No crying on 'Deserted Island'

KOH SAMET - GO TO THE ISLAND FOR NIGHT SQUID FISHING

Just over 2.5 hours drive from Bangkok, Koh Samet welcomes visitors with four-season sunshine, clear blue water and warm sea breezes. This place is not only a suitable destination for those looking for a wild, peaceful space but also an ideal choice for exciting experiences such as diving or water sports.

As a peaceful little town, Koh Samet is where visitors, after choosing a resort near the center, can jog to the beach to admire the sunset on the island without spending too much time traveling. From Sai Kaew beach, visitors can board a long-tail boat to start their journey to explore the green island of Koh Samet. The clear blue sea water allows you to clearly see schools of fish below. The beauty of Koh Samet is a harmonious combination of the blue sea and the bright sunlight. Going to the beach to splash around in the cool water is something everyone does, but the experience of sunbathing in Koh Samet is really interesting. The smooth white sand beach is where visitors can freely "pose" to get the tanned skin typical of island tours.

When the sun sets, there are also bustling activities on the island such as enjoying seafood in coastal restaurants, gathering in bars or walking along the beach, participating in unique dances performed by locals.

The experience of Koh Samet will be more complete if you join a night squid fishing tour. Tourists will be given a fishing rod made of long and thin bamboo with a hook made of a cluster of sharp hooks wrapped around it with reflective glitter wire. When dropped into the sea, this wire will glow under the headlights and attract squids closer. Notably, squid fishing does not require real bait but uses fake shrimp made of reflective plastic, tied above the cluster of hooks. According to the boat owner, thanks to the reflective fake shrimp and the light from the high-pressure lamp, the squid will see it as real shrimp and swim to bite the hook. Just waiting for that moment, the boat owner will hold a net in his hand, scooping up the clear squid still sparkling with phosphorescence. That is a great trophy for each tourist's role as a fisherman.

More information:

+ Itinerary: After arriving in Bangkok, visitors can buy a 16-seat car from Victory Monument bus station for 200 baht to Rayong ferry station, from here take a ferry or wooden boat to Koh Samet. Wooden boat ticket costs 100 baht/round trip, time about 45 minutes or speedboat, only takes about 20 minutes for 300 baht/way.

+ Hotel: can be booked in advance through agoda.com, booking.com or smartbooking hotel network, price ranges from 40-100 USD.

+ Activities on the island: night squid fishing (about 300 baht/person), visiting Koh Samet temple, diving, exploring and taking photos of the piers at sunset, dinner right on the beach...

+ Cuisine: 2 dishes that cannot be missed when coming to Koh Samet are Crepes sold on carts with the rich aroma of chocolate covered on the cake and grilled salted fish from the cheap eateries along the beach in the late afternoon.

KOH RONG SAMLOEM - THROW AWAY WIFI AND LIVE HAPPINESS

Just a few kilometers from the coastal city of Sihanouk Ville with a 45-minute boat ride on the sea, visitors will come to the pristine and beautiful island of Koh Rong Samloem. Unlike the big island of Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem is a small island and has absolutely no residential area, only resorts and homestays scattered on the island. They are mostly lovely wooden houses built by the sea or in gardens and are really... small.

Photo: Stuart McDonald

It is not without reason that Koh Rong Samloem is referred to by tourists as a “getaway” island. The days spent here are days of temporarily leaving technology behind. There is absolutely no wifi signal on the island, and the electricity is cut off twice a day, and when the electricity is cut off, the phone signal will also be “zero”. All you need is a camera, a few books and the willingness to ditch technology, and the “getaway island” is waving its arms to welcome you.

Photo: Mad Monkey Hostels

As simple as the clear water of the sea and the disconnected life, when coming to Koh Rong Samloem, visitors can easily choose for themselves destinations to experience without having to consider too much: if you like the gentle and calm sea, go to Sunrise beach; if you like the excitement of big waves, why not run to Sunset beach; if you like private and quiet space, surely the wooden houses by the sea are the optimal choice; and if you like to connect and interact with many friends, the homestays on the island with dorm rooms are always open to welcome visitors...

In addition to enjoying swimming in the clear blue water or sunbathing under the coconut trees along the coast, visitors can also go scuba diving or rent a boat to visit M'Pay Bay fishing village and climb the lighthouse at Paradise Village to see the whole view of Koh Rong Samloem.

