Lying
along East Sea with a coast of over 3000km in length,
package travel Vietnam has up to 2770
off shore islands offering paradise beaches in Asia, ranging from north to
south with different features and attractions. What make the islands very
attractive to visitors is the wild natural beauty of these islands without
the impact of tourism, not only attract tourists with pristine water and
white sand beaches, the islands are also a complex of diverse ecosystems
such as tropical forests, mangroves, Coastal fauna...On these islands, the
natural landscape is virtually unchanged and still preserve the unspoiled
sceneries. Within the frame of this article we would like to name five best
islands that you cannot miss if you have a chance to visit Vietnam.
Ly Son island, a hidden gem
Ly Son island district belongs to Quang Ngai province in central Vietnam,
this used to be one of the less developed islands in Vietnam, the fastest
way to get to Ly Son is by high speed boat from Sa Ky port in 45 minutes, Ly
Son island has a long history where 3000 years ago the first people in Sa
Huynh came and live here. Amid the ocean of waves and wind Ly Son island
look like a giant sea turtle.
Coming to Ly Son island don't expect the to see the long sandy beaches or
the luxury resorts, actually the best beach is in Little island, however in
return Ly Son give you an experience you cannot find anywhere else: best
fresh sea food, warm feelings and friendliness of local people. Tourism in
Ly Son is not developed as electricity is on only from 17.00 until midnight,
there are only a few basic hotels without hot water and few facility
services, however please come to Ly Son with your heart, don't expect too
much and you won't be disappointed when you come to Ly Son.
My tips you should know before coming to Ly Son island:
- There is only 1 high speed boat from Quang Ngai to Ly Son island daily
departing at 7 am.
- Contact the hotels before coming as there are few hotels in Ly Son, and
please note that there is no hotel in Be (Little) island, the only choice is
homestay
- You should bring along battery as electricity is on only a few hours at
the end of the day
Phu Quoc island, paradise on earth
Phu Quoc is the largest island in vietnam with total area 566 square km. For
a long time Phu Quoc has been famous with beautiful beaches and primitive
forest however until recently tourism on Phu Quoc has been booming as
visitors can reach Phu Quoc island by flight from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city,
and with the installation of national power grid on the island the price of
services especially hotels has become more reasonable.
In general traveling to Phu Quoc island is not cheap, most of your expenses
will go to hotel and airfares however in return you will have a chance to
relax at picturesque beaches and enjoy the discover the unspoiled beauty of
the island. My advice is don't go to Phu Quoc with organized tours, the only
thing you need to do is book your flight and hotel in advance, and once you
are there I recommend that you rent a motorbike and explore the island
yourself. There are some nice beaches like Sao beach, or Cua Lap beach
however these place are always crowded as there are many hotels and resorts
nearby, my favourite place is Long beach about 25km from town and you will
be amazed by the beauty of this beach.
Eating in Phu Quoc island is pretty cheap as there are many restaurants in
town, a lot of people go to have dinner at the night market that serve
mostly seafood however if you want to taste the fresh seafood please go to
Ham Ninh fishing port, about 10km from the centre.
For more information of Phu Quoc island I will come back with another
article about this island.
Con Dao island
For a long time Con Dao island is known for the horrible prison built by the
French in the war time as the hell on earth, from mid 19th century until the
reunification of Vietnam in 1975 more than 20.000 Vietnamese prisoners was
killed. However the painful past of Con Dao island has become history, today
Con Dao is one of the best resort islands in south Vietnam, especially those
who want to experience the wild natural beauty and unspoiled environment of
an island not impacted by tourism.
Compared to other island, Con Dao has full factors of a majestic landscape
as it is formed by an archipelago with 16 large and small islands, each has
it's own characteristics which will bring you interesting and different
feelings. The common point of these islands is the big and diverse range of
coral reefs with many formations. My tip for you is that spend the whole day
to explore the majestic beauty of these coral reefs.
As tourism in Con Dao is not developed as other places there are only a few
hotels of which the best is Six Senses resort where Bratt Pitt and Angelina
Jolie brought their family here for a holiday in 2011. The beaches in Con
Dao is one of the best in Vietnam, the waves is little, water is green and
pristine although there is not much sand, the beach are surrounded with rock
cliffs, you can spend the whole day sitting on the rock watching the sea
from sunrise to sunset without being annoyed by local vendors. The only
thing that made me disappointed about Con Dao island is eating, there are
only a few simple restaurants that serve mostly fish. My recommended places
you should visit in Con Dao island is Phu Hai camp, Hang Duong cemetery,
Shark cape (note that don't go in the late afternoon as it is very windy on
the pass), also there is a very beautiful little beach close to Co Ong
airport, you can reach it by motorbike only.
Phu Quy island in Binh Thuan
I came to Phu Quy island 2 years ago and was really impressed with this
pretty island. The name Phu Quy means "wealthy" making you think of
prosperity of this island, Phu Quy has another name Cu Lao Thu,
geographically belongs to Binh Thuan province, about 55 miles southeast of
Phan Thiet port.
Phu Quy island is not only rich in marine resources, but also rich in
natural beauty of the majestic, the quiet coastal road bending around the
island. People who live on the island are not rich in money, but rich in
hospitality, you can always see the smiles on the faces of local people,
this is exactly what left me the best impression when wandering about on my
native land.
Travelers can go to Phu Quy island by high speed boat in 3 hours or bay
cargo boat in 6 hours, for the nature lovers Phu Quy island is really a
paradise for its wild beauty, services and facilities on the island are
rather basic, once you are here don't forget to try King crabs and fresh
squid, better than anywhere. There are some family guesthouse on the island
equipped with air-conditioner however the national power is on until 23.00
only after that people use generator for electricity. What you need to
consider is weather, my advise is to check weather 3 days before departure
and must have substitute plan since there is no boat to Phu Quy island in
bad weather.
Co To island in Quang Ninh
In recent years Co To island has become a favourite destination for young
Vietnamese travelers. Like Phu Quy island, Co To still preserve the wild
setting of nature with deserted beaches and windy hills, many couples come
to Co To island to taka wedding photos. As one of the outpost islands in
Tonkin sea there is a military base on Co To island, perhaps it is one of
the reasons that tourism development in Co To is not encouraged although
there are more and more people visiting this island. There are only several
simple hotels in Co To and a state run guesthouse under Co To district
people's committee that all foreign tourists have to stay there when they
are in Co To.
The thing I like the most in Co To island is to rent a motorbike and explore
the beauty of the island myself. The beaches in Co To in my opinion are the
best in Vietnam such as Hong Van, Vam Chai, Little Co To, and don't forget
to visit Co To lighthouse when you are there.
Eating in Co To is easy as there are many restaurants on the island however
I recommend that you have dinner at your hotel as it will be cheaper than
outside, for lunch you can check Uy Thanh restaurant, food and service is
good, around 10 usd/person.
There are several ways to reach Co To island from mainland, I recommend that
you take a high speed boat from Cai Rong port in Van Don (1.5 hours) to Co
To and on the way back catch a normal boat from Co To to Bai Chay in Halong
city, it takes longer by normal boat however you have a chance to enjoy the
breathtaking beauty of Bai Tu Long bay during the journey.
