Leaving Phan Thiet port in the morning sun, many tourists do not sit still in the air-conditioned cabin, but go up on deck to observe Phan Thiet City from the sea. Currently, there are 5 trips on the Phan Thiet-Phu Quy passenger ferry, all operating at full capacity, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon, but this season it is not always easy to buy tickets.
Phu Quy has become a tourist island.
On the boat to the island, more than 80% of the people on board were tourists. Minh Thu and her husband from Cau Giay District (Hanoi) both left their seats in the air-conditioned room and went up to the deck to enjoy the sea breeze. Minh Thu is a small trader who does business all year round, so she rarely has time to visit strange lands like Phu Quy Island. "My husband and I have acquaintances in Binh Thuan who have been persuading us for a long time, and now the trip to the island has finally become a reality. We have to go once to enjoy it," Minh Thu shared.
Freshwater reservoir on Phu Quy island
Not only Thu and her husband, on the Chan Kha ship that day there were dozens of families going to the island for tourism purposes. Ha Tuan and his wife from Thu Duc City (HCMC), although both of them are from Xuan Loc (Dong Nai), very close to Binh Thuan, they have never been to Phu Quy Island. But this time their trip became a reality. "I heard that the sea is very beautiful this season, despite the hot weather. My husband and I arranged to have this trip" - Tuan's wife said.
Tourists come to experience Hon Tranh, Phu Quy island district, Binh Thuan
After 2 hours and 10 minutes, sitting on the deck of the ship, Phu Quy Island appeared clearly, a beautiful Thu Islet (another name for Phu Quy Island) in the middle of the ocean. Right at the Phu Quy port, the transportation services of the hotels, people waiting for acquaintances were already standing (mostly motorbikes) waiting to take guests back.
Although there are no big hotels like on the mainland, compared to 3 years ago, the hotel system on Phu Quy Island has become much more professional. The island also attracts young people with many check-in points, places that make tourists fall in love such as Phuot slope, Hang cliff, Bai Lang embankment, Lonely tree, Sovereignty flagpole, Wind power slope, Linh Son pagoda and Hon Tranh, a small island only about 15 minutes by canoe from the main island.
In particular, the cuisine on Phu Quy Island is extremely rich. In addition to delicious dishes that are rare on the mainland such as king crab, moon crab, cow fish, mackerel, lobster, red grouper, cobia... there is also grilled beef. The beef on the island is soft, fragrant and has a flavor that, according to tourists, is much more attractive than beef on the mainland.
Tourists explore Ganh Hang, Long Hai commune, Phu Quy island district
On July 3, 2020, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan announced the province's decision to recognize Phu Quy Island as a "provincial-level tourist destination". Mr. Le Hong Loi, Deputy Secretary of the island district, Chairman of the District People's Council, informed that since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of visitors to the island has increased continuously, with the island welcoming thousands of visitors a day. In 2022 alone, it welcomed over 95,000 visitors. According to the approved project, by 2025, the island will welcome about 250,000 visitors. "Now, tourism is a very strong economic sector on the island. Along with the traditional fishing industry, tourism contributes significantly to promoting the economy of the homeland island" - Mr. Loi analyzed.
The Master's Tomb is in Long Hai Commune, north of Phu Quy Island.
Going to the island to worry about... water shortage
But Phu Quy Island also faces many problems, among which, fresh water is a matter of "survival". Deputy Secretary of the island district Le Hong Loi said that in the trend of investing in transport infrastructure throughout the island, most of the roads in the villages have been concreted and paved.
The sovereignty flagpole on Phu Quy Island built by the Central Youth Union and the Vietnam Student Association has become a check-in spot that attracts many visitors.
But with islands, "you win some, you lose some". The underground water system is becoming scarce and depleted due to the inability to absorb rainwater. If more underground water wells are drilled, one day the underground water system will become salty, which is extremely dangerous on the island.
"Therefore, we must limit well drilling. Instead, we built three freshwater reservoirs to collect rainwater for the water plant on the island. The island's population is now nearly 28,000 people. If we do not invest strategically in freshwater, there will be a risk of water shortage. Just imagine how difficult it will be if one day the island lacks fresh water and has to transport it from the mainland," Mr. Loi worried.
Hon Den is located in the sea right next to Long Hai commune, Phu Quy island district.
Regarding electricity, Mr. Le Hong Loi expressed his peace of mind because "there is no shortage like fresh water". According to Mr. Loi, since 2014, people on the island have had access to electricity 24/7, and there is no longer a situation where the electricity goes out at 11 pm when it is blazing hot and only comes back the next morning like before. Binh Thuan Electricity Company said that if in 2017 the entire island only used 3 MW of electricity, by 2023 it is expected to reach more than 5.3 MW.
One of three wind turbines generating electricity on Phu Quy Island
From 2017 to 2019 alone, the electricity industry has invested nearly 270 billion VND in the island's power system, not to mention the diesel money to run the generators. To solve the problem of power supply for the island 24/24 hours, the electricity industry has upgraded the transmission line, applied DCS processors to integrate off-grid sources, and integrated 3 wind turbines into the system. However, Binh Thuan Electricity Company shared that in 2022, the electricity industry will lose money due to having to run on diesel to generate electricity, but still calculate the electricity price as on the mainland. Director of Binh Thuan Electricity Company Nguyen Thanh Ngon said that the electricity industry determined that Phu Quy Island is not just a simple business. Providing electricity and ensuring energy security for the island is also an important political task, contributing to the island's strong economic development and solid national defense and security.
During the 5-day holiday of April 30 and May 1, Phu Quy Island welcomed more than 10,000 tourists from the mainland. Visitors to the island were mostly young people or families from Ho Chi Minh City, the eastern provinces, and also tourists from Hanoi and the northern provinces.
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