WORDS ON THE STREET 70th anniversary of Hanoi's Liberation Day Vietnam - Asia 2023 Smart City Summit Hanoi celebrates 15 years of administrative boundary adjustment 12th Vietnam-France decentrialized cooperation conference 31st Sea Games - Vietnam 2021 Covid-19 Pandemic
Jun 13, 2014 / 14:52

Beauty of Cu Lao Cham island draws a lot of visitors

The island in Tan Diep Commune in Hoi An has been recognised by UNESCO as World’s Biosphere Reserve. It boasts several relics from diverse and ancient cultures, such as Sa Huynh, Cham Pa and Dai Viet.

Five years ago, Cu Lao Cham was still an emerging destination in Vietnam’s tourism map, especially in comparison with the centre of Hoi An. However, recently, more and more tourists who come to Hoi An opt to take a tour to Cu Lao Cham for a new experience.
 
Visitors’ first impressions may be the warm smile and hospitality of the locals.
This is a fishing town, and fresh fish can be found in the area markets.
Visitors are advised to wear life jackets while aboard tourist boats and not to disturb natural environment in any way, such as touching coral or sea plants.
An express boat from Cua Dai to Cu Lao Cham Island takes about 40 minutes. Local residents of the island mainly live in Bai Lang, and earn a living by fishing.
In recent few years, together with the increasing number of visitors, many souvenirs shops and seafood restaurants have popped up. Local residents can also earn extra money from community-based tourism services, such as home-stays.
The development of tourism in Cu Lao Cham is relatively new, but the place still retains the appearance of untouched natural beauty and clear blue waters.
While Bai Lang beach is bustling with more visitors, Bai Ong, Bai Huong, Bai Chong and Bai Bac beaches remain relatively tranquil and are surrounded by lush mountains.
Hai Tang Pagoda, built more than 400 years ago, adds to the town’s rare atmosphere. Burning a few sticks of incense and walking around the town may renew your senses and give you a bit of respite from the noise and fury of every day life.
The Cu Lao Cham world natural biosphere reserve houses over 311 hectares of coral reef, which is home to around 300 species.