VietNamNet Bridge – We, a group of five travelers, took a trip to the coastal province of Kien Giang in the Mekong Delta to discover the amazing Ba Lua archipelago with numerous beautiful islands. This site is seen as Halong Bay of the south.

Dam Islet is in Ba Lua archipelago known as Halong Bay of the south

We took an express night coach from HCMC to Chong Islet at 8 a.m. Then we joined other tourists in a boat trip to Dam Islet. Different from Halong Bay, the water is dark blue instead of emerald. After cruising around tens of islands around the bay for an hour, we arrived at Dam Islet which consists of three smaller islets - Duoc, Duong and Gieng.

Locals said that the name Dam came from the time of French rule and due to the geological features of this location, people can walk from one islet to another during the low tide. The bay is about chest-deep, so it’s safe for travelers to swim and enjoy catching snails like tu hai, huyet, duong and lua. Tourists might feel interesting when their feet touch some floating soft weeds.

Fishermen on this island also earn a living from tourism services. They went reclaiming the east side of the island and created the sea walls and built stone paths as well as a wharf to serve tourists. Travelers can sleep in some thum, a kind of a small house without walls on a cement ground or on some hammocks. It costs hundreds of thousands of dong to hire each thum. Tourists will be provided with blankets and pillows and there is no need to use the mosquito net as mosquitoes can’t stand strong sea winds.

People can order fresh seafood like bop fish sour soup, steamed crab, grilled oyster, and stirred squid, which are priced from VND80,000 per portion. At night travelers are advised to enjoy squid porridge made from fresh ingredients. Or people can build a fire on the beach and play games together.

It is highly recommended for tourists to admire the sunrise on the beach surrounded by a tranquil and primitive island.

After leaving Dam Islet, tourists are advised to head to Ha Tien Town to visit the top twelve sightseeing spots.

SGT