Hon Tranh – Phu Quy: Beautiful as a picture

It is not an exaggeration to say that anyone who has once set foot on Hon Tranh - one of the small islands of Phu Quy, to admire the wild but attractive beauty here, especially young people who love to travel and are passionate about creativity, will come back again.

At the suggestion of Nam - a local tour guide, I and a few friends decided to go to Hon Tranh during a tour of Phu Quy at the end of April. In recent years, tourism on the island has developed rapidly, so the local government has allowed tourists to visit. It only took us 10 minutes by canoe to reach Hon Tranh, which has beautiful emerald water and a long stretch of fine white sand. Nam said that currently there are about 4 - 5 units with canoes to take visitors to this place with full services such as SUP, snorkeling, lunch on the island... On weekends, the number of visitors to the small island must be more than 1,000 people/day. Especially, during the recent April 30 - May 1 holiday, most of the canoes ran at full capacity, continuously bringing in and out 3,000 - 4,000 visitors/day, most of whom are young people who like to take pictures".

Every day Hon Tranh welcomes more than 1,000 visitors.

The emerald green water attracts tourists who enjoy sea sports.

The day we visited Hon Tranh was not a weekend, so we enjoyed the peace here and discovered every hidden beauty that nature has to offer. On the island there is a small shop with shady trees, serving refreshments and lunch, if guests want to visit all day. According to the locals, Hon Tranh Island is not only famous for its wild beauty, but is also known as a place of worship for talented generals. Tran Bac Temple is the place to worship Duke Bui Huy Ich, a talented general who sacrificed his life while protecting Nguyen Anh. At Tran Bac Temple, there are two main annual ceremonies on the 12th of the 3rd lunar month to worship Lady Thien Ya Na (Lady Ngoc) and on the 7th of the 8th lunar month to worship Mr. Tran Bac. Because the temple is located on a small island, few people pass by, the scenery is deserted, mysterious but very clean, because many fishermen after each long trip at sea come to worship, praying for calm weather, calm seas, and bountiful crops. On the right of the temple is a mausoleum worshiping 72 Nam Hai men who "fell" at the same time (according to legend of the islanders, that year, 72 whales died at the same time and drifted to Hon Tranh island for no reason. The locals held a funeral ceremony, then built a mausoleum and invited the jade bones of the 72 men to worship). Therefore, this place represents the worship of fishermen, many people come here to seek luck and peace.

Tran Bac Temple - a place of worship for talented generals.

The temple is located on a small island, so few people pass by. The scenery is deserted, mysterious but very clean.

Following Nam, we continued to explore Hon Tranh when we arrived at Vung Phat - a place with many different sacred legends. Here, there are still traces of volcanic eruptions, creating a unique and attractive scene for tourists who love to explore. The black and red rocks are stacked on top of each other, undulating to create many beautiful shapes. For young people who love creativity and are passionate about art, this place is ideal, giving them plenty of inspiration to create photos with countless beautiful angles. Not only that, Nam also took us to Sung Suong Lake, To Vo Gate... where young people visiting Hon Tranh must take a lifetime photo album! On the occasion of the April 30 holiday, this area was too crowded to get beautiful photos without people. Tourists who want to take photos have to queue up or climb up high rocks to "hunt" for strange photos. Here, there are also clear, emerald streams for you to bathe and relax.

Vung Phat, a place that attracts many young people to take pictures

This place still retains traces of volcanic eruptions, creating a unique and attractive landscape for tourists who love to explore.

The special thing when visiting Hon Tranh this time, in places where tourists can “check in”, we all saw small signs along the way such as: “Please leave plastic bottles here”, “leave trash here”… Therefore, although the number of visitors to the island is very large, the surrounding area of the small island is quite clean, the tour guides constantly remind tourists to keep the general hygiene, and throw trash in the right place.

To Vo Gate, where visitors must check in when visiting Hon Tranh.

Beautiful pictures when visiting the small island.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Hon Tranh in particular and Phu Quy in general are ideal places to find peace and freedom, a place to “escape” from the hustle and bustle of life, to forget the worries of work and daily life. Hon Tranh is a rough, unpolished gem with a wild and rustic beauty, this place is truly picturesque.