If you want to escape the bustling city, avoid the scorching heat to immerse yourself in the clear water, admire the pristine beauty of the mountains and forests, or enjoy the special dishes of the sea region, then come immediately to Nam Du Island Tour - 2D2N
1. LOCATION OF HON LON PORT ON NAM DU ISLAND
The Nam Du archipelago is the farthest island cluster of Kien Giang, located more than 250Km from Phu Quoc with 21 large and small islands lying close to each other. Among them, Cu Tron Island - also known as Hon Lon Nam Du - is the largest island, spreading over 771 hectares and having a peak higher than 300m. Cu Tron Island is located in An Son island commune, Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province, and is home to more than 8,000 residents, one of the 11 inhabited islands in Nam Du. Hon Lon Port is located right on Cu Tron Island, the first destination when setting foot on the Nam Du archipelago, where tourism and trade activities concentrate. From Hon Lon Port, tourists can easily access famous tourist spots on the island, such as Bai Ngu, Bai Cay Men, or the highest lighthouse in Vietnam. Hon Lon Port is the first destination for tourists when arriving in Nam Du. This place carries a rustic, peaceful beauty, with moored boats and friendly, hospitable locals.
The pristine beauty of Cu Tron Island
2. IDEAL TIME TO SET FOOT AT HON LON PORT
The best time for you and your loved ones and friends to plan a trip to Cu Tron Island is from December to March every year. This is the ideal time to fully enjoy your vacation with activities such as swimming, snorkeling to see coral reefs, exploring the island... Especially in January every year, the Nam Du sea has a beautiful jade green color with gentle waves and sunny weather very suitable for tourism and exploration activities. You should limit traveling to Cu Tron Island from April to November because this is the rainy season in Nam Du, with changing weather, rough seas, and often storms, causing difficulties in sightseeing and traveling during your trip.
Pier at Hon Lon Port
To have a complete trip, you should visit Hon Lon Port, where tourism and trade activities concentrate on the island. Here, you can enjoy fresh seafood dishes prepared in a rustic style, typical of Nam Du. Besides, at Hon Lon Port, you can buy fresh abalone as gifts at reasonable prices. Remember, Hon Lon Port is not only the first destination for tourists when arriving in Nam Du but also a place preserving the peaceful, rustic beauty of island life, with moored boats and friendly, hospitable locals.
3. HOW TO GET TO HON LON PORT
Those departing from Ho Chi Minh City must take a passenger bus at the Western Bus Station to Rach Gia with a fare ranging from 150,000 VND to 200,000 VND per ticket. After that, you must take a high-speed boat for about 2 hours to reach Nam Du Island with a round-trip ticket price from Rach Gia to Nam Du not less than 400,000 VND/ticket, and the pier does not operate if the sea is rough from level 6 to ensure safety. Additionally, tourists can travel by plane if they are from northern provinces or other provinces and cities, which may have direct buses to Rach Gia without needing to go through Ho Chi Minh City.
A peaceful day of fishermen at Hon Lon Port
To start your journey exploring Nam Du, you will dock at Hon Lon Port, the central point of the archipelago. From here, you can easily move to famous tourist spots on the island such as Bai Ngu, Bai Cay Men, the highest lighthouse in Vietnam,...
4. CULINARY EXPERIENCE AT HON LON PORT
4.1 Grilled green fish wrapped in banana leaves
The green fish with bones, also called the needlefish, is a sea fish species with a long round body and a sharp beak like a pair of scissors. The special thing about this fish is its green skin, inside which are pale green bones, creating the unique name "green bone fish." To fully enjoy the unique flavor of the green bone fish, locals have created a special cooking method: fresh fish is cleaned of slime, then wrapped tightly with banana leaves and grilled over charcoal. The fragrant smell of burnt banana leaves blends with the sweet taste of the fish, creating a distinctive flavor that conquers every diner. When peeling off the banana leaf, the fish meat cracks the skin, releasing a fragrant aroma. The fish meat is chewy, rich, sweet, wrapped with rice paper and wild vegetables, bringing an unforgettable culinary experience. This unique flavor has created a distinctive feature of the island sea region, making tourists hard to forget.
Grilled green fish wrapped in banana leaves
Visit Hon Lon Port, where tourism and trade activities concentrate on the island, to enjoy this unique grilled green bone fish dish. Besides, you can also find other fresh seafood dishes prepared in a rustic style, typical of Nam Du here.
4.2 Scallops grilled with scallion oil
Nam Du scallops, with white, soft, sweet, and delicious meat, are a seafood dish extremely loved by tourists at Hon Lon Port. The distinctive flavor of scallops makes the dish attractive, suitable for many cooking methods such as salt and pepper roasting, grilled with scallion oil, steamed with vermicelli rolls,... Nam Du scallops promise to bring tourists unforgettable culinary experiences.
4.3 Sour soup with cobia fish
When coming to Hon Lon Port, you must try the sour soup with cobia fish, where you will feel the unique difference of this dish compared to sour soups on the mainland. This is a fish species with a long spindle-shaped body, black in color, which might be mistaken for snakehead fish. The sour soup with cobia here is cooked with fresh tamarind or salted tamarind along with minced lemongrass and ground turmeric. To make the dish more attractive, fresh or sour bamboo shoots can be added. The unique flavor variations have made the dish here have a distinctive attractive aroma.
Sour soup with cobia fish
The sour soup with cobia fish at Hon Lon Port, Nam Du is not only attractive because of the sour, sweet, and fragrant flavors of tamarind, lemongrass, and turmeric but also because of the freshness of the cobia fish. The cobia is caught in the Nam Du sea area, with firm, sweet meat and no fishy smell. The harmonious combination of the sour taste of tamarind, the spicy scent of lemongrass and turmeric, the sweetness of cobia fish, along with fresh or sour bamboo shoots, has created a unique dish typical of Nam Du.
4.4 Steamed squid with ginger
Squid is one of the dishes you cannot miss when traveling in the Nam Du archipelago and when setting foot at Hon Lon Port. The squid just caught from the sea is fresh, delicious, with a belly full of eggs. Many dishes can be made from squid eggs... but the most outstanding is steamed squid with ginger because the sweet flavor of the squid is preserved and it is easy to prepare and not greasy to eat. In the poetic space, blending with the sea breeze and enjoying special dishes at Cu Tron Island is truly wonderful. The unique flavor of the dishes here has really made tourists absolutely satisfied. Especially, the steamed squid with ginger at Hon Lon Port is even more attractive. The squid is caught during the day, keeping its freshness and sweet meat. The flavor of fresh ginger blends with the sweet and delicate taste of squid, creating a dish that is both delicious and nutritious.