Semporna - A hidden gem of the sea

I first learned about Semporna out of curiosity about the location where a friend took a stunning photo of a coral reef arc, and later through other interesting information I found while researching the Sea Gypsies, a nomadic sea tribe in Malaysia.

To get to Semporna, my friends and I flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur and then took a connecting flight to Tawau – the airport closest to Semporna. Upon arriving in Tawau, the typical hot and humid weather made me want to rush to the beach to enjoy some cool breeze. We asked a local guide for help, hoping he could better connect us with the Sea Gypsies villagers.

Paradise Island Cluster

From Tawau, we drove for about 1.5 hours, crossing rolling palm hills, to reach Semporna town and boarded a boat to begin our exploration of the Semporna Marine Reserve. Popular destinations for tourists booking tours or staying in Semporna include Mabul Island and Sipadan Island. There are many homestays and resorts here with prices ranging from low to high. These islands are usually 1-1.5 hours away from the port by boat. Tourists can choose from various day-trip packages to enjoy stunning sea views, guided snorkeling, and even obtain international diving certifications at incredibly affordable prices. A small note: to enter this area, tourists must have a permit to visit and snorkel in the reserve. Tour companies will handle the purchase; you just need to register in Semporna.

We stayed in Mabul for a day and a night to enjoy delicious and inexpensive seafood, immerse ourselves in the evening music by the beach, and spent the rest of our time on Selankan Island. Selankan is conveniently located for visiting Bohey Dulang Island, Maiga Island, Sibuan Island, the Sea Gypsies village, and coral reefs.

Mabul Island was our first stop. Despite being the most crowded tourist spot, the island was still very quiet and lovely. My first impression upon arriving at the homestay was seeing the houseboats of the Sea Gypsies moored nearby. There were more than 10 small boats belonging to the locals, laden with seafood such as lobsters, slipper lobsters, scallops, mantis shrimp, crabs, fish, sea urchins, etc., selling to tourists. Visiting this floating market was quite interesting, but remember that since it's a tourist area, you should still bargain. My group excitedly bought lobsters, slipper lobsters, and scallops, eating until we were full, and it only cost a little over 300,000 VND per person.

Mabul Island is quite compact, with homestays and resorts catering to tourists on the outer perimeter and the area inhabited by locals on the inner side. Despite being a popular tourist destination, Mabul has very little litter and is quite clean, which impressed me the most. Sitting along the wooden piers scattered across the beach in the cool afternoon is also very charming.

Unlike the bustling Mabul, Selakan is very peaceful; the entire island is almost deserted because the villagers usually work until late at night and only return on weekends. However, we liked Selakan the most because it offered a strangely peaceful feeling. In the evening, after watching the sunset, we had dinner with two Sea Gypsies friends and sang songs. Sometimes, all we need are peaceful moments like these to leave behind the pressures of city life.

From Selakan, we easily explored Bohey Dulang and other islands. Bohey Dulang is an extremely popular destination with its strangely bright blue seabed. From the bridge, we were amazed to see the three-colored seabed, a vibrant blue that was transparent all the way to the bottom. Perhaps that's why almost everyone who comes to Semporna wants to see this coral reef with its unique colors at least once. You can also hike for about 45 minutes to the summit and see the stunning coral reef connecting the two islands.

Life of the Sea Gypsy people

From Bohey Dulang, we stopped in Tatagan, Maiga to reach the village of the Sea Gypsies – the Sea Gypsies. This is the last remaining nomadic sea gypsies tribe living in this area, also known as the Bajau Laut. The tribe builds their houses directly on the shallow seabed teeming with marine life. Every day, they catch seafood to sell and use as their main food source. The people here don't eat rice; they mainly eat seafood along with a food made from cassava flour called Putu.

