Ly Son Island

Overview
Small Ly Son Island (also known as Cu Lao Re) is a growing holiday spot for Vietnamese tourists yet somehow it has eluded the foreign travellers radar. A ferry from the mainland takes about an hour and Ly Son can be an interesting little getaway for fresh cheap seafood, photo ops and cultural insight.

Location
located in the north-east of Quang Ngai Province, about 15 nautical miles (27km) from mainland. There are no excursions or tours to Ly Son Island, but you can easily get to the island by yourself. The ferry speed boat to Ly Son starts at 8:00 from Sa Ky port and trip takes about 1 hour 10-20 minutes. This is the only way to get island.

Characteristics
Kingdom of Garlic: every inch of useable land grows garlic, shallots and onions, a neat patchwork of greens and beige blanketing the ground, engulfing houses, tombs and any other obstacle. Renowned for its quality and mild taste, Ly Son garlic is grown in tidy rows with a layer of sand on top of the volcanic soil.

Moreover, Ly Son is a lively museum of legends, stories, folk songs, spiritual festivals, etc, especially Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers. This used to be the departure point of the naval task group that protected the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands under the Nguyen Dynasty. The island also preserves many documents on Hoang Sa Archipelago; numerous stone and ceramic objects of Cham and Dai Viet nations; etc to affirm Viet Nam’s sovereignty over sea and islands.

Nowadays, Ly Son Island is an attractive tourist destination where occupies unique natural landscapes as well as many cultural relics including Hang Pagoda, Duc Pagoda, An Hai Communal House, An Vinh Communal House, Cau Cave, Ba Roi Temple, Hoang Sa – Truong Sa Flotilla Relic, relics of Cham and Sa Huynh culture, etc. Of which, Hang Pagoda, An Vinh and An Hai Communal Houses and Am Linh Pagoda were recognized by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as national cultural – historical relics.

History
The Cham used Ly Son as a transhipment base. In the 17th century the Nguyễn lords started a colony on the islands from An Vĩnh, Bình Sơn District, in Quảng Ngãi, as part of the activities of the Hoàng Sa Company's development of the Paracel Islands.

Activities
Generally on this small island there are more than 50 ancient pagodas, temples and shrines, such as Pagoda Chua Hang, located in the rock by the sea, pagoda Dinh Liem Tu, where you can climb the mountain and make great photos pagoda and sea, fairly new church Ding Ly Hai. The island has monuments and memorials that you can see during travel. The best way to explore island is to ride around. The island is small and need about half day to see it all by motorbike. You'll see beautiful sea views, a lot of organised and nice garlic fields, mountains with good view points, red earth of volcanic origin island.

Of course, the beautiful beaches on the island, though they are few. With white sand and a diverse array of shells. The water is clear and blue. You can see the crabs and other marine inhabitants. In the afternoon, the tide begins and is impossible to swim, as rocks open.

Special events
Ly Son Island is also home to many special festivals, including “Khao Le The Linh Hoang Sa” Festival, held annually from the 18th to the 20th of the third lunar month to commemorate the fallen troops on Hoang Sa archipelago.

Specialities
Garlic and abundant seafood