If you want to leave the bustling city, escape the hot and humid weather to immerse yourself in the clear blue water, admire the wild beauty of the mountains and forests or enjoy the special dishes of the sea, then come to Nam Du Island Tour - 2N2D
1. LOCATION OF HON LON PORT ON NAM DU ISLAND
Nam Du archipelago is the farthest island of Kien Giang, located more than 250km from Phu Quoc with 21 large and small islands lying close together. Of which, Cu Tron island - also known as Hon Lon Nam Du - is the largest island, spreading out on all sides up to 771 hectares and has a peak higher than 300m. Cu Tron island is located in An Son island commune, Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province, and is home to more than 8,000 residents, one of 11 inhabited islands in Nam Du. Hon Lon port is located right on Cu Tron island, the first destination when setting foot on Nam Du archipelago, where tourism and trade activities are concentrated. From Hon Lon port, visitors can easily access famous tourist attractions on the island, such as Ngu beach, Cay Men beach, or the tallest lighthouse in Vietnam. Hon Lon port is the first destination for visitors when setting foot on Nam Du. This place has a rustic, peaceful beauty, with anchored boats and friendly, hospitable people.
The wild beauty of Cu Tron island
2. THE IDEAL TIME TO ARRIVE AT HON LON PORT
The best time for you and your family and friends to plan a trip to Cu Tron Island is from December to March every year. This is the ideal time for you to fully enjoy your vacation with fun activities such as swimming, diving to see corals, exploring the island... Especially in January every year, Nam Du sea has a beautiful emerald green color with gentle waves and beautiful sunny weather, very suitable for tourism and exploration activities. You should limit your travel to Cu Tron Island from April to November because this is the beginning of the rainy season in Nam Du, the weather is changeable, the sea is rough and there are often storms, causing difficulties in sightseeing and traveling for the trip.
Wharf at Hon Lon Port
To have a complete trip, you should visit Hon Lon Port, where tourism and trading activities on the island are concentrated. Here, you can enjoy fresh seafood dishes prepared in a rustic style, typical of Nam Du. Besides, at Hon Lon Port, you can buy fresh abalone as gifts at affordable prices. Remember, Hon Lon Port is not only the first destination for tourists when arriving in Nam Du, but also a place to preserve the peaceful, rustic beauty of island life, with anchored boats, friendly and hospitable people.
3. HOW TO GET TO HON LON PORT
Those who depart from Ho Chi Minh City must take a bus from Mien Tay bus station to Rach Gia with a fare ranging from 150,000 VND - 200,000 VND per ticket. Then, you must take a speedboat for about 2 hours to reach Nam Du Island with a round-trip ticket from Rach Gia to Nam Du of no less than 400,000 VND/ticket and the pier will not operate if the sea is at level 6 to ensure safety. In addition, visitors can travel by plane if they are in the Northern provinces or other provinces and cities where there are buses going directly to Rach Gia without having to go through Ho Chi Minh City.
A peaceful day of fishermen at Hon Lon Port
To start your journey to explore Nam Du, you will dock at Hon Lon Port, the central point of the archipelago. From here, you can easily travel to famous tourist destinations on the island such as Bai Ngu, Bai Cay Men, the tallest lighthouse in Vietnam,...
4. CULINARY EXPERIENCE AT HON LON PORT
4.1 Grilled green fish with banana leaves
Blue bone fish, also known as frog fish, is a marine fish with a long, round body and a pointed beak like a bream. The special thing about this fish is that its skin is blue, hidden inside are light blue bones, creating the unique name "blue bone fish". To fully enjoy the unique flavor of blue bone fish, local people have created a unique processing method: Fresh fish are scraped clean of slime, then covered with Siamese banana leaves, wrapped tightly with string and grilled over charcoal. The fragrant smell of burnt banana leaves mixed with the sweetness of the fish, creating a unique flavor, conquering all diners. When peeling off the banana leaves, the fish meat cracks, giving off a fragrant aroma. The fish meat is chewy, rich, sweet, rolled with rice paper and wild vegetables, bringing an unforgettable culinary experience. It is this unique flavor that has created the unique character of the island sea, making it difficult for visitors to forget.
Grilled green fish with banana leaves
Visit Hon Lon Port, where tourism and trade activities on the island are concentrated, to enjoy this unique grilled blue fish dish. In addition, you can also find other delicious fresh seafood dishes prepared in a rustic style, typical of Nam Du here.
4.2 Grilled Scallops with Scallion Oil
Nam Du scallops, with their ivory white, soft, sweet, and delicious flesh, are a seafood dish that is extremely popular with tourists at Hon Lon Port. The unique flavor of scallops makes the dish attractive, suitable for many ways of preparation such as salt and pepper stir-fry, grilled with scallion oil, steamed with vermicelli rolls, etc. Nam Du scallops promise to bring visitors unforgettable culinary experiences.
4.3 Sour soup with grouper
Coming to Hon Lon Port, you definitely have to try the sour soup of cobia, you will feel the unique difference of this dish compared to sour soup dishes on the mainland. This is a fish with a long, black diamond-shaped body that we can mistake for snakehead fish. Sour soup of cobia here is cooked with fresh tamarind or salted tamarind with minced lemongrass and crushed turmeric. To make the dish more attractive, people can add fresh bamboo shoots or sour bamboo shoots. The unique variations of flavors have made the dish here have a distinctly attractive flavor.
Sour soup with grouper
The sour soup of cobia at Hon Lon Port, Nam Du is not only attractive because of the sour, sweet, and aromatic flavor of tamarind, lemongrass, and turmeric, but also because of the freshness of the cobia. The cobia is caught in the sea of Nam Du, the meat is firm, sweet, and not fishy. The harmonious combination of the sour taste of tamarind, the spicy taste of lemongrass, turmeric, the sweetness of cobia, along with fresh bamboo shoots or sour bamboo shoots, has created a unique dish, full of Nam Du flavor.
4.4 Steamed squid eggs with ginger
Squid is one of the dishes you cannot miss when traveling to Nam Du archipelago and when arriving at Hon Lon Port. The squids are just caught from the sea, fresh, delicious, with bellies full of eggs. There are many dishes that can be made from squid eggs... but the most outstanding is still steamed squid eggs with ginger because the sweet taste of the squid is still intact and it is easy to make, and you won't get bored eating it. In the middle of a poetic space, blending with the sea breeze and enjoying the special dishes at Hon Cu Tron is truly wonderful. The unique flavors of the dishes here have really made visitors absolutely satisfied. In particular, the steamed squid eggs with ginger dish at Hon Lon Port is even more attractive. The squid are caught during the day, keeping their freshness and sweetness. The flavor of fresh ginger blends with the sweetness of squid, creating a dish that is both delicious and nutritious.