Photo: Choukhri Dje

More information:

+ Itinerary: Visitors can fly or take a bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, then continue by bus to Sihanouk Ville and hire a boat to Koh Rong Samloem. Boat tickets can be purchased directly from the port or through the hotel reception in Sihanouk Ville. (Bus ticket from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh is about 200,000 VND, bus ticket from Phnom Penh to Sihanouk Ville is 10$, round trip boat ticket to the island is 20$)

+ Currency: Riel and USD are widely used in Cambodia. If necessary, visitors can exchange money at the border gates.

+ Cuisine: prices at Koh Rong Samloem are very cheap, so in addition to "doing it yourself", visitors can also ask the resort to help cook meals as they wish for only about 3 - 7$ per person for a full meal.

THO CHU - THE END ISLAND OF THE SOUTHERN SKY

Tho Chau Island is a large island in the Tho Chu archipelago (Phu Quoc, Kien Giang) with many large and small islands, floating and sinking, about 160km northwest of Ca Mau cape and about 220km from Rach Gia town. The first place not to be missed on the island is Ngu Beach, the busiest place. Here, you can swim, visit fishing and seafood processing facilities, and learn about the lives of the people.

The next four experiences here are wandering on the road across the island, exploring the primeval forest, visiting the 140m high lighthouse to admire the scenery, and diving to see the coral. If you come between October and March of the lunar calendar, remember to go to Hon Nhan to see the swallows nesting and laying eggs.

The island's lighthouse is not high, its light range is only about 12 nautical miles, but it is worth remembering that it is located at one of the highest places on the island (167m). From here, you can observe almost the entire Tho Chu island with mountains, roofs hidden under coconut trees, with a peaceful beach and long rows of basket boats. If you look out to sea, the tiny dots will appear as large ships drifting in the sky and sea.

More information:

+ Journey: There are 2 ways to get to Tho Chu:

- You take a tourist bus to Rach Gia City from Ho Chi Minh City, then take a boat to Tho Chu. The travel time by boat is about 16 hours. The direct train from Rach Gia - Tho Chu departs at 8am on the 5th of every month, and returns on the 31st or 26th. The boat is free, but you need to rent a hammock to lie on during the journey.

- Fly to Phu Quoc then take the boat to Tho Chu. The boat departs at 8am on the 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, and 30th of every month, and departs at 5am on the 6th, 11th, 21st, and 25th of every month in the opposite direction.

+Note: there is only one train per week to Tho Chu and from Tho Chu to the mainland. From Rach Gia port to Tho Chu port is about 250km, so the time on the train is more than . That means it takes 8 hours, people with motion sickness need to prepare enough medicine and necessary food.

NAM DU - 'FAIRYLAND' IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA

Nam Du is the farthest archipelago of Kien Hai district of Kien Giang province, more than 80km from Rach Gia by sea. 21 large and small islands are cleverly arranged by nature to form a beautiful complex in the middle of the sea, making Nam Du full of the charm of wildness and peace.

The must-see islands in Nam Du are Hon Ngang, Hon Mau, Hai Bo Dap, Bai Cay Men. Hon Mau is very beautiful with 5 beaches, the top of which is Bai Chuong. In addition, there are Bai Nom, Bai Da Den and Bai Da Trang which are very poetic. Bai Nam is the front of the island, where the waves are calm, the wind is calm all year round, surrounded by rows of cool green coconut trees. But the most interesting is Bai Da Den, where there are many beautiful rocks, many colors, and patterns. After a long journey of exploring the large and small islands, Bai Men is the most ideal stop to rest and enjoy the feeling of peace. Coming here, you can immerse yourself in the blue sea or simply lie on the pristine and poetic sand.

Usually the beaches in Nam Du are shallow and quite long near the shore, requiring a bit of wading to get to shore.

Photo: Giang Pham

More information

+ Itinerary: From Ho Chi Minh City, take a car to Rach Gia (245km), take a speedboat to Nam Du (travel time is about 2 hours) of some shipping companies such as Ngoc Thanh, Song Hong (Helen, Goffrey), Ho Hai...

+Time: The best weather to explore Nam Du is from late December to May, when the sea is calm and the water is a beautiful emerald green.

