Hai Tac, literally translated as “Pirate” archipelago, 30km from Ha Tien township, is a new tourist attraction in Kien Giang province. The pristine natural landscapes of this place are amazingly beautiful.
In recent years, Ha Tien authorities have invested in Hai Tac archipelago to make it an even more attractive.
Hai Tac archipelago comprises 16 islands. Tre Lon islet sits at the center of the archipelago. The locals subsist on fishing and aquaculture. 70 households are engaged in cage fishing. The sea here between Ha Tien-Rach Gia Bay and Thailand Bay is calm and unpolluted making it favorable for both aquaculture and tourism. Hong Xuan Than says local people are friendly and hospitable: “We always welcome visitors and show them our work. Tourism has generated income for us”.
The place intrigues tourists with its “Pirate” name, its white sand beaches, and its turquoise water. Nguyen Thanh Sang is a tourist from An Giang: "My friends told me about this unspoiled archipelago. Its name inspires me to go and explore it. It’s a raw gem. I slept in a rudimentary hut by the sea and was delighted”.
The island attracted 30,000 visitors in 2015 earning nearly US$400,000. Tang Hong Phuoc, Chairman of the Tien Hai Communal People’s Committee, said that while the island has tourist potential, its facilities are inadequate. Kien Giang provincial authorities have invested in upgrading the infrastructure on a number of islands in the archipelago to boost their tourism potential. Mr. Phuoc says: “Tien Hai commune has great tourism potential. With enough investments like Vinpearl’s, local tourism will grow dramatically”.
This year, a number of big projects to upgrade local infrastructure will be undertaken: a communal administrative center, markets, a concentrated residential area, wharves, an ecological tourism site, and a waste treatment plant. The commune is expected to be on the national power grid by 2017. Efforts like those could make Hai Tac archipelago a new hot spot.