Known as “Fairy Island” on the ocean, Ly Son has become one of the most vibrant place where tourists can find exciting for their holidays.
Overview of Ly Son Island Tourism
Ly Son is an island district of Quang Ngai province, located about 30km from the coast, with an area of 10km2, the population is about over 20,000 people. Ly Son Island leaves an unforgettable impression in the tourists’memory with warm sunny days, beautiful beaches and extremely friendly people.
Ly Son island - The best fascinating place you should arrive once in your life
Ly Son Island consists of three small islands: Dao Lon, Dao Be and Mu Cu islands. Dao Lon is also known as Cu Lao Re, the center of Ly Son. Dao Be is also called An Binh. Hon Mu Cu is the smallest island that is in the east, near the Dao Lon and uninhabited.
Garlic paddy field on Ly Son Island
Nice picture taken on Ly Son Island
Tour Schedule on Ly Son Island
Visitors coming to Ly Son are most appropriate at the following three time:
• In the summer, between June to September every year, Ly Son weather is really nice, sunny and very suitable for sailing.
• Garlic season in Ly Sơn starts to plant in September and harvest in early December
• The vows ceremony of Hoang Sa’s soldier take place on 18th, 19th, 20th March (Lunar Calendar)
The vows ceremony of Hoang Sa’s soldier
Transportation to Ly Son
• Airplane
The nearest airport where you can take the speedboats from Sa Ky port to Ly Son, is Chu Lai airport in Quang Nam. Every week, there are 3 flights from Hanoi to Chu Lai with price for a round-trip ticket about 3 million Vietnam dong, from Ho Chi Minh city to Chu Lai about 3.5 million Vietnam dong. If you travel by plane, you should rent a bike for your trip, because the distance from Chu Lai airport to Sa Ky port is quite long, about 50 km.
• Coaches
There are many high quality coaches companies from Hanoi and Saigon to Quang Ngai, you would contact the cars companies to reserve tickets from 2 to 5 days depending on the time of your trip. On holidays, you should book earlier in order to be sure that there will be tickets for your trip.
• Train
Every day, there are 5 Thong Nhat trains from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and Ho Chi Minh city to Hanoi. Depending on duration of your trip, you can choose the depart time that fits you most (The odd train is from Hanoi and the even train is from Ho Chi Minh city).
When you arrive Quang Ngai, if the tour is too crowded, you should rent a cab to go from the city center to Sa Ky port (about 20 km). Moreover, to decrease your cost, you should take the bus No 3 from Quang Ngai bus station to Sa ky port. However, if you take the bus, you have to take the earliest bus in 5am in order that you could arrive the port as soon as possible to not miss your boat.The trip takes about an hour.
Sa Ky port
From September 7th 2014, the tickets POS started working at 379 Nguyen Khiem, and it works from 1.30 p.m to 3.30 p.m everyday.
Harbor on Ly son island
There is a speed boat from Sa Ky and Ly Son port island depart simultaneously to the island and the mainland. Depart time is about 7.00 to 8.00 a.m. The ticket POS opens at 6.30 a.m everyday. Everyone lining up can buy 2 tickets; you have to fill up your name, day of birrth, address and your ID number to get these tickets.
For the huge delegation, you should register your delegations list with all above information and the leader’s cell phone number no later than 3.30 p.m of the day before the departure day to be notified when there is some urgent case.
Moreover, you can buy tickets before a day at Port Management Committee from 9.00 a.m to 11.00 a.m and from 1.30 p.m to 3.30 p.m. If you did buy tickets, but you couldn’t get there in time, you had to inform to Port Management Committee no later than 2 hours before the departure hour to be reimbursed 80% of the ticket price or take the next speed boat with 20% of the ticket price surcharges.
Besides, if you don’t want to use speed boat, you can take the timber ship that departs from 8.00 a.m to Ly Son island and arrives at 11.00 a.m, once a day. However, the trip on timber ship may take you more time than using speed boat. Therefore, you should consider carefully your demands to make the best choice. In addition, at 8.00 a.m, there is a ship departing from Dao Lon to Dao Be and returning at 2.30 p.m, you can contact to the fishing ships to go to Dao Be.
