles are handmade without using machines, but water is cooked from Champa Well, cooking of Gaz or induction cooker … The auxiliary dishes such as Shrimp, Chicken, Pork, Egg… are raised by people on the island who eat natural food, so the taste and quality are delicious. (Price for a bowl of noodles and meat: 20,000 – 30,000 VND)
5.12 Husband and Wife Cake
Along with the little cake, the Husband and Wife Cake is a famous delicious cake on Cham Island. With processing by hand, it creates an attractive gift with a unique taste.
Hidden behind the banana leaves outside is a creamy yellow peanut cake that is transparent enough to see the green bean inside. Bite a piece, visitors will feel the chewy, crunchy taste of the green bean.
5.13 Cham Island Seaweed
Cham Island Seaweed is a coarse seaweed with, a darker color, so it is very salty and has a more fishy smell, with many nutrients that are good for your health. They only rinse it once to filter out the sand, and the shell and then dry it.
Therefore, the iodine is much higher than seaweed in other places. After drying the seaweed can be stored in the refrigerator to eat all year. Cham Island Seaweed is processed by the islander’s rustic dishes such as cooking soup, mixing with salad, or lightly frying oil to eat.
6. What should you do at Cham Island?
What is fascinating about Cham Island is that there are plenty of recreational activities in the wild natural setting. Traditional forms of entertainment such as swimming, relaxing, or hiking to explore the forests.
For those who are interested in local life exploration activities, you can participate in diving and snorkeling, walking on the sea. There are also facilities for water sports such as swimming, water skiing, paragliding, kayaking, and kite flying …
6.1 Swimming services
Come to Cham Island, swimming is something you cannot ignore. In the journey to discover Cham Island, you will be indulged on the poetic beaches of tourists such as Bac Beach, Ong Beach, Xep Beach, and Chong Beach… the sea is especially extremely clean because local people and authorities are determined to keep the environment green, not allow the use of plastic bags on the island, and not indiscriminately to protect the marine environment.
6.2 Cham Island snorkeling services
The attraction of Cham Island is not only an interesting natural landscape, charming land, and cool fresh air, but also extremely rich biodiversity. Therefore, in addition to swimming, diving, and watching coral and marine life at Cham Island always attracts tourists.
6.3 Cham Island Diving Services
If you want to explore the life deeply of the sea, The scuba diving services, This activity, you will have to buy the Cham Island scuba diving tour because this is a quite complicated diving activity, requiring experts to accompany you.
At Cham Island, you will learn briefly about the sea maneuvers as well as some symbols for your companion. At a depth of 3 – 8 meters under the ocean, looking at colorful coral reefs and swimming in the blue water with fish, there is nothing more interesting than that feeling
6.4 Cham Island walking on the sea (Seatrek Services)
Join the Cham island walking on the sea tour, you will not need any diving experience to still be assured of walking like on the land. You will experience scuba diving in a completely different way and do not need stubborn tools such as imitation legs, air tanks, oxygen masks…
Visitors will be wearing a hat that is an oxygen supply device and follow the instructions of the tour guide and you can completely explore the aquarium. The colorful coral reefs adorned with calm fish swimming will make visitors feel excited and happy.
