A video showing a local boatman diving into a river to retrieve a mobile phone dropped by a foreign visitor at the Bay Mau Coconut Forest in Hoi An Dong Ward, Danang City, has attracted widespread attention on social media.
In the footage, the boatman immediately plunged into the water after noticing the phone had fallen overboard during a basket boat excursion.
Seconds later, he resurfaced holding the device above his head to cheers and applause from nearby tourists.
Tran Ngoc Toan, head of a local basket boat operator, said the incident occurred on the afternoon of June 14.
According to Toan, a foreign visitor accidentally dropped the phone into the river while filming during a tour through the Bay Mau Coconut Forest.
The man who retrieved the device was identified as Lac, a 70-year-old resident of Hoi An Dong Ward.
Toan said the river was in its dry season, with water levels only about 1.5 metres deep, making the search relatively safe.
"Lac grew up in a coastal community and has extensive experience swimming and diving. He quickly located the phone and recovered it for the visitor," Toan said.
The phone continued to function normally after being retrieved thanks to its water resistant design, he added.
The tourist was reportedly delighted to receive the device back and repeatedly thanked the boatman for his help.
Foreign tourists cheer as the basket boat rower finds the phone (Photo: Ngoc Toan).
The Bay Mau Coconut Forest, located in Cam Thanh Village, has become one of central Vietnam's most popular tourist attractions in recent years.
Visitors can explore the waterways in traditional basket boats, watch fishing demonstrations, enjoy folk music performances and experience the distinctive "basket boat dance" performed by local fishermen.
In 2024, Tripadvisor ranked the Cam Thanh basket boat experience among the world's 25 best boating activities.
In 2025, Forbes named Cam Thanh one of the world's 50 most beautiful villages, ranking it 20th and making it the only Vietnamese destination included on the list.