An island not far from the shore to see the slowly rotating wind turbines or the white smoke chimneys of Vinh Tan thermal power plant in the red evening sky. Standing on the vertical rock and the waves crashing below towards the rising sun, an egg yolk slowly rises from the dark blue water.
Having wandered through many seas from South to North, it is probably difficult to find a beach as beautiful as Cu Lao Cau. I myself often wonder “Is this one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam?”
Is this one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam?
Sitting on a speedboat for 45 minutes bobbing on the waves, you can enjoy the wind blowing straight into your face, bringing the strong scent of the sea into your lungs. Looking back to the mainland, you will see everything gradually becoming smaller, the crazy fan now seems like a small pinwheel, the chimney with white smoke now looks like a burning cigarette and the high mountain range that stretches continuously now looks like a horizontal line dividing the sky and the blue sea. You will see yourself as small in the middle of the vast blue sea.
One time I was lucky enough to see a sperm whale appear while going to an island, a lump like a tiny black sandbank floating in the middle of the sea, suddenly a fountain of water rose up. At that time, the boat driver discovered it and announced that everyone on board the boat would look in that direction. Everyone rushed over to see when the tail was raised to prepare to sink. The boat abandoned its journey to the island to follow and watch the "him" that was worshiped by all the sea people. It often appears in the sea, but letting tourists pass by is a lucky thing for those on board.
You will see yourself small in the vast blue sea.
Gradually, in front of a small island slowly grows, covered in a deep green of shrubs, enough to see that there is no place to hide from the sun on this island. When setting foot on the clear sea water, the sunlight shines through the small waves, floating on the white sand below, then you will forget the sun here. You just want to walk barefoot on that smooth sand, let yourself soak in the salty sea water and look up at the sky to watch the clouds drift slowly. Along this sandy beach to another sandy beach to find a beautiful corner, from the smooth white sand to the coral sand beach with small branches all over the beach or look at the dead coral reef through the blue.
I still like the most going through the island to see the small green bushes everywhere, then climbing up the big rock to look out, seeing the two green colors that seem separate but blend together in the sun and wind of the Central region. Or standing on the high cliffs watching the white ocean waves in the blue water, pushing in one after another, spreading your arms to feel the freedom of seabirds flying on the waves in the free sky.
Across the island you can see small green bushes everywhere.
Starry night sky at Cu Lao Cau.
A small island, not much populated with only a few islanders and a few soldiers, the rest is peaceful without electricity, without light, you will feel the sound of the ocean and see the stars moving slowly. Coming to this place, relax yourself in the water, let your skin feel the sun and sand, and let the sea breeze blow away all your worries. Simple entertainment to let your soul rest without thinking, no singing or partying, just enjoy the melody of nature with your feet, hands, ears and eyes.
What is special about this place?
Due to the coral reef surrounding the island, the white coral sand area is smooth in some places, and there are still coral branches on the beach, helping to highlight the clear blue water of this South Central Coast region. The beach is not too long, divided into small beaches overlooking different directions from the wind power plant in Tuy Phong to the Vinh Tan thermal power plant and even to the distant sea where the sun wakes up.
Beach overlooking the wind farm.
Now there are only a few intact corals left deep around the island, you have to dive deep to see them. Uncle Tu on the island recounted, “There used to be a lot of corals, right up to the shore, but now a lot of them are dead.”
The South Central Coast sea is famous for its blue color that makes everyone passing by stop to admire this blue color. So it is not strange that the water is so clear that you can see the bottom, and when it is calm on a sunny day, you can see the sunlight moving down by the undulating waves above. In addition, this place is also a sea turtle conservation area, where they come to lay eggs every breeding season so that the group can crawl out of their shells to explore the beautiful sea and survive the waves.
Sea turtle conservation area in Cu Lao Cau.
Best season to visit Cu Lao Cau
The sea is always beautiful when the Central region's sunshine returns after rainy and windy days, usually from March to July. When the sky is clear, the sunlight penetrates the sea water, revealing the bottom and highlighting the blue color of the water.
Move to Cu Lao Cau
Lien Huong Port is 260km from Saigon, you can ride a motorbike or take a local bus to Lien Huong - Binh Thuan.
Boats usually depart at 8-9am or 2-3pm from the pier, taking about 30-40 minutes to reach the island and the same time to return to the mainland.
Eating and drinking at Cu Lao Cau
You can buy food at Lien Huong market to cook yourself or there are also two shops owned by the islanders to buy from.
If you have a chance, visit this place once.
