Ly Son Island: A tourism paradise exists in reality

Not many know that Ly Son’s sea is also a treasure of many magnificent things, including a unique coral reef complex and tracks of lava from extinct volcanoes.

Published: December 2018

Ly Son Island district in Quang Ngai province has become known among backpackers as an island with alluring beaches and specialties such as onions, garlic, and jelly. However, not many of them know that Ly Son’s sea is also a treasure of many magnificent things, including a unique coral reef complex and tracks of lava from extinct volcanoes.

Lava from volcanoes 11 millions of years ago

The “treasured” attraction is Be (Small) islet, also known as An Binh island commune, which is 16 nautical miles from the mainland and three nautical miles from Ly Son island district to the northwest. The terrain of Be islet was created from eruptions millions of years ago.

Location of Be Islet

Basic information

Location: 16 nautical miles from the mainland and three nautical miles from Ly Son Island

Area: 1km2

Population: 110 households

Bestowed with fine white sand and clear turquoise sea waters, Be islet is a place that visitors should not miss when they travel to Ly Son.

Taking an excursion around the islet, one can see darker black cliffs which were formed from lava of extinct volcanoes, leaving a long-lasting impression on tourists. The island itself is surrounded by high cliffs which were also formed by volcanic deposits.

Geologists assumed that initially, the original Be islet might have been a part of the Ly Son island. After a strong earthquake, a part of Ly Son Island become separated, which then "drifted" and formed Be islet as today.

Among nearly ten kinds of geological formations, six were found on Ly Son Island, one on Be islet, and three remaining underneath the sea.

Research by geologist Associate Professor Doctor Vu Cao Minh have found a thick layer of sediment containing argillite, siltstone, sandstone and breccias at the eastern part of Thoi Loi Mountain with a total width from three to 15 metres. The structure is infrequently seen in geological history.

Notably, scientists discovered choppy basaltic cliffs from lave along Tien beach on Be islet. They said that the structure is rather rare and it only appears on Be Island and several other places in the world.

Discovering volcanoes and coral reefs underneath the sea water

Praised as the ‘Paradise amidst the sea’, one of the most popular sports for travellers to Be islet is diving to admire the colourful coral reefs and lively undersea world.

The Volcanoes eruption millions of years ago created not only high cliffs on Be islet but also a stone arch underwater, which is approximately 6 metres from the shore.

Visitors can go on scuba diving tours with the deepest level of 6 metres to the stone arch and have the pleasure of admiring with their own eyes the lively coral reefs and abundant colourful marine creatures on the arch surface, which stretches around 20 metres in width.

For non-swimmers, they will be accompanied by professional divers. Visitors will be equipped with the necessary costumes and learn signal language before diving.

Be islet also boats a rich ecosystem of around 700 plant and animal species (seaweed, coral reefs, fishes, and crustaceans).

In addition to the majestic underwater world, Be islet still has a lot of worthy places for travellers to explore, including To Vo Gate, where the stone created a gap like a gate, Cau Cave, which can make anyone speechless with its breath-taking beauty as one side is the sea and the other is the cliff and Thoi Loi Peak -the highest peak of Ly Son Island which used to be a volcano.

Watch the video below

Tips for travelling to Be islet, Ly Son island

How to get there

From Quang Ngai city, take a bus to Sa Ky port. Boats depart daily from the port to Ly Son Island with the total time of around 30 minutes. From Ly Son island’s wharf, visitors can take a canoe to the Be islet, taking them 15 minutes. They can also hire a small boat so that they can arrange a time themselves.

When to visit

The best time to visit Ly Son Island is from February to July when the sea is quiet and the weather is brilliantly sunny. Rainy season takes place from August to January, making the weather unpredictable and the sea rough.

What to eat

Be islet is famous for many indigenous specialties: garlic, king brans, Ta Ma fish, Cu snail, squid, and sea urchins. Dubbed as the “kingdom of garlic”, fresh garlic and garlic leaves stirred with beef is a must-try dish on the islet.