Phu Quoc Island, a famous “pearl” island in Kien Giang Province.

Phu Quoc is the biggest island which has been approved by the Government to be built into an eco-tourist and resort centre of international stature. In the future Ha Tien Town will become a cultural and tourist city.

 

Endless natural resources

Kien Giang Province has specific characteristics in terms of people and potential and typical cultural identities of Southern Vietnam that not any other area in the Cuu Long River delta has.

 

With a sea area of 63,290km², Kien Giang Province shares the sea border with Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia , so it is an ideal place for developing tourism, particularly international sea tourism. It has over 200km of coastline and 57km of land border with Kampot Province of Cambodia. Therefore, the Province plays an important part in economic development. It is one of the country’s important fishing grounds and a gateway for economic interaction with other ASEAN member countries.

 

Fresh caught sea products are sold right at the dock in the afternoon.

Kien Giang Sea has an average depth of 25-30m with the deepest point being 50m. Its waves are not big, the height of the biggest wave does not excess 5m and there is no undercurrent. With these natural conditions, Kien Giang Sea constitutes a favourable environment for sea creatures to live and develop all year round. It has about 200ha of corals and 12,000ha of sea grass, providing an environment and food for many species of fish and rare and precious sea animals, such as the humpback whale, Stenella longirostris, Stenella coeruleoalba and sea turtle, and creates diverse and attractive sea sceneries for tourist development. In October 2006, UNESCO recognized Kien Giang coastal biosphere covering over 1.1 million hectares as Vietnam’s 5^th biosphere and the largest one in Southeast Asia.

 

The number of foreign tourists to Phu Quoc Island is on the rise.

From Rach Gia City we took an express cruiser to visit Hon Tre Island in Kien Hai District. The island looks like a gigantic tortoise swimming at sea, so it is called Tortoise Island by the locals. Situated at the south-western tip of Kien Giang Province and surrounded by sea, Kien Hai District covers 2,652.39ha and consists of 23 small islands.

 

Apart from the main occupation of catching sea products with nearly 1,000 fishing boats, over the past years the islanders in Kien Hai District developed fish- and shrimp-rearing on rafts, which bring about great economic benefit and is expected to become a key economic sector in the future.

 

Kien Hai District is a complex of islands and mountains so it has many fantastic and beautiful caves and grottos, diverse varieties of birds and beautiful places, such as Bai Ngu (on An Son Island), Da Chuong and Suoi Vang (on Hon Tre Island ) and the temple dedicated to Lord Whale (on Nam Du Island).

 

Phu Quoc, a pearl island

 

From Rach Gia City we took the Super Dong II express cruiser to visit Phu Quoc Island . After two and half hours we reached the biggest tourist island of Vietnam . Phu Quoc Island is triangular shaped with the longest north-south side being 49km and the east-west width at the largest point being 27km. Its circumference is 130km and its area is 500ha.

  

At a fish sauce processing workshop.

Phu Quoc Island is considered a sunny paradise with many beautiful beaches stretching from the north to the south, 99 mountains and hills plus ranges of primeval forests with rich flora and fauna. We enjoyed the calm and natural atmosphere and activities, such as boating, fishing, discovering wild islands, traveling and climbing up to the top of Chua Mountain which is 565m above sea level in Phu Quoc National Park , an attractive eco-tourist site. From the top of Chua Mountain we could contemplate a vast space with dreamlike scenes below.

 

All visitors to Phu Quoc Island are intent to lying on the smooth beach and contemplate the sunrise and sunset. They have the feeling of floating between the immense sea and vast clear sky. They also enjoy visiting traditional craft villages specializing in producing the famous Phu Quoc fish sauce and pepper trees.

 

Deputy Secretary of Kien Giang Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Thanh Son, former Secretary of Phu Quoc District’s Party Committee said: “…. If a circle with a radius of 1,000km is drawn, Phu Quoc will be the centre of the capitals of all ASEAN member countries…” The position and potential of Phu Quoc have been highly appreciated. During our return trip to Rach Gia City some European tourists commented that Phu Quoc had potential to develop as Singapore . Nguyen Thanh Son said: “The Vietnamese Government gives priority to Phu Quoc’s development, from building an international airport, modern roads running around the island and an international seaport to enjoying preferential taxes and getting permission to build a casino. Foreign visitors to Phu Quoc Island can stay over 15 days without having a visa. However, it is not easy for Kien Giang Province to build Phu Quoc Island into a tourist centre of international stature.”

 

We know the difficulties facing this island. However it has been changing daily and surely in the near future it will become a tourist centre of international stature.

 

Ha Tien, a cultural and tourist city in the future

 

Old buildings in Ha Tien Town

Leaving Rach Gia City we visited Ha Tien Town, nearly 100km away, following a road that runs through the coastal area where mountains mingle with rice fields and lines of palmyra trees.

The Town is small but very beautiful. It is considered a miniature Vietnam with forests, seas, islands, lakes and rivers, and a cradle of the Southern culture. In the east of Ha Tien Town there is Dong Ho (East Lake) covering over 10km². It is a confluence of Vinh Te Canal and Giang Thanh River before they run into the sea.

 

From the centre of Ha Tien Town we followed a road that winds its way along the coastline to visit the Mui Nai tourist site, the most beautiful and poetic tourist site in the southernmost area. Mui Nai Beach is not deep and has smooth sand, clean, blue water and gentle waves, where all forms of sea tourism are provided.

 

Leaving Mui Nai we visited Hai Tac Archipelago in Tien Hai Commune of Ha Tien Town, 18km away from the mainland and 40km away from Phu Quoc Island . It includes 16 islands of various sizes. In 2008 Kien Giang provincial authorities approved a plan to build a resort with sea sports, tourist and entertainment services on an area of about 42ha in this commune.

 

With its existing potential and strength in terms of sea and islands, Kien Giang Province will surely become a dynamic sea economic centre in the Cuu Long River delta, which can be easily seen through its everyday changes.