Co To: A journey of discovery in the middle of the ocean

Sea and island tourism is identified as the spearhead in the tourism development strategy of Quang Ninh, in which Co To is becoming a keyword for many tourists when looking for a destination to "escape" from the fast pace of modern society.

From shore experience

From April 2023, Ao Tien High-class Port (Van Don) will be put into operation with a synchronous and modern infrastructure system, making the journey from the mainland to the islands more convenient and comfortable. Visitors can relax and immerse themselves in the beauty of Bai Tu Long Bay through the glass windows of the port to begin preparing for a journey to the sea, taking a deep breath to feel the space of the ocean approaching.

Previously, it took tourists 3-4 hours to travel from Van Don to Co To Island by wooden boat, but now the high-speed boat fleet at the port is always ready to pick up passengers with a shortened time of only about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Ticket prices range from 230,000-250,000 VND/trip/person, round-trip tickets are about 500,000 VND/person. Shorter travel time also means that tourists' experiences in Co To will be longer.

Currently, the whole Co To district has over 300 tourism service businesses, including over 195 accommodation establishments with over 2,500 rooms, 40 dining establishments and 40 entertainment spots. The tourism activities and entertainment on the island all have a tourism style in harmony with nature, 3-4 star hotel rooms open wide to the open space of the sea, small homestays nestled in peaceful tree canopies, or cafes near the sandy beach filled with the sound of waves and gentle music...

*Visitors can enjoy fresh air and pristine scenery when coming to Co To.*

The typical landscape in Co To is the pristine scenery, the unique beauty of the sand and the unique geological values. Nature has favored Co To with beautiful beaches with long, gentle, clean sand strips and clear water such as Hong Van and Van Chay beaches... which are considered the most attractive in the East Sea of the Gulf of Tonkin and Northeast Vietnam.

Waking up in that special space, watching the sunrise on picturesque beaches or walking up to Mong Rong rock beach, watching each ray of early sunlight shine on the rocks with many interesting patterns, enjoying the fresh, pure atmosphere. Anyone's emotions will feel relieved and calm.

Closely connected to the sea are protective forest ecosystems. With an area of about 10 hectares, Co To Choi forest is currently the largest and most unique primeval Choi forest in the country. Here, tourists will have the opportunity to admire many ancient Choi trees over 20 meters high, nearly a hundred years old. When Choi flowers bloom, clusters of green, tiny flowers like tiny fireworks hang down, making the whole forest seem to be wearing a new coat, touching people's hearts.

Co To also has a unique system of cultural relics and landscapes spread across the large Co To islands, Co To con, Thanh Lan island, such as: Uncle Ho's memorial site on Co To island, Truc Lam Co To pagoda, Co To church, or Thanh Lan church containing indigenous cultural values...

*In addition to being a place of religious activities for parishioners on the island, Thanh Lan Church (Thanh Lan commune) is also a destination for tourists when exploring Co To.*

In addition to sightseeing and enjoying the scenery of the mountains and sea, visitors to Co To can “temporarily forget” the hustle and bustle and pressures of urban life when immersing themselves in community tourism activities. “A day as a fisherman” can be considered a typical example of experiential activities associated with indigenous culture. Depending on the tide and season, visitors can roll up their sleeves, wear conical hats to catch squid, fish, and remove nets… like real fishermen, activities that are sometimes only seen through short clips on social networks through smartphone screens or advertising posters on the streets.

…to the journey of sea discovery

After exploring the landscape around the island, visitors can board a boat to join tours to visit islands such as Thanh Lan, Ca Chep, Hon Su Tu and Co To Con.

Considered a green oasis in the middle of the sea, Thanh Lan is the largest island among the islands of the Co To archipelago, with outstanding and unique tourism resources such as marine resources and natural forest resources. The stunning beauty of the poetic, pristine beaches with clear blue water, soft white sand of Ba Chau beach, Tron lagoon, Hai Quan beach, C76 beach is what visitors will remember forever when setting foot on this oasis.

Thanh Lan tours currently include many interesting experiences and activities such as: Trekking through the forest, exploring beautiful beaches, experiencing fishing and enjoying seafood of this sea area.

*Coral diving is a unique experience in Co To.*

Visitors can also immerse themselves in the vast ocean, blue sky and white sand while fishing, swimming and kayaking at Co To Con Island, Ca Chep Island and Hon Su Tu. Feeling the clear, cool water of Dong Co To Con Beach, admiring the strange shape of Hon Su Tu - a small rocky island shaped like a fierce king of the jungle in the middle of the ocean, and taking photos to check-in with the magical poetic "road in the middle of the ocean" of Hon Ca Chep when the tide is low are memorable memories in the journey in the middle of the ocean of every visitor to Co To.

From the summer of 2023, visitors to the outpost island can also participate in coral diving activities. This latest tourism product has been carefully prepared to bring the most exciting experience to visitors while still ensuring the preservation of this beautiful ecosystem under the ocean.

The product is operated by Co To Discovery Company Limited (Co To town, Co To district) in Thanh Lan island area, a water area with beautiful and well-preserved corals. To join the tour, visitors can travel by canoe or boat from Co To island to Hon Chim area (2ha wide), Vung Tron beach (2ha), Ngoc Trai beach (3ha). These are areas with beautiful landscapes, clear blue water, many protected corals restored to reefs, beautiful ecosystems under the ocean...

*With long, white sandy beaches and clear blue water, Co To is an attractive destination for tourists.*

Visitors can wear protective gear and use snorkeling goggles to dive and see coral reefs and marine ecosystems at moderate depths, under 5m, or use specialized equipment to walk on the seabed. For visitors with good swimming skills, they can choose to dive with scuba tanks and specialized clothing to explore the nooks and crannies of the ocean.

In addition to coral diving, this tour also has accompanying activities to enhance the experience, such as: Fishing, sub-rowing, kayaking, jet skiing, camping on the pristine Ba Chau beach, the most beautiful on the island.

*Tourists will experience the beauty of Co To from a seaplane in the near future.*

In July, the seaplane service from Ha Long to Co To will officially come into operation. According to Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Co To District, the Ha Long - Co To seaplane route will reduce the travel time from Ha Long to Co To Island to 20 minutes. During the journey, visitors will be able to see Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, Ngoc Vung Island, Quan Lan, Minh Chau and the whole view of Co To Island from above.

With its special natural advantages combined with efforts to develop synchronous green tourism, the pearl island of Co To has affirmed its brand as a dream destination for journeys to the sea. In the first 5 months of 2023, the island district welcomed nearly 72,000 visitors, with nearly 157,000 days of stay, an average stay of over 2 days per visitor. In May 2023 alone, Co To district welcomed nearly 39,000 visitors, including more than 1,100 international visitors.

According to the Socio-Economic Master Plan for 2020, with a vision to 2030, Co To has set the following goals: Rapid, effective and sustainable development of the Co To island sea area, rapid development of tourism to become a key economic sector and ensure sustainability; strong and diversified development of service sectors in a modern direction. The synchronous and harmonious development is gradually bringing Co To closer to the goal of developing high-quality ecological sea and island tourism, becoming one of the important driving forces of the tourism - service sector, a key economic sector in Quang Ninh.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/co-to-hanh-trinh-kham-pha-giua-bien-khoi-3244989.html

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