Almost every boat day here runs south, into the An Thoi archipelago, and leaves from An Thới port after a road transfer. What separates one day from the next is the hull rather than the island list, what the fare does not carry, and whether you sail in the morning or into the sunset.
Which side of the island do the tours leave from?
The exception worth knowing is Flipper, which sells the same 900,000 VND (about $35) day in two directions — north out of Dương Đông or south out of An Thới. In practice the north runs from November to April and the south the year round: OnBird states its southern tours are unaffected by the rainy season, while its Chillax sunset trip is sold October to May.
Wooden boat or speedboat — what changes?
A wooden boat is slower and roomier and the galley works; John's two-island day uses a boat with local fishing tackle. A speedboat buys time, and the gap between John's speedboat day and its wooden three-island trip is the clearest price for an hour saved on the island you get to see. Above that, the money goes into headcount: OnBird's boat is built for twenty and carries eight or ten; Layla runs four to twelve; Les Rives caps at six.
What does the fare not carry?
John's and Red River price children by different rules — John's by age ($18 for 4–9 on the two-island day, free under 4), Red River by height (560,000 VND (about $22) from 1.0 to 1.4 m, free below). OnBird charges children 75% or 80% of the adult fare depending on the trip, adds a holiday surcharge of 100,000 VND (about $4) per person on Vietnamese public holidays and Tết, and leaves VAT outside the price.
Is an afternoon departure a cheaper morning?
Afternoon and sunset departures are a route of their own, not a discount version of the morning. John's sunset BBQ speedboat runs 13:00 to 19:00 for $59 and puts dinner on the island; Layla's Sunset Escape leaves at 12:45 and is back around 19:15 at the same 1,950,000 VND (about $75) as its morning twin; Les Rives sails 15:30 to 18:00 from An Thới for 2,799,000 VND (about $108), with beer, water, soft drinks and fruit.
What is worth checking before you book?
- Pick-up: free from central Dương Đông for most operators and surcharged elsewhere — Red River asks 100,000 VND (about $4) per guest for Ông Lang, Cây Sao and Hàm Ninh and 400,000 VND (about $15) for Bãi Dài and Gành Dầu.
- OnBird publishes its own transfer grid up to 500,000 VND (about $19) per group; Ecodive’s $35 snorkelling place comes without a transfer, so plan on reaching the centre yourself.
- The island list for the day: Kimie's picks among Dam Ngang, Fingernail, May Rut and Hon Dam on the morning, and Layla warns the islands can change.
- Weather rewrites the route rather than the day: rain moves Layla's barbecue into a restaurant, and Les Rives says plainly that squid at sunset is a matter of luck, not part of the programme.
Important
the two directions are not interchangeable — snorkelling and diving in the north are unavailable from 10 May to 20 October, so book the southern route in those months.