The lives of the Sea Gypsies Semporna people remain quite primitive, much like generations past, without electricity, running water, television, or telephones. They live almost entirely in houses built on the sea or on boats. Every day, they fish using nets and rudimentary tools. When the tide recedes, they flock to the coral reefs to catch seafood. Their small wooden boats are ideal for navigating these shallow areas. From our boat, we had to wade into the shallows to observe the fishermen. When the tide is low, the water only reaches knee-deep, making it easy to spot countless marine creatures such as starfish, sea urchins, fish, and shellfish.

Diving is a skill and a hobby of the Sea Gypsies people. Everyone in the community can dive deep without oxygen tanks to catch seafood, and swim against the tide without any equipment. Thanks to two Sea Gypsies who piloted the boat, we had the experience of swimming with "mermaids" and catching and eating raw shellfish with our own hands – it was incredibly impressive. The life of the Sea Gypsies tribe is developed and integrated in the most natural way with the sea.

You have to come here at least once to see how humans and nature blend together and thrive in the most harmonious way. That was also my purpose in coming to Semporna, simply to see the daily life of the Sea Gypsies tribe and understand how precious natural resources need to be protected.

Another impressive thing for me was the crystal-clear, calm, and strangely blue sea. The small boats gliding across the water gave me the feeling of floating and flying above the surface. From the boat, you can clearly see the vegetation, animals, and coral reefs right on the seabed – it's incredibly impressive.

To protect the marine environment, the Malaysian government has designated the Semporna sea area as a national conservation zone. All visitors to the area must obtain permission, thus managing the number of diving tourists to prevent the marine environment from being significantly impacted by tourism. The government also encourages the preservation of the traditional customs of the Sea Gypsies, preventing the use of modern fishing methods that could cause the tribe to lose its unique identity. Perhaps thanks to this concern and awareness of preserving marine resources, the environment in Semporna is relatively clean, and the sea areas still retain a rich marine ecosystem.

During our time on Selakan Island, our daily routine consisted of watching the sunrise, immersing ourselves in the life of the Sea Gypsies, swimming and snorkeling in the coral reefs, and relaxing in the evenings to the sound of the waves by the seafood BBQ. Day after day, we repeated this routine without getting bored.

With a total budget of 12-15 million VND, the trip was a journey of discovery into the life of the Seagypsies, allowing me to see and immerse myself in the beautiful seascape, and interact with friendly Malaysians. For me, Semporna will always be a precious gem to remember and easily return to every year.

Trip information:

- Visa: Semporna is located in Malaysia, so Vietnamese tourists are exempt from visa requirements for stays of up to 30 days.

- Journey: Traveling from Vietnam to Semporna is primarily by air, from cities like Hanoi/Da Nang/Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur and then connecting to Tawau. There, tour guides will pick you up at the airport and it will take about an hour and a half to reach Semporna port, or you can use Grab for around 400,000 VND to travel from the airport to Semporna port.

- Best time to visit: March to August is the best time for tourists to enjoy the beauty of Semporna as well as snorkeling and fishing.

- Transportation: The islands here are quite small, so you can explore them on foot.

- Accommodation: Semporna offers a wide range of accommodations from expensive to budget-friendly. You can book in advance through online sites like agoda.com or booking.com. I chose Mr. Jeff's backpacker hostel in Mabul and Selakan Hostel on Selakan Island (booked by a local friend).

- Cuisine: Seafood here is very fresh and inexpensive. You can buy seafood directly from fishermen and have the hotel kitchen prepare it for you. Because tourism services are not yet well-developed here, some resorts will serve three main meals a day.

- Currency: Semporna uses the Ringgit (RM), with an exchange rate of approximately 550 VND/RM. You can exchange RM at Kuala Lumpur airport or in Vietnam before your trip.

- Tours: You can book tours directly from Vietnam through Unitour or contact local agencies. If you have time, take a bus to Semporna and book your tour there. You will need to book at least one day in advance because tour agencies need to obtain permits to enter the national conservation area beforehand.

- Estimated cost: 12-15 million VND per person for a 5-day trip.

- Note:

Wear a hat or cap carefully as it's easy to get sunstroke; remember to bring sunscreen.

The drinking water on the island isn't very clean, so it's best to use bottled water.

Huynh Phuong Loan