Vietnam is famous for a long coast from the North to the South with worldwide well-known beaches. This ‘S-shape’ country possesses more than 4,000 thousands of big and small islands, an endless treasure to the sea tourism development. The most beautiful, peaceful and deserted islands are located in the South of Vietnam.
1. Phu Quoc island
Phu Quoc is one of the most famous islands in Asia. It has been voted as one of 3 top tourist sites in the winter by National Geographic or as one of 10 top ideal destinations in Asia by Asiaone. The trademark of Phu Quoc island is created by beautiful beaches (Star beach, Long beach, etc.), delicious seafood (sea urchins, scallops, sea snails, cobia, herring, etc.) and outdoor activities (skin diving, squid fishing, sunset viewing, etc.). Staying in bungalows along white-sand beaches and going around the island by a rental motorbike definitely interesting experiences for tourists. The best time to visit the island is from December to June (high season) and tourists can reach there by express boats from Rach Gia port or by airplanes from Tan Son Nhat airport.
2. Con Dao island
Although it is a little bit far from the mainland, no Vietnamese people do not know about its existence. The most beautiful beach on the island is Dam Trau, about 15 km from Con Son town. Hat snails and fried country almonds are specialties on Con Dao island. Popular outdoor activities on the island are to go fishing, go skin diving, discover Ong Dung forest, watch Chelonia mydas lay eggs, etc. Tourists can get to the island by boats (12 hours from Cat Lo port in Vung Tau city) or by airplanes (45 minutes from Tan Son Nhat airport).
3. Ba Lua islands
It is located in Kien Giang province (one of nice countries in Mekong delta), a part of Thailand Gulf. Ba Lua islands consist of three big islands (Heo island, Ngang island and Nhum Ba island) and a lot of other small islands. The most interesting activities on Ba Lua islands are to stay with local families (homestay), catch and enjoy seashells on sites. When the tide is down, tourists can walk back and forth between islands. Tourists can only go there by local fishermen’s boats or tourism company’s boats (from Kien Luong port).
4. Nam Du island
It is an island belonging to Kien Giang province. Nam Du possesses many beautiful beaches (Cay Men beach, Ngu beach, etc.) and not exploited as a tourism destination as Phu Quoc island, so this island still keeps its mysterious and peaceful beauty. One plus point for trips to there is the reasonable expenditure for all of the services (hotel, transportation, eating). It is said that local people are very friendly and hospitable. Tourists can reach the island by renting local fishermen’s boats or by tourist company’s boats (from Kien Giang port).
5. Phu Quy island
Phu Quy island is also called Thu island, about 120 km from Phan Thiet City (Phan Thiet province). It is wide only 16 square km but a very attractive destination. The sunset view from the lighthouse on Cam mountain on the island is said to be the most beautiful in Vietnam. Tourists can ride motorbikes around the island to discover beauty spots such as Trieu Duong beach, coastal paths, Linh Son pagoda in the Cao Cat mountain, etc. Red frog crabs and Vermilion groupers are specialties on Phu Quy island. There are always available tours to Phu Quy island for tourists to book. The boats depart from Phan Thiet port.
Source: Sophie Phan