Potential for sea and island tourism in Kien Giang province

Kien Giang has more than 143 islands, including 105 large and small floating islands with 43 inhabited, in the island districts of Phu Quoc and Kien Hai, Kien Luong district and Ha Tien town.

NDO – Kien Giang, a coastal province at the southwestern pole of Vietnam, was endowed with many beautiful landscapes and tourist destinations such as Phu Quoc, Ha Tien and Kien Luong.

Several islands and archipelagos, such as Nam Du, Hon Son, Ba Lua and Hai Tac, have been invested in for tourism development.

It can be affirmed that sea and island tourism have become a specialty and typical products of Kien Giang’s tourism.

Regarding sea and island tourism, Phu Quoc has long been a leading destination in Kien Giang and the country. Phu Quoc island, which was created from 99 mountains, has a vast primary forest with diverse ecosystems.

Along the coast of the island are beaches and white sand, including some voted amongst the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Recently, many major corporations have built five-star tourist resorts.

Phu Quoc is a familiar destination that has attracted a large number of both domestic and foreign visitors. In particular, visitors from European countries have long been very interested in the island.

Other famous tourist destinations in Kien Giang are Ha Tien and Kien Luong districts.

Ha Tien has been well-known through poems about ten beautiful landscapes in the locality by famous poets. Among them, many beautiful scenes are associated with the marine ecosystem such as Kim Du Lan Dao island and Phao Dai mountain.

The beautiful scenery of the Mui Nai tourist area.

Hon Phu Tu (Father and Son Island) in Ha Tien was selected as a tourism symbol of Kien Giang province.

Recently, Hai Tac archipelago (Tien Hai island commune, Ha Tien city) and Ba Lua archipelago (Son Hai island commune, Kien Luong district) have been developed further for tourism. They are now very popular with domestic tourists during the weekends.

The destination is considered a “Ha Long Bay” in the south, consisting of many small and large islands.

Ba Hon Dam area (including Dam Duong, Dam Duoc and Dam Gieng) is also an interesting destination in this area. They form a triangle. Many enterprises have invested in building accommodation and developing services here.

Hon Nghe island in Ba Lua archipelago is known as the “kingdom” of caged fish.

There is a 20m statue of Bodhisattva Kuan Yin on Lan Chuong mountain on Hon Nghe island.

Coming to Hai Tac archipelago, visitors have the chance to enjoy interesting experiences. It consists of 16 islands, the largest, Hon Tre, is nearly 28km from the coast of Ha Tien and 40km from Phu Quoc Island and was a favoured hideout of pirates.

Visitors to Hai Tac can listen to thrilling stories of pirates in the past.

Visitors take photos at a landmark in Hon Doc island.

Hon Doc also possesses a beautiful beach and white sand with warm water.

Referring to Kien Giang, visitors cannot ignore the two famous tourist resorts of Nam Du and Hon Son.

Nam Du is the name of an archipelago in the southeast of Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Thailand, about 65 nautical miles from Rach Gia coast. It is under the management of An Son and Nam Du communes in Kien Hai district. The archipelago consists of around 21 islands, of which Cu Tron (or Hon Lon) island is the largest.

Cu Tron island has an area of 771ha with many beautiful beaches such as Dat Do, Cay Men, Ngu and Giang, along with green coconut trees.

This is an ideal place for tourists to swim, snorkel, watch coral, fish and catch snails on the coastal rocky beaches. Travelers can rent motorbikes and drive on the unique road around the island.

From Cu Tron, it takes about 30 minutes by boat to cross Ngang Island – the richest and most populous in the Nam Du archipelago. Most locals live by fishing and raising fish in cages. Hon Ngang has the largest seaport in Nam Du, with many fishing boats.

Hon Son also has another name, Hon Rai island, because there were many otters on the island in the past. The island belongs to Lai Son commune, Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province.