VietNamNet Bridge – Ly Son Island off the central province of Quang Ngai covers about 10 square kilometers and consists of Lon (big) Island, Be (small) Island and Mu Cu Islet. If tourists visit Ly Son without setting feet on the small island, their trip is surely incomplete.

The quay where tourists can sail to Be Island

The small island has a commune called An Binh, which means “peace” in English. This commune is truly peaceful with small makeshift homes and wild beaches. Around 1,000 people on Be Island mostly earn a living by fishing, and growing garlic and onion.

From the big island, tourists can get on board fishing boats to reach the small island within 30 minutes. When the sea is calm, there are several boats bringing locals and tourists back and forth between the two islands a day.

The busiest place on the island is the quay where there are several bistros. However, visitors can hardly find any restaurant on the island for lunch or dinner, so they should carry along food and beverages from the big island or ask islanders to cook for them.

Along the main road running along the island, tourists can find a path leading to the back beach. If the front beach is for boats only, the back beach is frequented by swimmers. Water is so clear that visitors can see coral reefs and schools of small fish.

Coming to the island in June, tourists can see fields filled up by white sand on the two sides of the path to the back beach. During the garlic and onion growing season, they can see the vast fields turning green.

According to local people, as soil on Be is dry and fresh water supply is limited, they can only harvest one garlic crop a year and cannot grow other vegetables or watermelon as seen on the big island.

The back beach of Be Island with black rocks in different shapes and sizes     Fields used for cultivating garlic and onion       The path to the back beach on Be Island – Photos: Khoi Nguyen

SGT