Hotels in Ly Son Island
Recently, the tourism has boomed in Ly Son Island that is reason why lodging service has been also invested more here. Ly Son hotel is the biggest hotel in this island; moreover, there are many motels with reasonable prices, so lodging is not a big problem in Ly Son. If you are interested in playing and sleeping in tents on the beach, arriving Dao Be maybe the best choice for you.
Peaceful scenery on the island
What to do in Ly Son Island
• Hang Pagoda (Chùa Hang)
Hang pagoda is located in An Hai, Ly Son. This pagoda was built during the reign of the King Le Kinh Tong by Mr. Tran Cong Thanh, the one who opened up the An Hai village. The name “Chua Hang Pagoda” came from the pagoda’s position in the largest cave system in Ly Son, in steep cliffs high near 20 m.
Seashore in front of Hang pagoda
• To Vo Gate
From the harbor coming to welcoming gate of Ly Son, turning left and going along the way near Duc Pagoda, you will see To Vo Gate. If you have deep passion for photography, this place is a heaven for you and your friends to catch the first sunlight or sunset slowly down.
To Vo Gate - The favourite gate on the island
• Mu Cu Island (Hon Mu Cu)
Mu Cu Island is located in the east of the island, about 3.2 km from the district center. This is a beautiful place with not only unique styles black stone, but also the ideal resting place and watching the sun rise on the island.
Lighthouse on Mu Cu Island
• Cau Cave (Hang Câu)
Located in the Dong Village, An Hai (Ly Son) in the foothills of Thoi Loi Mountain, Cau cave has a spectacular natural scenery with the sea and mountain. The scenery of Cau cave is still wild and simple, but quite poetically beautiful and attractive to the tourists.
• Nationnal Flagstaff in Thoi Loi Mountain
In the highest mountain in Ly Son – Thoi Loi, the flagstaff is a new architecture built in 2013 with the high about 20m. The Flagstaff is the mark of Vietnam ‘s sovereignty in Ly Son island.
Nationnal flagstaff on Ly Son Island
• Dao Be
Dao Be is also known as An Binh island. Exactly as the name, this area of this island is really small, but arriving this island, you can find a beautiful beach with white sand, surrounded by high cliffs bow, and the waves of white foam rushing all day.
Everyday, there is a ship departing at 8.00 a.m from Dao Lon to Dao Be and returning at 2.00 p.m.
Pellucid water in Dao Be (Be Island) on Ly Son Island
• Thoi Loi mountain
The highest mountain in Ly Son island, Thoi Loi mountain, is a finished mountain with the height of 149m. There is a freshwater lake in the top of Thoi Loi mountain with the vol of 30.000 m3, this lake is the freshwater resource for the both islands: Dao Lon and Dao Be.
Freshwaterake in Thoi Loi mountain, Dao Lon, Ly Son
• Duc Pagoda and Quan Am monument
Located in Gieng Tien mountain, the slept volcano in thousands years, after passing over 100 sidesteps, visitors will arrive Duc Pagoda (Chua Duc) where they can admire the Quan The Am monument with the height of 27m. This pagoda is also called as the no monk pagoda. As the legend of Buddhist, Quan The Am (Avalokiteshvara) stayed here and prayed for the peacefulness of villagers.
In this Pagoda, if you try to look to the way Quan The Am looking to the ocean, you can catch a glamour scenery like an beautiful picture in the sea. Therefore, this place is an ideal wonderful observatory from which one can appreciate the idyllic scenery of the island.
Visitors have to pass over 100 sidesteps to arrive Duc Pagoda
Speciality in Ly Son
On Ly Son island, visitors not only admire gorgeous beauty of wild nature, but also have changes to enjoy fresh seafood of the locals.
• Seaweed Salad (Goi rong bien)
One of the most favorite speciality in Ly Son is Seaweed Salad, if you have ever tried this dish once, you will never forget how wonderful it tastes.
