The Travel of Phu Quoc island

The heart-shape island

This heart shaped island is just sixty-two nautical miles from Rach Gia and nearly 290 nautical miles from Laem Chabang - Thailand, tourist visitors can make a trip to Phu Quoc by air from Ho Chi Minh or by sea from Rach Gia - Kien Giang. It covers an area of 567 square kilometers and is about sixty two kilometers long and between three and twenty eight kilometers wide. In 2001, its population was approximately 85000.

Phu Quoc is called the “Island of Ninety nine Mountain” because of its sandstone chains of mountain running from the north to the south. The longest chain is Ham Ninh, which stretches for thirty kilometers along the eastern edge. Its highest peak is Mt. Chua, which is 603 kilometers.

Phu Quoc has a monsoon subequatorial climate and two seasons: rainy (October only) and dry (November to September). The average annual rainfall is 2879 meters and temperature is 27degree. Trips to Phu Quoc can be made all year round, but the best time is the dry season, when the sky is sunny, clear, and blue.

During the early seventeenth century,   Phu Quoc was a desolate area where Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants earned their living from sea cucumbers. Between 1782 and 1786, the island was a stronghold of Lord Nguyen Anh (who later became Emperor Gia Long) during his confrontation with Tay Son forces. In 1869, the French occupied   Phu Quoc and established rubber and coconut plantations. Between 1967 and 1972, the former Sai Gon regime used the island to house 40000 prisoners of war in a detention camp covering 400 hectares at An Thoi. After liberation, residents converted   Phu Quoc into an ideal destination for nature and sea lovers.

Phu Quoc is famous worldwide for two traditional products: black pepper and fish sauce. The numbers for both products are quite surprising. Hundreds of fish sauce workshops produce ten million liters of nuoc mam annually, and countless pepper gardens cover about five hundred hectares. The pepper growers captivate visitors with their “itsy bitsy, teeny weeny coins” while those taking in the fish sauce workshops will be amazed by the dozens of bulky barrels waiting to be jammed with fresh fish. Some visitor will surely be tempted to try a few pungent green “pepper coins” and half a spoonful of the tasty, salty sauce.

Phu Quoc Nature Reserve was established in 1986 and later expanded to a total are of 37000 hectares. The reserve, which has diverse flora and fauna, covers mainly the mountainous northern part of the island. There are nearly 929 tree species of which nineteen newly found species were first recorded in Vietnam. The forest is home to many species of birds and small mammals, including flying squirrels and sloth monkeys. As explained by the French Larousse dictionary, the famous   Phu Quoc dog is a well-tamed, wild canine species that has become a favourite companion for hunters. Trekking through the park should be done in the dry season only.

Sugar white beaches with crystal clear water often surprise first time visitor to   Phu Quoc. All the beaches are considered among the best in Vietnam. The most spectacular beaches spread along the western coast and gather around the southern tip of the island. Not far from the district town, private for family holidays. For young couples, the best choice of a secluded haven is one of the deserted bays ringed by hill, sand, and bushes at the southern tip of the island.

Dinh Cau Rock, where sand and sea and sun and stone blend in perfect harmony by the mouth of the Duong Dong River, is the symbol of Phu Quoc. The rock is both an odd shaped scenic site and a sacred shrine. Local fishermen pray there before setting sail. Step take visitors to the top, where they can fell the gentle sea breeze, watch the sun set over the eroded rock formation, and enjoy a peaceful view of the Duog Dong River.

Away from the hustle bustle of mainland Vietnam, Phu Quoc is an ideal serene retreat for those seeking contemplation or meditation. Quite a few temples and shrines are scattered across the island and in the district town. Built in the early nineteenth century, Sung Hung pagoda, with its original structure and intriguing statues, is well worth visiting. Nestled in thick vegetation on a hillside, Su Mon Pagoda is always an inspiration for visitors thanks to its unique blend or nature and architecture.

Peaceful Phu Quoc night market

The market with its fishing tools and huge, fresh fish provides a nice way to again an insight in local life. A lively, cheerful atmosphere permeates the market. Vendors in conical palm hats sit on the ground, their small baskets of fruits and vegetables nearby, and then there are also salespeople at big, well stocked stands. Those who walk to the market jetty can take wonderful photographs of boats loading and unloading.

Off the southern tip of the main island (thirty minutes by boat from An Thoi), are the fifteen An Thoi island with their scenic beaches, azure waters, colorful coral reefs, and colonies of diverse fish. Some islands remain uninhabited and pristine. A host of leisure activities awaits visitor, including swimming, snorkeling, boating, fishing, or just resting. Visitors should stop at a fishing village on Hon Thom to see the local resident in the midst of the daily chores and experience their friendliness. Hotel staff can arrange for boats

- Islands in Vietnam -

Con Dao island travel information

A beach in Con Dao

Con Dao Archipelago, situated 200 kilometers southeast of southern Vietnam, contains fourteen islands. Rich tropical forests, long white beaches, and coral reefs greet visitors arriving by helicopter from Ho Chi Minh or boat from Vung Tau at Con Son island, the largest in the archipelago. The drive from the airport to a small village passes through hills with breathtaking scenery. 

Con Dao is an ideal place for Vietnam tours of exploring land-and-sea biodiversity, for it is one of Vietnam's most important natural areas. Declared a protected site in 1984, Con Dao was given national park status in 1993; in 1997, authorities expanded the park’s boundaries to include a major marine zone. 

