Phu Yen, 5,045 km2

With an area of ​​5,045km2 and a coastline of nearly 200km, Phu Yen is like a sleeping fairy with the beauty of nature and islands, waiting to be awakened.

Northern route

Xuan Dai Bay - Mang Lang Church - Ganh Da Dia - Ganh Den Lighthouse - Bai Xep

From Tuy Hoa city, we drove along National Highway 1A about 45km north, reaching Gang slope, then we arrived at Xuan Dai Bay. Lying across Song Cau and Tuy An districts to the northeast, the bay still retains its pristine beauty, with a blue sea surface, green coconut forests, dark green mountains and a clear blue sky. Taking a boat ride on the bay, the most interesting thing is to look out at the lobster and fish farming villages of the local people, the mountains jutting out into the sea with unique shapes, white sand beaches interspersed with rocky beaches. In the distance is the image of Nhat Tu Son island, to the Tu Nham sand dunes like white silk strips adding to the magical beauty of the landscape painting.

Mang Lang Church, one of the oldest churches in Vietnam

Mang Lang Church is a special place I marked on the map so as not to miss it because this is one of the oldest churches in Vietnam. The church is located in a campus of about 5,000 square meters with an open space. The facade of the church bears the mark of Gothic architecture, with two bell towers on both sides and a cross in the middle. The two sides of the church corridor are designed in the shape of stylized bamboo shoots. The inner sanctuary impresses with colorful window frames, walls covered with yellow-brown paint and a wooden ceiling with antique lamps. In front of the church yard, there is also a small cellar, built in the heart of an artificial hill, inside there are many paintings and sculptures depicting the story of Saint Andrew Phu Yen, the first priest in this land.

Ganh Da Dia makes a strong impression on tourists with its hexagonal cliffs and cliffs stacked on top of each other.

Among the most famous landmarks in the north of Phu Yen, Ganh Da Dia has become a "one of a kind" destination. Arranged spontaneously by nature, the pentagonal and hexagonal cliffs and rapids lean on and overlap each other like giant, shiny black pieces of beeswax, neatly arranged against the blue sea and sky. If you stand near the edge of the rapids, you will easily get wet by the sudden, strong waves that splash white foam.

Ganh Den lighthouse stands quietly at the mouth of Xuan Dai bay.

Next to the enchanting Ganh Da Dia is the Ganh Den lighthouse standing quietly at the entrance of Xuan Dai Bay. Unlike most tourists who only stop at Ganh Da Dia, we walked along the trail about 1km to Ganh Den lighthouse. The lighthouse stands tall, standing out with its red and white colors in the middle of the immense blue of the ocean. Standing near the lighthouse, it is easy to look far away towards Chao lagoon, where fishing boats bob on the waves. On the left are patches of grass stretching all the way to the shore, on the right are strangely layered rocks. The moment of sunset with the golden rays of sunlight mixed with the salty smell of the sea makes me strangely excited.

Coming to Bai Xep is coming to a poetic green hill with endless cactus patches.

On the way from Ganh Da Dia to the center of Tuy Hoa city, we stopped by Bai Xep to "ask for a ticket back to childhood". To see the whole view of Bai Xep, I followed the path up the cliff, the poetic green hill was as cool as a silk carpet, cacti and wildflowers gradually appeared before my eyes. Reaching the top of the hill, the beautiful scene appeared below with the long windy coastline, paired with the golden sand, blending with the soothing melody of the waves.

Southern route

Vung Ro Bay - Hon Nua - Dai Lanh Lighthouse

Knowing by heart the famous poem of Phu Yen people - "My hometown lies between two passes / The South is Deo Ca, the North is Cu Mong", it is not difficult for me to recognize the winding Deo Ca after running along National Highway 1A towards Khanh Hoa. Deo Ca is like a silk strip winding along the East Sea coast, one side is a towering cliff, the other side is the deep blue ocean stretching to the horizon, in the distance are a few islands undulating in the silver waves, the curves along the mountainside protruding and then concave, bringing us from one surprise to another..

Deo Ca is like a silk strip winding along the East Sea coast, one side is a towering cliff, the other side is the deep blue ocean.

Looking from Deo Ca Pass, Vung Ro Bay appears like a watercolor painting, with a calm beach, hundreds of boats anchored busily, surrounded by mountains and hills. Vung Ro is the natural boundary at sea between Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa, sheltered by three high mountain ranges: Deo Ca Pass, Da Bia and Hon Ba. With that geographical location, during the war against the US, Vung Ro was the place to receive secret weapons from the North to the South Central - Central Highlands battlefield by legendary numberless ships. We stopped by the exhibition area of ​​the legendary numberless ships of the past and lit incense to commemorate the heroic martyrs.

Vung Ro Bay with calm beaches, hundreds of boats anchored busily, surrounded by mountains and hills

While enjoying the beautiful scenery of Vung Ro Bay, my companion pointed to the far south of the bay, curious about the island shaped like a dinosaur. Asking the locals, we learned that it was Hon Nua, pristine, and very few tourists knew about it. We contacted a fisherman's boat to visit that island.

