![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/Vietnam/images/mobile_menu_icon.png)
Home > Vietnam > Vietnam Travel News > The tip of the ‘S’ |
The tip of the ‘S’
Tra Co Beach at the most
northeastern point of S-shaped Vietnam is one of the country's most charming
beaches thanks to its calm seas and sandalwood trees.
Stretching over 15 kilometers and providing an ideal place for vacationers, the
sandy beach is one of the main attractions of Tra Co Island, just off the coast
of Quang Ninh Province.
Legend has it that fishermen from Do Son near Hai Phong, located further south
in Quang Ninh, settled the island 500 years ago, set up fishing villages, and
named the area Tra Co, which combines the name of their two villages – Tra
Phuong and Co Trai – in Do Son, Hai Phong.
Visitors should take the National Highway 18 from Hanoi and head toward the Mong
Cai border gate, 150 kilometers from the capital. The island is linked to the
mainland by a 15-kilometer causeway.
Instead of taking the bridge, it is worth catching the two-hour express boat
from Hai Phong to Mui Ngoc, the southwestern tip of Tra Co Island.
Charm and tranquility
Tra Co Beach is a smooth stretch of compact sand and white sand dunes on Tra
Co peninsula. Bamboo basket boats on the beach and a nearby mangrove forest add
to the poetic image.
The beach is very firm so cars can drive on it without getting stuck. Tra Co is
often compared to Nha Trang beach for its beauty.
“The air is so fresh. It’s a far cry from the bustling, dusty streets of the
city,” says Linh Nga, a tourist from Hanoi.
The best season for swimming is from April to September, when the water
temperature averages around 22 degrees Celsius.
A great place to watch the sun set or rise is about 6 kilometers away from the
beach -- the beautiful Con Mang sand dunes where the sand is so firm that you
can ride a motorbike on it.
Close to Con Mang is Vietnam’s border point with China, Sa Vi.
Sacred relics at Tra Co
For history lovers, the island has plenty of sightseeing spots.
Tra Co communal house is the pride of the local people. It was built in 1462 to
worship the six people who pioneered the island and established the village 500
years ago.
Local people also use the house to worship Quan He, or Nguyen Huu Cau, a leader
of a rural uprising during the Le-Trinh Dynasty.
Though the site has been repaired many times, the original architectural style
and sculptures still remain.
The 30-by-19-meter house features 48 structural pillars that were built by
skilled carpenters from Thanh Hoa.
From a distance, the house looks like a boat, docked by the sea, which inspired
artist Nguyen Cuong to compose the famous song Mai dinh lang bien (The roof of
the fishing village’s communal house).
The house’s roof is slightly concave and its four scimitar-shaped corners curve
upwards. Dragon heads are carved into the beams’ ends. Exquisite carvings and
gilded parallel panels decorate the inside of the building.
The village festival takes place at the end of the fifth month of the lunar
calendar. The three-day event includes a variety of activities including a
cooking competition and traditional games.
One of the contests for farmers is called ong voi or Mr. Elephant. The person
who has raised the largest pig wins.
Another site in Tra Co is Linh Khanh, also called Nam Tho Pagoda, some 200
meters from the Tra Co communal house.
The pagoda, built in 1775 under the reign of King Le Canh Hung, worships Lieu
Hanh, a sacred goddess of the Viet people. The pagoda boasts 63 statues and a
large bell cast in 1843.
Thien Hau Temple is another site tourists shouldn’t miss. The temple, built in
1550 to worship Thien Hau, or Matsu, the intelligent Chinese goddess who lived
1,000 years ago and could forecast weather changes and cure the ills of man.
On the way back from Con Mang to Tra Co, there is an old cathedral, built in
1880 and restored a decade ago. The church is a tranquil place to take a rest.
Nowadays, Tra Co has become a tourism hot spot with 45 hotels and hostels with
some 600 rooms.
Source: Reported by Nhat Tam |
High Quality Tour Service:
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/Visa-online.jpg)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/icon_review.gif)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/icon_review-1.gif)
Roy, Spain
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/icon_review.gif)
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/icon_review-1.gif)
Fransesca, Netherlands
A member of Vietnam Travel Promotion Group (VTP Group)
Address: Room 509, 15T2 Building, 18 Tam Trinh Str., Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam (See map)
Tel: +84.24.62768866 / mail[at]tuanlinhtravel.com
Visited: 1967
![](https://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/images/icon_acess.gif)