Ly Son Islands - Paradise Among The Sea

Having the million-year beauty of a volcano, the ingenious natural architect created a paradise in the middle of the sea. Ly Son island- lie amidst splendid mist and sunshine which facinate those who visit.

All of Lý Sơn Islands. Ảnh: BÙI THANH TRUNG

Like a mysterius mermaid, Ly Son of Vietnam retains its pristine beauty, hidden deep inside is a cultural "sea and lake" residential community with suprising hospitality.

Rough sea-trips are now things of the past

Sa Ky Port, where the some ships rushed to Hoang Sa - Truong Sa with the on a journey for fish & shrimp, some with a mission to firmly defend the sovereignty of the sea and islands, started the journey to Ly Son. Dozens of high-speed boats are ready to wait for customers, every 30 minutes there is a boat available, visitors are spoiled with numberous choices.
Back in time, the past keeps rushing back into the mind of Mr. Pham Thoai Tuyen (69 years old, Ly Son), having spent his whole life on the islands, he still remembers the time when the raging sea was still a barrier blocking Ly Son with the mainland, resulting in very few tourists knowing of this wonderous place. The Ly Son people, who are accustomed to the storm and wind, only go to the mainland whenever they have something of desperate need, they are tired of floating for hours. "About 15 years ago, it took 4 hours to go to the mainland on a wooden boat. Then the high-speed boats come, now they only takes about 35 minutes from Sa Ky. as stated by eager Mr. Tuyền.

Bé Island port. Photo: NGUYỄN Á

Ly Son harbor, aside from days with big storms, is almost always crowded with tourists. This is the peak of touring season, when Ly Son welcomes thousands of tourists visiting the islands everyday. Tuyen sat there, full of pride of Ly Son's facinating beauty that attracted numberous visits. The lives of people here changed from clinging to what the sea has to offer, to sea preservation so that tourists can dive for a chance to observe the beautiful coral clusters. Livelihood changed, just like that. "I am old but happy for our children. Is Ly Son just beautiful, everyone's saying nice things about this place," Tuyen said.

Awoke from a million-year slumper

Easily accessed traffic has awoken the dynamic-passion flame of this volcano, the natural creation hypnotyzing countless tourists. The natural architect was so ingenious when creating the curve of To Vo Gate, tall standing in the middle of the sky to complete the magnificent landscape of Cau Cau. More than that, millions of years ago, the lush red lava masses spilling into the sea still left a vast void in the middle of the mountain creating the rocky Hang Pagoda...
When you speak of Ly Son, aside from the volcano, you can't help to mention the rich cultural life and the relentless sea-guard spirit of its people. Every lunal March, tourists of Ly Son will enjoy themselves with celebration called "Khao Le The Linh Hoang Sa", a symbol for their undying determination to defend Hoàng Sa. The celebration's majestic sound of conch horn and loud pray chants are only a few of Ly Son's magnificent spiritual beauty.

Lý Sơn is attracting more tourists. Photo: TRẦN MAI

The number of 250,000 visitors to Ly Son Islands in 2018 is an affirmation that Ly Son was awakened, that beauty no longer lurks in the sea but harmonizes with the beauty of the country. At the end of June, traveler Dang Hoang Anh Khoa (Ho Chi Minh City) and 10 family members began their trip to Hung Binh Island. Khoa said that this was his third time coming to Ly Son. The first time he went with a friend, the second time he discover the place by himself and this time he took his whole family with him. "I went to Ly Son twice before and took many photos on the islands, this summer I took the whole family to Ly Son. But I will definitely come back to Ly Son again, there are still many that I want to discover here. So beautiful, like a masterpiece, "Khoa laughed.
Noon arrived very quickly in the islands, the sun shining on one's face could not one from traveling the islands. No one wants to waste time avoiding sunlight, and can accept "a little burn" to discover Ly Son. At noon, the most crowded place is Hang Cau and Thoi Loi mountain, standing here the wind blows through the geological background, flooding into the cool chest, visitors freely breathe the smell of wild nature before returning to the bustling city.

The heart of the Ly Son - Sa Huynh geological park

Ly Son - Sa Huynh Geopark is rushing to the final procedures for submission to UNESCO for recognition as a global geopark. In the journey to conquer the UNESCO expert, Ly Son is the highlight, more than 10 million years ago, the lava flows created the rare geological beauty of the islands.
Professor Setsura Nakada - Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Global Geopark Network - UNESCO, having been to Ly Son four times to admire its beauty. He once likened Ly Son to being a beautiful young girl. The professor, during his time here has visited almost everywhere. In a talk with Tuoi Tre Press, Professor Nakada shared: "Ly Son with its overwhelming beauty will be a global geological park. We see here not only the geological value. but also the value of its heritage and community, and the islands will be a major tourist and geomorphological site for tourists from around the world."

From Tuổi Trẻ