As a beautiful uninhabited island, Hon Seo (Binh Dinh province) is an ideal destination for those who want to explore the sea and island, see colourful pebbles on the beach, cross large rocks, take a dive, go fishing, and enjoy freshly-caught seafood.
Located off the Phuong Mai Peninsula in Nhon Ly commune, about 15km northeast of Quy Nhon city, Hon Seo Island is famous for its pristine beauty. Hon Seo, which when seen from the mainland resembles a huge ship sailing to shore, is a wild oasis with feral plants, cliffs, various wild sea creatures and birds.
In order to explore Hon Seo, you can use boat services of tourism companies or hire fishing boats from fishermen at Nhon Ly. If starting from Nhon Ly Beach, your boat will pass through the Wind Strait (Eo Gio) and by Yen (swallow) Island. It will take you 20 minutes to get to Hon Seo. But if you depart from Quy Nhon port, it will take you more than an hour to get there.
The first impression when you reach the island is clear water. You can see strange coral reefs and colourful fish of different kinds swimming in clear water. Around the island, there are large and small rocks piled up, and you may want to climb them to view the sea.
One of the most interesting things about this island is a long stretch of colourful pebble stones. Colourful fist-shaped pebbles, eroded by the action of ocean waves over the years, become round and smooth. Beautiful pebbles are so attractive that most visitors want to take them home as pretty souvenirs. Some even bring them home to decorate houses or make a rock-garden.
Nevertheless, this pebble stretch never runs out of pebbles. It seems as if one pebble is taken away more pebbles appeared. That may be the reason why local people call it a “birth pebble” stretch.
About 10 meters from the pebble stretch toward the foot of the mountain, there is a huge natural stone cave. The cool atmosphere and its capacity of accommodating hundreds of people make this cave an ideal stop for tourists.
From the top of Hon Seo, you can feel and see the high sky and the wide sea. On the left-hand side of the sea, there are the Phuong Mai Mountains jutting out, while you can see the Wind Strait, Yen Island and long sand dunes far away on the right-hand side.
The combination of the Wind Strait, Yen Island and the Phuong Mai Peninsula looks like a huge pair of arms to embrace the island. You feel fantastic while standing there, breathing cool, fresh air from the sea. Especially, sunrise or sunset is the most beautiful time to go sightseeing in Hon Seo.
Hon Seo is a wonderful travel spot for adventure tours. You may go camping, rock climbing, sightseeing or fishing, and then cook and enjoy what you just caught. If you want to catch fish, you should go to the island in the morning, prepare some fishing rods and bait. Sometimes, you may catch big fish, if you’re lucky.
You can also join local fishermen to experience fishing for eel or big fish, and then cook and eat them as a reward for successful fishing, as the locals usually do.
The sea is also well known for various kinds of sea snails, oysters, and especially sea urchins lurking in rocky crevices. Sea urchin’s long black spines, which are mildly venomous, can hurt you if you accidentally step on them. However, the sea urchin is considered valuable seafood, and can be prepared for many delicious dishes of high nutritional value.
