Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau)

The world knows Vietnam not only for its history of nation-building and defense but also for its gentle, friendly, and hospitable people, as well as its many unique cultural and natural heritages. Among these is the scenic spot of Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau) on the Hon Gom Peninsula, located in Van Thanh Commune, Van Ninh District, where the first sunrise on the mainland of the Fatherland is welcomed.

Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau) consists of two land capes jutting out into the sea, with the furthest point located at approximately 109°28'0" East longitude and 12°39'0" North latitude. Locals often call it Mui Doi, and about 500 meters away lies a small island of about 20,000 m2 called Hon Dau. The Mui Doi – Hon Dau landmark became more widely known to the people of Khanh Hoa during the 2005 Nha Trang Sea Festival, when it was ranked as a National Scenic Spot by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) on March 25, 2005, along with Nha Trang Bay.
Due to geological formations, the mountain branches of the southern Truong Son range that extended into the East Sea were submerged by seawater, causing many islands of various sizes to appear in the Khanh Hoa sea region, creating many lagoons and bays. Two-thirds of the Khanh Hoa coastline consists of cliffs, while the remainder is fine sandy beach. Consequently, waves from the East Sea have eroded the rock mountains and the continental shelf, creating many majestic and impressive rock cliffs and headlands, as well as beautiful, poetic beaches along the Khanh Hoa coast. Among them, the scenery of the Hon Gom Peninsula sea area, including the national scenic spot Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau), is a prime example. Standing here, one can see ships passing by in international waters. If you have the chance to visit Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau) and stay overnight to await the sunrise over the vast East Sea, you can fully appreciate the beauty of this location.
The landscape here features an unspoiled, pristine natural environment, with some areas appearing untouched by human footsteps. The sea and sky blend into one vast expanse of deep blue. With the naked eye, one can see dozens of meters deep into the water. Scattered fishing boats near the island and around the corners of the sea further enhance the wild and charming beauty of this island region.

 

There are many ways to reach Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau). If traveling by speedboat or fishing boat, you can reach the scenic spot from any seaport or pier, such as Vung Ro, Dai Lanh, or a pier on the eastern shore of the Hon Gom Peninsula, or the bays of Nha Trang, Cam Ranh, etc. If traveling by train, you can stop at Dai Lanh station or Van Gia station and rent a car or motorbike to continue to the Hon Gom Peninsula. Usually, after reaching the south of Co Ma Pass (Van Tho Commune, Van Ninh District), turning southeast leads to the Hon Gom Peninsula. Here, there are tourist boats that take visitors to explore Van Phong Bay and the Mui Doi – Hon Dau scenic spot by circling around the south of Hon Gom Peninsula and heading north. This route is a bit longer, but on the way to the island, visitors can discover many fascinating things.

Scenery along the way:
At the Van Thanh commune pier, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Van Phong Bay with its rolling mountains and islands like Hon Lon and Hon Ong situated in the middle of the bay. In particular, beyond the green of the forests, visitors can enjoy the sight of snowy white and golden sand dunes stretching along the peninsula. The Dam Mon island village appears and disappears beneath coconut trees and ancient trees, with dozens of large and small, colorful fishing boats coming and going regularly, creating a multi-colored, poetic, and peaceful coastal village scene. The majestic islands and hills rising high against the vast green background of the bay, with countless rock headlands emerging on both sides of the boat, provide visitors with unforgettable emotions.
As the boat leaves the pier and heads out into the bay, a cluster of yellow-white sandstone rocks emerges from the middle of the blue sea, looking like a giant, beautiful rockery that one might imagine was carved by human hands. These rock blocks come in many different shapes and sizes, including two of the largest, nearly ten meters high, reaching upward at a slight tilt, resembling the Hon Phu Tu island in Kien Giang. As the boat circles around the rock cluster, it offers various beautiful and interesting angles of this giant rockery in Van Phong Bay.
A few hundred meters away, a slightly round rock block emerges from the water. Strangely, on top of that rock block is the shape of a stork, looking as if it were sculpted by an artist, leaving one surprised and amazed by the craftsmanship of nature.
Along the coast of the peninsula, there are many rock blocks emerging from the sea or headlands protruding from the island's mountain corners that bear natural shapes, which the locals have given funny yet very realistic names, such as: Mui Ong Nghe – Ba Nghe: featuring the shape of a pig, with a legend that Ba Nghe, angry at her husband, left home, took her pig, and remained on the sea forever; Mui Da The (Card Stone Cape): composed of flat, square stone slabs resembling playing cards; Mui Da Tau (Ship Stone Cape): looking like the bow of a ship jutting out into the sea; Mui Da Nang (Fishing Net Stone Cape): looking like a giant manta ray swimming; Mui Hon Tai (Ear Island Cape): resembling a human head with two ears; Mui Hon Trao (Surge Island Cape): where waves constantly crash, creating white, foamy sprays on the rock cape.

