A day trip to Hon Son Island

Of course, you won't find any otters anywhere now. But Hon Son Island is on the same ferry route from Rach Gia to Nam Du, and the ferry will stop at Hon Son port halfway before continuing on to the Nam Du archipelago. You should spend about two days on Hon Son Island to explore the whole island and discover its unique features. Let's join our friend Peter in exploring Hon Son Island!

Phuongmeans of transportation

Departing from Ho Chi Minh City, there are many buses to Rach Gia port with various departure times to choose from. Upon arrival in Rach Gia, there will be shuttle buses to take you to the port to catch the ferry. It's recommended to leave at 9:30 PM, 10 PM, or 11 PM to catch the ferry to Hon Son Island the next morning. Some suggested bus companies are:

• Kumho Bus, phone number: 028.35.112.112 (Ho Chi Minh City) and 029.73.656.656 (Rach Gia)
• Phuong Trang bus company, phone number: 028.3838.6853 (Ho Chi Minh City) and 02973.691.691 (Rach Gia)
• Snow Hon Car Service, phone numbers: 0977.663.663 (Ho Chi Minh City) and 02973.777.666 (Rach Gia)

Ferry tickets to Hon Son

Regarding ferry tickets to Hon Son Island, there are two high-speed ferry companies: Ngoc Thanh and SuperDong. In addition, there are other regular ferry companies such as Thanh Tu and Duc Trung…

• Ngoc Thanh ferry: 02973691888, ticket price is 140,000 VND and travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes.
• SuperDong ferry: 02838 666 333 or 02973 877 742, ticket price is 140,000 VND and travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Thanh Tu ferry: 029 73 868 619, ticket price 90,000 VND and travel time is 3 hours 30 minutes, slow ferry often carries additional cargo.
• Duc Trung ferry: 0913 819 795, ticket price 90,000 VND and travel time is 3 hours 30 minutes, also carries cargo.

Based on my experience, you should book your bus and train tickets, as well as accommodation on the island, in advance. Because Hon Son Island is gradually gaining more attention, the number of visitors is increasing. To ensure a complete and enjoyable trip, it's best to prepare your round-trip train tickets in advance, especially on weekends when tickets often sell out. You'll need your ID card to book a train ticket; each ID card is only valid for one ticket.

It's generally recommended to book the 9:30 PM bus ticket, as the travel time to Rach Gia and the wait for the shuttle bus is quite long, so booking a later trip might cause you to miss your ferry.

The SuperDong ferry departs at 6:15 AM, followed by the Ngoc Thanh ferry. After about 90 minutes at sea, the ferry will pass Hon Tre Island and then dock at Hon Son port, located at Nha Beach.

The harbor, viewed from the slope, is located at Bai Nha. There's a coastal road that runs all the way around the island; it's paved and very easy to drive on.

The power lines are being used to bring electricity to Hon Son Island.

The coastal road curves around the island.

Upon arriving at Bai Bac, I went to the guesthouse, left my belongings, and prepared to take a motorbike tour around the island. Notably, prices on Hon Son are clearly displayed. Right at the pier, there are price lists for rooms and motorbikes, and tents are available for rent if anyone wants to camp on the beach. A double room costs 250,000 VND, a four-person room costs 400,000 VND, and motorbike rental is 200,000 VND per day, or 150,000 VND on the second day. I stayed at the Beach guesthouse; the owner was very enthusiastic and offered cooking services if you bought seafood from the market at a very reasonable price.

Beach BFrom the guesthouse, you can see what's called the Unicorn Cape here; the sea is blue and calm.

At the BeachBac has a pier similar to the one at Bai Nha, but it's opposite Bai Nha.

The path continues from Bai Bac, passing through Bai Da, then to Bai Gieng before returning to Bai Nha where we disembarked the boat. At Bai Da, as its name suggests, large and small rocks are piled up on the beach, forming a very long stretch. There are also restaurants and paths leading down to Bai Da for swimming. Continuing on, we pass Bai Gieng, where there is a market. This is a great place to buy seafood, as it's cheaper and fresher than elsewhere. Locals will direct anyone wanting to buy seafood to the market at Bai Gieng. Prices for some seafood items are as follows: mantis shrimp 90,000 VND, crab 250,000 VND, medium-sized oysters 30,000 VND per kg. You can ask your guesthouse to prepare them for you.

Beachawhile traveling along the coastal road.

Mantis shrimpThe fish are very big and still alive. In this market, there's Thanh Tham restaurant, the only place selling fresh seafood that many locals recommend.

After passing through Bai Gieng, there's a road that winds through the mountains. The road is a bit steep and winding, so you need to be a skilled driver to drive safely. From this road, you can see the pier at Bai Nha and Bai Bac.

At the hairpin bend, there are streams of water flowing from the cracks in the rocks, overlooking Nha Beach in the distance.

A small waterfall flows down from the mountain; the water is clear and very cool.

They say that going to Hon Son Island without visiting Bai Bang Beach is like not having been to Hon Son at all. Bai Bang Beach is located on the road from Bai Nha to Bai Bac. Bai Bang is a long sandy beach, lined with coconut trees leaning towards the sea. They offer drinks, seafood, and freshwater showers, and you can rest assured that there will be no price gouging.

Bai BaThis is the most beautiful place to watch the sunrise on the island.

ThoseThe swing set was made by the locals, strung down from the tops of coconut trees.

The leaning coconut tree is the most famous check-in spot here.

According to the islanders' advice, if you're going to Hon Son Island, you should go between January and May, as the weather is clear, the sea is beautiful and calm, and there's less rain. June to September is the rainy season, while October to December has less rain and more pleasant weather. However, going in August means there's plenty of seafood and it's cheaper. Going in the early months of the year is ideal for squid fishing tours or catching sea urchins. On the island, you should try the steamed chicken with rice wine. The chickens are mainly raised on coconut rice and forage for food on the hillsides around the island; the meat is firm and very fragrant when steamed with rice wine.

On Hon Son Island, the terrain is mainly mountainous, with boulders everywhere. Large rocks lie scattered around, and along the roads, you can see many places where landslides have occurred due to prolonged rain. There is Ma Thien Lanh mountain here; if you're tired of swimming in the sea and want a change of scenery, it's a special challenge when you come to Hon Son. On the summit of Ma Thien Lanh, there is a large, flat rock. According to ancient legend, fairies used to come down there to play, so it is now called the Fairy's Table.

CopyA brief overview of Hon Son Island.

Lam Tue