Nam Du Islands - Kien Giang (Part 2)

How are you today? Is your job still good?

In the previous article, I introduced you to the discovery of Nam Du archipelago, in Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province, 120km from Rach Gia city with 2 hours by speedboat. Nam Du archipelago is a place that has never been "hot" in recent years in Vietnam, an extremely attractive destination, especially for young people who love to explore nature and discover new lands. Strange because here converges all the factors: beautiful scenery, delicious food, low cost, gentle and kind people...

And today, I invite you to follow me to further explore this archipelago.

While waiting for the boat to pick us up, we heard the hostess tell a lot of interesting stories about this mysterious land and its people. Around 12:30 PM, we were picked up by the boat right behind the house, because most of the houses here are close to the beach, so you don't have to go far to get on the boat. The feeling the first time 4 of us can sit on a small boat like this is very interesting, it sways back and forth, it feels like my body is about to fall, but after after a few minutes, you will get used to it. There were a few other tourists on the boat because we came here not on a weekend, so the number of guests was not too much, and especially she was the guide for only 4 of us. We chose the seats on the top deck of the boat to be able to enjoy the view and enjoy the sea breeze most refreshingly.

It took us 30 minutes floating on the sea to reach the first point of the tour, Hon Mau. Briefly look at the scenery covered by the immense sea, every once in a while, a small island appears in front of your eyes, the islands are covered with green with tall trees, how tired of life in the city The crowded and noisy city seemed to disappear with the wind, drifting with the blue seawater, and it made us forget the feeling of seasickness when the boat bobbed on the water.

While moving, we were introduced to Hon Mau by her. After the main island of Nam Du (Hon Lon), Hon Mau is the leading attraction of this archipelago, with a total area of more than 200 hectares with about 120 local households. Although the population density is low, when compared to other islands, with such some households, this place is also called crowded, so the rhythm of life in Hon Mau is also much busier. Coming to Hon Mau, you must visit Bai Nom, Bai Bac, and Bai Chuong to admire the beauty of the sea and sky in harmony with a blue color, the pure white sand makes the clear seawater visible. the fish swim up and down the water surface. We were very lucky to come here on a beautiful sunny day, the sunlight reflected on the sea surface forming many eye-catching sparkling streaks. In Hon Mau, there is also Da Den Beach, with colorful pebbles and unique undulating boulders, which is also a popular tourist attraction. She told us to pick up a few tablets to bring back to save the memories of the sea here.

We arrived and were immersed in the cool blue sea here, the feeling was great and refreshing, it was different from other remote areas we visited. After about 2 hours of being immersed in cool clear water, we were transported by boat to the next destination, which is Coral Beach. We were given diving goggles and life jackets by the boat owner to go into the water and see the coral reefs here. But because my eyes are short-sighted, it is a bit difficult to see corals, but in return, I can see schools of colorful fish swimming in the water, they are very beautiful and extremely cute.

After watching coral diving and lovely fish, we enjoyed a meal cooked by the boat's chef. The porridge is cooked from rice and fresh urchins caught by the boat owners from the sea and processed at the boat, making the dish even more attractive. Because after swimming and diving, the body consumes a lot of energy, so a super delicious dish at the end of the tour is something great and leaves a good impression in the hearts of every visitor. After enjoying the food at the boat with the feeling of swaying and undulating on the sea, the boat took us back to the starting point at noon.
With this beautiful weather, we were able to see the whole sunset on this island before it got dark. The sky was red, and the sun in the distance was slowly setting behind the horizon, signaling the end of another day.

Here, only 12 out of 21 islands in the Nam Du archipelago are inhabited and very few of them become regular tourist destinations, mainly large and close to each other. for the convenience of visitors.

In the evening, we did not choose to eat at any restaurant or restaurant. Instead, we went out to buy seafood and prepare our dinner using the hostel's kitchen, which is also a great way of experiencing our stay on this island. The seafood here is caught of the day so it is very fresh and delicious. The merchants here are very enthusiastic and kind, they recommend us the best seafood, the price is very reasonable for backpackers like us. We chose to cook seafood hot pot, fried octopus, and snail dish for dinner, dishes that don't take too much time to prepare and cook. And the result was amazing when everything was done, they were displayed on the table. Along with a little rice wine cooked here, everything is perfect for dinner on this beautiful island. We invited the host and uncle to have dinner, and he told us about many thrilling stories in this land, about his fishing career before tourism developed, about daily life. of the people living in this area.

There is no national grid electricity here, so electricity is generated by the generator of the military barracks to serve all activities of the people on the island. Everyday electricity is generated at 6:00 AM and closed at 9:00 PM. So people here go to bed very early. We finished our meal and cleaned up before the power went out. Another day has ended, and in a strange new land and with extremely interesting experiences.

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The next morning, after enjoying breakfast with seafood noodles, we rented a motorbike from the hostess to tour around the island. Motobikes here are rented with prices ranging from 150,000 to 200,000 VND/ 1 unit/ 1 day. But because we only rented for the morning, we were kindly reduced by the kind hostess to 50,000 VND/ 1 units. Gasoline is always filled by the lessor, so you don't have to worry about running out of gas in the middle of the road, so you can boldly launch the scooter to explore around this island. After breakfast, we drove along the concrete road, sometimes interspersed with asphalt around the mountainside.

The road is winding and winding, one side is the immense sea, the other side is the cliff with green trees, creating a majestic scenery of the mountains in the middle of this immense sea. Standing high, looking down at the sea with blue seawater, the morning sun shines down to reveal the white sands beneath the clear water. In the distance, the rows of coconut trees soaring from the shore towards the sea, all blend to create a charming picture. We walked along the beach road, anywhere makes you want to stop to take pictures because the scenery here is so beautiful.

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Follow the path around the island, there is a cheap way to the lighthouse. Because the road up here is quite steep, so if your steering wheel is not too good, it will be difficult for you to reach the top. Or the person sitting in the back will have to walk for a while. But the feeling you get to the top of the mountain will be great as if you are the winner. This lighthouse is one of the tallest lighthouses in Viet Nam. For those fishing at sea, the lighthouse is an extremely important means of determining direction, helping ships at sea to identify which island they are entering. With its high visibility, ships in the area can find their way at night, even 25 nautical miles from the island.
We descended the mountain and continued the rest of the way, rounding down to the harbor and back to the motel to pack up.

The speedboat from Nam Du back to Rach Gia pier departs at 10:15 AM, and we were helped by the host to buy tickets in advance,
so we took the time to see the island more before we left it. Farewell to the landlady with uncle of the house, we were sent by the hostess to the pier before boarding the ship, with indescribable emotions, we can only say thank you for your help, and I promise that one day I will have the opportunity to come back here.

Saying goodbye to this beautiful Nam Du archipelago, each of us left with different emotions. But one thing is for sure, these are the most amazing islands we've ever been to. It is not only beautiful about the majestic unspoiled scenery here, with the blue water, with the long white sand beach, but also the beauty of humanity, with kind, sincere and honest people. In the future, if we have the opportunity, we still want to come back here many more times and will see you again, this kind host. And hopefully, in the future, this archipelago will be known by many people, tourism will develop more and more so that the lives of the people here are less hard and fuller.

Thank you for following the journey to discover the Southwest region of Vietnam with this Nam Du archipelago. Hope it will bring you moments of relaxation. Wish you have a new day full of energy and complete everything well.

See you in the next articles to continue the journey to explore this southern land of Vietnam!