On the way along the western shore of the Hon Gom Peninsula, you will pass by a small village nestled right by the sea, shaded by rows of coconut trees, called Son Dung. This is a small, isolated fishing village by the sea, with a unique feature: it is home to an ethnic group locals often call "Dang Ha people." There are no documents about this minority group, but some locals believe that this group originated from South Asia and settled here several hundred years ago. Perhaps their boats were caught in a natural disaster while passing through, and they landed and have lived here ever since. There is a hypothesis that this may be an indigenous ancient tribe remaining in this land, because in 2009, the Vinh Yen archaeological site was excavated on the peninsula, revealing thousands of artifacts and traces of ancient indigenous people who lived here about 3,000 years ago. Currently, only a few dozen people remain.
Another special feature of Son Dung is its mysterious source of fresh water. Water gushes up from the ground all year round; so despite being close to the sea and the hills not being wide and lacking old forests to retain water, there is fresh water here in all seasons. Strangely, if you use your hands to dig a hole in the sand, you will find fresh water, even though it is only a few meters from the edge of the sea. And interestingly, when the tide recedes, freshwater springs flow from the sandy shore, creating winding water lines that flow from the sandbank to the sea. Locals believe that there is a natural underground water vein inside the village, hence the fresh water flowing all year round. Today, Son Dung village is an interesting destination for tourists who love ecotourism.
Not far from Son Dung village is the fishing village of Khai Luong. Here, simple, modest houses stand along the coast, and shrines hidden in the white sand and mountain slopes blend with boats bobbing on the waves, creating the scene of a peaceful, quiet fishing village on the vast sea and islands.
Leaving Khai Luong, about halfway to the Hon Gom Peninsula, a cylindrical rock block appears on the high western mountain slope, with a large rock lying firmly on top, creating the image of a female student wearing a white ao dai, with flowing hair blown in the wind, evoking a surge of emotion in the middle of the sea.
As the boat nears the end of the peninsula, a rock headland appears close to the water's surface, shaped like a giant crocodile soaking in the water, as if stalking and waiting for prey; it is very impressive. Each viewing angle of this headland provides wonderful emotions about the majesty that nature has bestowed, with natural rock caves and layers of rocks stacked and intertwined in a harmonious, impressive way.
The feeling is even more intense when we reach Mui Ganh. This is the southernmost rock cape of the Hon Gom Peninsula, forming one side of the mouth of Van Phong Bay. This is a place exposed to the elements, suffering daily from the fierce waves of the East Sea. The waves erode the mountain tip, creating towering stone walls, folded and shaped, with extremely impressive colors. When starting from Mui Ganh to head northeast toward Mui Doi – Hon Dau, we encounter the image of a pair of giant toads standing tall on the high mountain as if cuddling together. In reality, these are two large stone blocks lying next to each other, precariously on the mountain peak, which, when viewed from the right position, gives us such an interesting image.

To the east of the peninsula, there are two rocky islands rising above the sea surface. Although they are only a few hundred meters apart, their color compositions are completely opposite. One rocky area has many pitch-black rock blocks rising out of the water, resembling the backs of a herd of buffalo wallowing in the water, which locals have named "Hon Kho Den" (Black Dry Island) or "Hon Trau Nam" (Lying Buffalo Island), and a rocky area that is entirely white, named "Hon Kho Trang" (White Dry Island). These rocky areas are where swallows return to build nests; they often flutter over the blue sea as if welcoming visitors.

Occasionally, in the mountain coves, there appear a few patches of fine, pristine white sand, untouched by human footsteps. On one of them is a long sandy beach called "Y Ho Na" beach. When stepping onto the sand, you can hear a crunching sound under your feet as if treading on toasted rice paper. Interspersed between the sandy beaches and rock headlands, there are conical hills that are orange-yellow, brilliant under the sun, looking like the ancient pyramids of Egypt. Moreover, they carry clusters of coniferous plants, growing in round, soft green tufts, clinging to the steep cliffs. They seem to have adapted to the harsh environment at the forefront of the winds and waves.
On the Hon Gom Peninsula, there are also rock headlands with meaningful names such as Mui Cot Buom (Mast Cape), looking like a tall mast; Mui Eo Gio (Windy Waist Cape), about 600 meters from Hon Doi, but drafty all year round; Mui Hon Chong (Stack Island Cape), with stones stacked on top of each other like a rockery; Mui Hoc Tro (Student Cape), looking like students sitting and studying; Mui Hon Du (Umbrella Island Cape), looking like a sun umbrella; Mui Hon Vung (Pot Lid Island Cape), looking like the lid of an earthen pot.

Scenery at Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau):
When seeing Hon Dau island from afar, the first image that strikes the visitor is a small island located next to the mainland, about 500 meters from the shore. The mainland shore curves as if to embrace the small island. If viewed on a map or through aerial photography, the entire Hon Gom Peninsula looks like a long dragon, and Hon Dau looks like a pearl held in the dragon's mouth (the two snouts of Mui Doi) as it opens wide to grasp it.
Right on the east side of Hon Dau island is a stone statue of a woman with short hair sitting pensively as if waiting for someone far out at sea, making us associate it with a "Hon Vong Phu" (Waiting Wife Rock) on the East Sea of Vietnam! Getting closer, what surprises us even more is that standing tall on the island's peak is a giant stone seal, lifting its head, looking blankly at everyone invading its territory. If you go around and tilt to the northeast, it becomes the shape of a camel on the small island.
What we admire is that our ancestors long ago named the island Hon Dau (Head Island). Could it be because of the images of the three giant stone blocks bearing the shapes of human heads and changing vividly from each different angle that the ancients gave it that name? In particular, to the northwest and west of the island, there are beautiful, small sandy beaches, convenient for visitors to enjoy swimming in the distant island. In addition, inside the island, there are caves which are the breeding grounds for swallows, a precious specialty considered the "white gold" of Khanh Hoa.
Faced with the special scenery of Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau), it can be said that nature has bestowed upon Khanh Hoa exquisite works of natural art right at the easternmost point of the mainland of the Fatherland. The fascinating discoveries here will bring visitors unexpected and interesting experiences in the place that welcomes the new day earliest on the mainland of the Vietnamese Fatherland./.

Source: https://disanvanhoa.khanhhoa.vn/