Walking from islet to islet on Ba Hon Dam Island

Ba Hon Dam is one of more than 30 islands in Ba Lua Archipelago off the coast of Son Hai Commune, Kien Luong District, Kien Giang Province. It has three islets – Dam Duoc, Dam Duong and Dam Gieng.
Dam Duong (L) and Dam Duoc islets on Ba Hon Dam Island are seen from afar. Dam Gieng is behind Dam Duong - Photo: Phu Sa Loc
One of the most interesting things about Ba Hon Dam is people can walk from one islet to another during ebb tides. In an expanse of water and sky, tourists may feel thrilled to wade knee-deep in the water.
Tourists can start the journey from Dam Duoc islet, which has many duoc (mangrove) plants. Covering 12 hectares, Dam Duoc is a great hideaway for tourists. Bamboo sheds can be found along the beach where there is more gravel than sand. Inside those sheds are hammocks for tourists to rest, enjoy sea breezes and admire the beauty of the sea and the sky.
In the dry season, the landscape on Dam Duoc is more beautiful thanks to malabar almond tree and red flamboyant flowers.
Tourists to Dam Duoc can catch fish and ask locals to cook it. At night, they can build a fire on the beach to throw a barbeque party and early in the next morning they can watch the sunrise on the sea.
Dam Duoc and Dam Duong islets are around 300 meters apart. For those who have not waded in the water before, they should follow a white line under the water. Dam Duong is actually a tropical fruit garden where visitors can find mango, longan, jackfruit, coconut and sapodilla. The large garden makes the atmosphere on Dam Duong cool.
The six-hectare Dam Duong is full of maritime pine trees, which are called cay duong in Vietnamese. It two big sheds for 50 tourists to rent at a soft price of VND40,000 (US$1.8) per person per night.
Dam Gieng is more than 100 meters away from Dam Duong. It has a water well, which means “gieng” in Vietnamese, and a primitive landscape.