Chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Ly Son island district Pham Thi Huong said this is the second year in a row the race has been organised in the water off the islands, boosting tourism.

She said swimmers will compete in 5km and age groups from eight to 14 in distance events of 1km, 2km and 5km.

Race organisers said the Island Cross 5km, which is open for all entrants, will start from Arch Rock check-in to An Binh islet, while sprint 2km will see athletes swimming from An Binh islet to main Ly Son island.

“The event aims to promote tourism and vacation opportunities for visitors in exploring the unique archaeological value of the islands – which is formed by ancient volcanoes that existed more than 25 million years ago,” Huong said.

“Last year, the islands hosted 170,000 tourists, and it would see 180,000 travellers this year. Tourism, garlic and scallion farms as well as the pristine natural landscape are major attractions to tourists in summer trips.”

Last year, the race featured 300 swimmers.

The unique culture, rich biodiversity and extinct volcanoes have been conserved in the water around Ly Son island, as it strives to become the first ‘zero carbon’ islands in central Vietnam.

Ly Son Islands was connected to the national grid in 2014./.VNA