+Note: Traveling between islands is mostly by boat. To save money, you should go in groups of 8 to 12 people. If you go in a group, you can choose to sleep in tents on the island to feel the wildness of the land and sky.

KY CO - IMMERSIVE WITH NATURE

Like a precious gem that Mother Nature has bestowed upon the land of martial arts Binh Dinh, Ky Co Island is as beautiful as a “beautiful landscape” painting with wild nature and majestic sea and sky. Seen from afar, Ky Co looks like a large bow, curving to embrace the long stretch of fine white sand and two vertical rocky outcrops like two towering Bach Dang stakes.

Ky Co is a complex of rocks in the middle of the sea with many rocks, caves and shallow caves. Ky Co still retains its pristine and wild beauty because it has not been exploited much for tourism. The sea water here is very clear with many beautiful colors, changing with the sunlight. Near the shore, the water is so clear that you can see the pure white sand bottom. Further away, the water gradually turns to emerald green, then blue. Looking from above, the swaying basket boats seem to be floating in the blue clouds.

The sea at Ky Co is quite calm, with small waves because the beach is surrounded by a windbreak arc. Immersing yourself in the clear blue water, stepping into the smooth sand, admiring Ky Co through the camera lens, visitors not only record the wonderful beauty of Ky Co, but also record their own emotions. At noon, you can rest and eat in a small cave, which will certainly bring you many new experiences.

Ky Co Island is a natural green hill range in the middle of the vast ocean. To explore around the island, you have to follow the cliffs of the beach, follow the trails up to the high mountain slopes. Conquer each steep path on the cliffs or walk through the burning sand. A day as a resident of Ky Co will bring visitors moments of truly being with nature.

More information:

+ Journey: From Quy Nhon city center, you go towards Nhon Ly peninsula (more than 20km), then follow the small road to the boat dock, from here continue to take a big boat for about 30 more minutes to reach Ky Co island. The price of the boat to take you to Ky Co island ranges from 270,000 to 300,000 VND/person.

+ Time: The best time to travel to Ky Co is from April to August, this is the most beautiful time of the central coast.

PHU QUY - THE ISLAND OF CHALLENGES

Phu Quy Island, also known as Cu Lao Thu, is located off the coast of Binh Thuan province, about 56 nautical miles from Phan Thiet city. The island has an area of ​​only about 16 square kilometers but contains many interesting things when you explore. First, this is an isolated island, with only one boat trip to and from the island from the mainland every day. To book this boat trip, you must follow the boat schedule based on the tide of that day, so there is almost no fixed time to go to the island. In addition, you must also follow the sea weather because the boat can only run when the wind is level 7 or lower.

One of the places that attracts many tourists when coming to Phu Quy is Phu Quy flagpole. From here, you can see the entire vast coastline with 2 clear blue beaches, the magical color of the sea mixed with the characteristic black rocks that make Phu Quy island attractive to those who like to explore new things.

The next place that cannot be missed is Ganh Hang, the place where many photographers hunt for beautiful sunrises when setting foot on Phu Quy island. Nearby is Doi Thay cape, which gives you a feeling of amazement with its strange rock structure like giant stacks of plates stacked on top of each other reaching far out to sea, below are lobster "fortresses" running along both sides. Called fortress because this place is built of solid stone and concrete to withstand the strong winds and waves on the island.

Not only charming with long white sand beaches, romantic poplar rows and wild space, visitors will have extremely interesting experiences when freely immersing themselves in the blue sea, diving to see colorful coral reefs, fishing, catching sea urchins and enjoying them on the spot.

More information:

+ Journey: When you arrive in Phan Thiet, you can hire a motorbike taxi to go to Phan Thiet fishing port (about 3km from the bus station). From here, buy a boat ticket to Phu Quy island. There are currently 2 types of boats operating alternately, the fastest and best boat here is Hung Phat 26, priced at about 250,000 VND/person for a seat and 350,000 VND/person for a bed, the journey takes about 4 hours.

+ Time: The best time to explore Phu Quy Island is from March to May, when the sea is calm and ships entering and leaving the island operate more frequently.

+ Note: There is only 1 train to the island and 1 train to the mainland every day, so you need to plan a specific schedule and choose a specific time to book tickets to avoid missing the train or bus.

Article: Hai An, Thu Giang, Quoc Bao, Thao Nguyen. Photos: Various authors.

The Thanh