Hon Thom by cable car, then the islands by canoe

This day is for people who want to see the southern islands from above as well as from the water. The cable car is the part people remember: a long ride high over the sea from An Thoi to Hon Thom, with the islands spread out below. After it you have a beach on Hon Thom and a short canoe trip to one or two more islands.

It suits couples and families who like variety in a day, and anyone not keen on a whole day on a speedboat. Activity level is 1 of 5: you ride, sit, walk on sand and swim.

It costs more than our other sea day because the cable car ticket is in the price, and it has less time in the water. If snorkelling is the main thing you want, the An Thoi canoe day gives you three islands for a lower reference price.

The cable car leaves from the An Thoi area in the south of the island and runs out over the sea to Hon Thom. It is long, and for much of the ride the cabin is high above the water. On a clear day you look down on fishing boats, the An Thoi islands and the colours of the shallow water around them.

Your guide handles the tickets, and the return ticket is included in your quote, so there is nothing to buy at the station. The guide rides with you and points out what you are looking at.

Cable cars over the sea stop when the wind is strong. If that happens on your day, the day is reshaped or refunded: what a reshaped day would look like is agreed with you before anything goes ahead, and if it does not suit you, our weather rule applies, with a full refund or another day.

On Hon Thom you have time on the beach: swim, sit in the shade, walk along the sand. Which beach and how long depends on the plan for your date and is written in your quote.

Hon Thom also has a water park. It is not part of this day. It needs a separate ticket, which we do not sell, and a water park visit and an island day do not fit into the same hours. If the water park is the main reason you are going to Hon Thom, this tour is not for you; you would be paying for a guide and a canoe you will not use.

After Hon Thom, a canoe takes your group to one or two nearby islands. In Vietnam a canoe, cano, is a small speedboat, not a paddle boat. The islands are chosen on the day according to the sea, and at the stops you swim and, when the water allows, snorkel from the surface with a mask and life jacket.

The canoe part is the part of the day most exposed to the weather. If the sea is too rough, it is shortened or dropped, and the guide tells you before you board. A speedboat in chop bounces and throws spray: if you are prone to seasickness, take a remedy before pick-up, sit towards the back, and keep valuables in a dry bag.

In the water

• Never stand on or touch coral. It is alive, and it cuts.
• Use reef-safe sunscreen, or wear a rash vest.
• Non-swimmers keep a life jacket on in the water; the crew will ask you to.
• Do not feed the fish.

The pricing page explains how the quote is built, and how to book covers the steps from request to pick-up.

Two things on this day depend on the weather: the cable car, which stops in strong wind, and the canoe, which only goes out when the sea is safe. We do not publish a calm season for either. The decision is made on the day by the people who run them, and our guide tells you as soon as it is known.

If the cable car is stopped, the day is reshaped with your agreement or refunded. If only the canoe part is affected, it is shortened or dropped and the rest of the day goes ahead; we tell you before the date what that means for your price. If we cancel the whole day for weather or safety, you get a full refund or another day.

If you cancel: more than 48 hours before the start, a full refund less any card fee; between 48 and 24 hours, 50%; under 24 hours or no-show, no refund.

Read the An Thoi canoe day, the sunset beach camp, or the sea and islands page, which compares all three sea days.

• Swimwear under your clothes, a towel and a dry change of clothes
• Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses with a strap
• A dry bag for phone and money on the canoe
• Seasickness remedy if you need one, taken before pick-up
• Some cash for drinks, anything on Hon Thom, and tips

• Anyone with a strong fear of heights. The cable car runs high over the sea for a long way, with no way off part-way.
• People going to Hon Thom mainly for the water park. It is not part of this day and its ticket is not sold here.
• Keen snorkellers. There is less time in the water than on the An Thoi canoe day.
• People who are badly seasick even on short boat rides.
• Travellers on a tight budget. The cable car ticket makes this the most expensive sea day we sell.