The park has over 880 plant species, 144 animal species, and more than 1,300 marine species. Marine species include marine turtles (green, hawksbill, leatherback and loggerhead), giant clams (Tridacna spp.), and dugong, which is an endangered mammal than is similar to the manatee and is found in Vietnam only at Con Dao in addition, Con Dao has globally significant land species, such as long-tailed macaque monkeys, hairy-footed flying squirrels, giant black squirrels, Indian pythons, and nicobar pigeons. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indochina Programme has worked with park staff since the early 1990s to protect the se endangered species and to raise environmental awareness within the local community. 

Visitors can see marine turtles while visiting the second largest island, Bay Canh, during the turtles' nesting season, which is between bay and September. The can also visit a large mangrove forest on the opposite side of the island, which can be reached after a five-minute - walk. Another attraction tours destination is the mountain lighthouse on the island's eastern tip. 

Visitors wishing to see the marine environment can snorkel in the large bay just outside the village. If the tide is right, the can walk about a kilometer up the beach in the morning and then swim back with the tide as it comes in. Although typhoon Linda severely damaged the coral reefs in 1997, new corals are settling on the large tabular corals that flipped over during the storm. Visitors equipped with snorkels can see squids, sea urchins, different kinds of groupers, parrot fish, butterfly fish, surgeon fish, soldier fish, and many others. The density of coral reef fish and giant clams is the highest in Việt Nam. Sea grass beds, which are important grazing grounds for dugongs, are north of the coral beds. Swimmers who go there may be lucky enough to see the dugongs. 

Discover the marine environment

In addition to its beauty, Con Dao is famous as the ''Prison Island''. The French built thirteen prisons there, the former Southern regime later took over the prisons. Over 20,000 Vietnamese - mostly political prisoners - died at Con Dao. Helpful guides will take visitors on an interesting tour to some of the prisons. The French and subsequently the Americans and the former regime in the South kept prisoners in a small, concentrated area and otherwise closed the island for one hundred years. An a result, the island's forests and marine habitats are well preserved compared to many areas in Vietnam, making Con Dao both a great historical site and a Vietnam tourist destination for adventure and nature.

- Islands in Vietnam -

Cat Ba Island Travel Information

Located thirty miles from the town of Hai Phong, the tourist destination Cat Ba island is famous for its romantic karsts seascape, with towers rising steeply from the sea. Some visitors find it even more beautiful than neighboring Ha Long bay. Its national park is home to a diverse, endemic forest flora and one of the world's most endangered primates, the golden-headed langur. Cat Ba is a perfect place to relax, and it's less than three hours from Ha Noi. 

Cat Ba island

Visitors stepping off the boats find themselves in Cat Ba Town nestled around a bay filled with colorful fishing boats. Friendly hotels and restaurants border the promenade. The first afternoon is est spent admiring the landscape at the Cat Ba Beach. For dinner, try Xuan Hong floating restaurant next to Beo Harbour, since it serves the best seafood in town.

To sea the golden-headed langur, talk to Mr.Phung at Beo Harbour. Silent and patient observation with the aid of binoculars at 5:00 A.M. may pay off handsomely with the sight of a langur troop feeding on a cliff face seventy meters high. However, getting there requires a three-hour trip. Extending the journey in to a day trip around Lan Ha bay brings the reward of seeing spectacular karst gorges and towers, with small, secluded beaches alongside turquoise water. 

Hotels in town can book a tour of the national park, including a forest trek and a stop at the Trung Trang caves. The most demanding and spectacular day trek leads past Frog Lake, which is surrounded by swamp forests, and continues through primary forests to the fishing village of Viet Hai with a return trip by boat to Cat Ba. 

Another possibility for your Cat Ba trip is to hire a motorbike for VND 100,000 (US$ 5 - price 0f 2013) per day and visit the national park headquarters. From there, Frog Lake is a short trek. Or climb Ngu Lam Peak with its fantastic overview of the karsts landscape and forest ecosystems; the short climb requires only one hour for a roundtrip. A further drive to Phu Long will likely include sightings of shorebirds in the mangrove forests and mudflats or near Kim Cuong cave on Cat Ba island.

- Islands in Vietnam - 

Travel of Vietnam - The country and people

Diversity and peaceful is the most impress in the travel of Vietnam

Vietnam’s diversity includes both natural landscapes and many different ethnic groups. After years of war ending from 1975, it is now safe and secure for those who want to travel for Vietnam.

Vietnam is a long “S” – shaped country bordering the Eastern Sea. Vietnamese describe their country as two large baskets of rice hanging from a carrying pole made of bamboo. The two “rice baskets” are the Red River Delta in the north and the Mekong Delta in the south. The “carry pole” is the Truong Son mountain range in the narrow center of the country. Vietnam’s history of land reclamation, land protection and irrigation for wet-rice cultivation extends back many centuries. These practices among the majority ethnic Kinh (Vietnamese) as well as among some of the ethnic – minority groups created a special tie to the land and a tradition of both self-determination and a strong local community.

Farmer in Vietnam carrying rice home 

The Vietnamese people’s love for their country arises from the sacrifice they and their ancestors made as they blazed trails through the dangerous Truong Son mountain range and over Ngang pass in Quang Binh province, the Hai Van pass in Thua Thien-Hue province and the Ca pass in Phu Yen province. Tourist visiting Vietnam’s many fascinating sites will be even more intrigued if they delve beyond a given site’s natural beauty to study its history and culture.