The seaweed stalks mix with the basils, after that, eating with peanuts and fried onion. It’s unnegociable that your olfactory will be extremely stimulated.
Seaweed Salad (Goi rong bien)
• Garlic salad (Goi Toi)
Ly Son Island is a famous island with the name “Garlic Kingdom”. People plant garlics not only for sales, but also for cooking, and Garlic salad is one of the most popular dish in this island.
Ly Son garlic salad is made from male garlic. After spitting garlic up, they just take the garlic’s body, clean and steam with mixed spices, finally eat with a little peanuts, this dish will have the best spicy wonderful taste.
Garlic salad - Ly son's speciality
• Statue snail
Statue snail is the most popular seafood on Ly Son Island. Although there are many tourists having interest with this seafood, this dish is not easy to cook and find in restaurants. Ly Son Island is also known as the homeland of Statue Snail. The best dishes from statue snail have to be cooked by some big snails as a human hand, around 0.5 kg.
Statue Snail - The most famous seafood in Ly Son
• Conch
The dishes from conch on Ly Son island is more tasty than on the other area. In this island, conch is only fished from the sea, in the large waves area where the conch will be the biggest and the best tasty. According to locals, conch should be grilled or sauteed with chili and lemongrass to have the best fresh but no "fishy" taste.
Conch with ginger
• Echinus porridge (Chao Nhum)
Echinus is also known as sea urchins. It has a rough shape, and looks like an ugly thorns beam. This species lives sticking in lily leaf around the island. After fishing, people take out its meat, then dot with salt lemon or mustard. This dish would be the best delicious when you have it immediately from the time we take it out of the water or mix it with egg distillation. The taste of this dish is very special, a little sweet, a little salty and mixed the fat.
• Flat crabs
Flat crab is also considered as a Ly son’s speciality. Previously, it was not easy to have this dish for visitors coming to Dao Be because this crab only crawl up from the deep hole after the big rainstorm. Now, there are many people having been feeding them, and it’s easier for you to enjoy them at any time.
Although these crabs have an ugly looking, but its grilled meat is extremely fresh and tasty when you enjoy it with a little salt and chili.
• Spinner crabs
Enjoying seafood in Ly Son, It’s pity that you never try dishes from spinner crabs. This crab is a king of crab because of the hard red carapace as armor, tiny thorns and sharp as a knife. In the history, this spinner crab is a kind of special seafood which is only for the Kings because of its soft tasty and nutrious meat.
Spinner Crab - Speciality for the King
• Demon Fish (Cá Tà Ma)
Demon Fish (Cá tà ma) is an ocean fish with dark brown scarb, flatten body. They look like a tilapia in the freshwater but bigger. According to people in the island, the name “Demon” that they use to call this fish came from the smart way they live and defend from Fishermen. This kind of fish is really wise and hard to fishing.
Demon fish’s meat tastes sweet and … The best part of this fish is sirloin meat, this part has a greasy but really fresh taste. Moreover, people cook fried fish for winter and soup or porridge in the summer.
A delicious dish with Demon Fish
• Sauteed Oyster (Hao son Xao)
Ly Son island is famous not only for seafood but also for some simple dishes such as Oyster sauteed with papaya. If you try this dish once, you will never forget how fabulous this dish taste.
Oysters are mollusk spicies. They live in coral sand layer of seaweed, in an oval look. Preparing oysters, it’s necessary to take them out with a knife when they are still alive to make sure that we can keep all their sweetness.
• Jellyfish salad (Goi sua)
After fished out of water, jellyfish is mashed with sliced banana in the water to make them rinsed, then mixed with herbs, mango, … and finally used with a bowl of sauce. Enjoying this dish, indigenous people always eat it up with fried golden sesame seeds and peanuts.
Jellyfish salad is not a complicated dish, this salad has a fresh taste as the simple way the people live in this island.
Ly Son Island is the unique culture corner that many tourists come to visit, but for now mostly Vietnamese. But the island is worth to visit, you will be delighted with the magnificent landscapes, high mountains, lakes and ancient pagodas.
Jellyfish salad on Ly Son Island
(Collection)
