Wild, ideal destination
Cu Lao Cau - or Hon Cau, Hon Cau - is a small rocky island in Tuy Phong district, Binh Thuan. Located about 100 km from Phan Thiet, and about 10 km from the mainland of Lien Huong town, the small island is about 1.5 km x 0.8 km in size, with almost only thorny bushes and large and small rocks scattered all over the island.
The Saigon - Lien Huong night bus took our group to Lien Huong wharf at dawn. We had breakfast right at the wharf and transferred our luggage and fresh water to the canoe before leaving the mainland for the island. Since the island is uninhabited, if you plan to stay overnight, you need to prepare fresh water for cooking and bathing, all of which must be purchased from Lien Huong.
Cu Lao Cau is about 10 km from the mainland, far enough to have the necessary quiet, but also close enough to be able to quickly return to the mainland, because after just over half an hour, the ship slowed down, approaching Tien beach for us to land on the island.
Tuy Phong Wind Power seen very close up in the west of the island
Vinh Tan Thermal Power Plant is located to the north, "releasing" smoke into the sky.
Cu Lao Cau has a coral and turtle conservation area. There are no people living on the island, only a border post located in the north of the island. The first thing every tourist does when arriving on the island is to go to the border post to present their group list. The soldiers here are mostly young and very friendly, they are willing to let tourists charge their phones.
The northwest of the island has a coral reef on the seabed, if requested, a canoe will take guests to the reef to see the coral. However, the sea here is quite deep and the canoes do not have glass bottoms, if you want to see the coral you have to go down to the sea.
Also in the Mieu area in the northwest of the island is the Nam Hai Temple - worshiping Whale - where fishermen often visit to pray for safe sailing and good catches. The Nam Hai Temple Festival on the island is held annually by local fishermen on a large scale, on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, but on normal days there are few people passing by.
Because the north of Cau island is a coral and turtle conservation area, and the east is full of cliffs, you can only camp and swim in the west and south of the island. This is a rocky island, with almost no large trees on the island, only large and small rocks and tangled thorny bushes. However, the large and small rocks scattered throughout the island are attractive "virtual living" spots for tourists.
Bai Tien is located in the south of the island.
Tents were quickly erected to shelter from the sun.
We gathered our luggage and quickly set up camp on Tien Beach - a beautiful, crescent-shaped sandy beach on the south coast of the island. The clear blue water reflects the sandy bottom, sheltered by two jutting mountain peaks. This beach is great for swimming and SUP (Stand Up Paddle).
SUP paradise
After completing the declaration procedures with the border guard station, packing up, setting up camp and taking some “virtual life” photos with the rocks under the bright sunlight, it was time to head down to the sea. The sea water here is crystal clear, you can clearly see the sandy bottom with schools of small fish swimming around, and snail shells lying in the sand.
While the group swam and paddled SUP, the logistics team cooked lunch with a rented kitchen set from Lien Huong and prepared food. After lunch, no one could sleep because of the heat, so everyone hid in the crevices of the rocks to rest for a bit, then everyone rushed back to the sea, until late afternoon.
On the island there are only rocks and thorny trees, the rocks with natural traces are also very beautiful.
Drifting at sea with a "tray" of fruit and soft drinks
We spent most of the afternoon in the sea, using the SUP boards as tables to hold fruits and drinks, just floating on the water and sipping and enjoying the view. When the sun went down behind the western mountains, everyone went ashore to take a fresh water bath and rushed together to prepare the string lights, cook dinner to "chill" under the starry sky. The SUP boards were now stacked on top of each other, forming a long banquet table to display food; mainly fresh seafood bought from the fishermen's boats docked right at Tien beach.
The day was hot because of the sun and the lack of shade, but the evenings were quite cool. The sky was full of stars, the sea breeze was cool, and the dinner went by happily. After a day of playing in the waves, everyone slept soundly in their tents, to the sound of the waves gently lapping non-stop.
When dawn broke, we took the opportunity to have breakfast and lingered while the sun was still high. After 9am, the sun began to shine, tents and luggage were packed up. Garbage was collected in large bags to be taken back to the mainland for disposal. The canoe had just arrived to take our group back to the mainland.
Goodbye Cau Island
Except for a little inconvenience because this place does not have enough living facilities, but in return, almost the entire beautiful pristine beach will be reserved for the lucky tourist. Cu Lao Cau is still worthy of being one of the ideal destinations for those who are looking for a weekend full of "vitamin Sea", away from the crowded, bustling crowd; and there is no shortage of activities to explore corals, marine animals...