Departing from Vung Ro port, after about 45 minutes, we arrived at Hon Nua Island. A small beach stretching about 500m in a soft arc, a strip of white sand, clear blue water like jade, connecting the sandbank jutting out into the sea are gradually higher rocky cliffs. Climbing up one rocky cliff after another, before my eyes was the deep blue of the sea, in the distance were fishing boats. Where I was standing was a small stainless steel cone marking the sea boundary between Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa. Under the harsh sunlight at 2 pm, I still could not stop myself from jumping in the clear water and playing with schools of small, colorful fish. If I had prepared tents and food in advance, I would definitely spend a night here to watch the moon and stars on this pristine island.

From afar, Hon Nua looks like a dinosaur.

TOn the island is a small, soft, crescent-shaped beach with clear, emerald-green water. Continuing the sandy shore jutting out into the sea are gradually rising rocky outcrops.

Leaving the island, we returned to the mainland in time to see Mon beach and Dai Lanh lighthouse. From afar, we could see the lighthouse standing tall at the end of the land jutting out into the sea, towering against the blue sky. If the white fenced hiking trail with steep steps leads to the lighthouse, then the beautiful yellow sand path leads straight to Mon beach. We climbed up to the lighthouse first to see the whole view of the sea and rocky mountains from above. The wind blew strongly, making Mon beach seem smaller, in the distance was the immense ocean, the rocky cliffs were hazy in the afternoon sun.

From afar, Dai Lanh lighthouse stands tall at the tip of the land jutting out into the sea.

We climbed up to the foot of the lighthouse.

I continued climbing down through the rugged cliffs to Mui Dien, the place to welcome the earliest sunrise in Vietnam. As the sun was setting, I had to quickly climb down to Mon beach along the winding stone path below and immerse myself in the crashing waves. Not only is it the beach to welcome the earliest sunrise on the S-shaped strip of land, Mon beach is also likened to a "blue strait", with rolling waves on the crescent-shaped sandbank, surrounded by mountains and the ocean. Camping here to watch the stars at night and waking up to welcome the first sunrise on land is a "unique" experience that you will never have at any other beach.

Camping at Mon beach to watch the stars at night and wake up to the first sunrise on land is a "unique" experience that you will never have at any other beach.

City "in the palm of your hand"

Many tourists spend a lot of time visiting destinations dozens of kilometers away from Tuy Hoa, but few people know that this beautiful little city also has many interesting things.

One such place is Nhan Tower, built on the top of Nhan Mountain, the most typical ancient tower left by the Cham people in the architectural complex of the Central provinces. The tower worships gods, dating back to the late 11th century, early 12th century. In the evening, the tower is lit up, standing out on the top of the mountain. Luckily, we went up the tower on Saturday night and enjoyed a special art program with performances of Bai Choi singing, Ho Khoan singing, Phu Yen folk songs, Vong Co singing, Cham dance, and stone music.

Nhan Tower was built on top of Nhan Mountain.

Tuy Hoa city is small so you only need to walk around a few times to reach the end of the street. Tuy Hoa market is usually open from 7am to 5pm, one of the busiest areas of the city. Following the main road to the sea is the square, where young people gather to cycle and play sports. In the evening, we walked along the Tuy Hoa coastal road to catch the sea breeze and continued to ride to Da Rang bridge to enjoy the breeze. At this time, the city at night is quiet among thousands of twinkling lights...

Phu Yen impressed me not only by the beauty of the pristine sea but also by the friendly and approachable people. They can stop their work to show you the shortest way, even willing to go with you to your destination if it is convenient. Those are the simple, genuine things that tourists like me always feel nostalgic about at the end of the journey.

More information:

+Time:You should go to Phu Yen in the dry season from February to August. The rainy season with rough seas from September to December will make it difficult to travel and visit. You should spend about 3-4 days to explore Phu Yen.

+Trip:

Currently, two airlines Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific Airlines are serving the Hanoi - Tuy Hoa route and vice versa, the Ho Chi Minh City - Tuy Hoa route.

+Vehicle:

Tourists can rent motorbikes from 100,000 VND/day. If traveling in a small group of 4-6 people, you can hire a taxi to take you to the agreed-upon destinations during the day or rent a car with a driver.

+Hotel:

5-star Cendeluxe Hotel, 5-star Viet Star resort, 4-star Kaya Hotel, 4-star Saigon Phu Yen Hotel, 3-star Long Beach Hotel, and many hotels along Hung Vuong and Nguyen Hue streets.

+Souvenirs:

Sun-dried beef, gai leaf cake, dried shrimp, dried fish, dried squid, handicraft products made from snails.

Article: Que Lan. Photos: Que Lan, Nam Chay, Xushiigraphy

The Thanh