Cham Islands with its untouched beauty, has been recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve of the world, constitute a group of 8 small islands: The Hòn Lao (Pearl), Hòn Dài (long), Hòn Mồ (tomb), Hòn Khô Me, Hòn Khô Con (dry), Hòn Lá (leaf), Hòn Tai (ear) and Hòn Ông (east wind). The population of these islands is about 3,000 people.
Cham Islands attracts tourists by its beautiful scenery, pristine beaches, stable and quality travel services with experiences, discovering the life of fishermen, learning about sea creatures, satisfactorily swimming and diving to see corals and many other interesting activities.
Cham Island — All You Need To Know
From March to August every year is a good time for tourists to visit. At this time, the weather is warm, sunny, clear and the sea is so calm. It is not a good idea to go in the remaining months because of storms, rough seas, islands becoming isolated areas.
This place is suitable for those who like resort tourism, and it is the best destination in the summer. Visitors should stay overnight in Cham Island to experience all the interesting and unique features of the Islands.
Attractions at Cham Island
Beaches: At Cham Island, there are many beautiful beaches with clear and blue water such as Bai Ong beach, Bai Lang beach, Bai Xep beach, Bai Chong beach, Bai Huong beach…
Tan Hiep Market (Cham Island Market): Here you can buy any specialities, seafood and souvenirs at extremely cheap prices.
Cham Museum: It is a place where you can have a comprehensive view of the Cham Island’s life, culture, customs and festivals.
Ancient Champa Well: It is a mark of antiquity of Tien Sa Huynh and a place to supply fresh water for the whole island. The water here never runs out, whether it’s the dry season or the rainy season.
Hai Tang Pagoda: It is a place to express the beliefs of Cham people. Unique, sacred architecture associated with mysterious legends are the attractions of the Pogoda.
Yen’s Temple: A place to worship Yen’s protective craft gods on the island.
Activities at Cham Island
Experience high speed canoe to Cham Island
Try the feeling of sitting on a soaring canoe, tourists must shudder every time the canoe changes the direction, fall down your heart when crashing big waves and breath a sigh of relief when it docks.
On the return journey, try taking a wooden cargo ship to feel the hardship and isolation of the people on the islands and enjoy the calm beauty of the sea. Visitors will be surprised to see that the sea will be colorful, such as emerald green, dark blue and green when the boat moves from the island to the mainland!
Walking around the island
Cham Island has a lot of beautiful scenes, so it will be a big omission if you do not enjoy the whole scenery here. The Island is not too large,so it is easy to go around the island by motorbike (tourists can rent a motorbike on the island). If the sky is clear enough, you can even look to the mainland.
Fishing
You can also rent a tourist boat of fishermen to go fishing. When renting a boat, you will be prepared fishing tackle and fish bait with the enthusiastic guidance of the boat owner. In addition to satisfying the pleasures of fishing, it is more wonderful than going around the big and small islands to see a deep blue of the forest and water. Additionally, at night, you can go squid fishing.
Diving and watching corals
Ticket price is about US$ 6.5 (VND 150,000) / person including instructor, life jackets, glasses, snorkel and boat to take you to the diving area.
Visit the small islands by boat
If you have time, you should rent a boat to go to these islands. The price for a boat is US$ 26 (VND 600,000) for one morning or one afternoon. A boat can carry up to 10 people. Join in groups if you travel with fewer people so that you can save your money. You can visit Hon Ba, Yen Island, dive to watch corals.
Sea-bathing
Cham Island has 7 beautiful beaches, which are extremely wild. The sea here is very clean, because the local people and authorities are determined to keep the environment green, they do not allow the use of plastic bags on the island, and do not litter to protect the marine environment.
Camping
At Cham Island, besides staying at homestays, you also choose to go camping overnight on the beautiful beaches.
Watching the stars at night at Cham Island
Cham Island is a wild island, therefore, the sand is an appropriate place to organize outdoor activities at night (at 21:00–22:00 daily, the festival takes place with fun and campfire organized by young people themselves). If you prefer tranquility instead of noisy activities, watching the starry sky and hearing the murmur of the waves on the island is an interesting and unforgettable experience.
Local Specialities at Cham Island
Half dried cuttlefish: Here, the cuttle fish was just caught and half dried, it is sure that when you have tried this food, you will want to buy more to bring home for your family.
Gecarcoidea lalandii: A big and strong kind of crab in the mountains. There are crabs which are as big as one fist with very impressive colors. They are difficult to catch and there are only so many and delicious when they are processed here.
Scallops baked onion grease: There is ivory white meat, which is delicious, sweet, not very hard bitten. When enjoying, visitors will feel the sweetness of scallops, have a buttery taste of roasted peanuts, strong scent of scallions with sweet and sour sauce.
Vu Nang Snail: A famous specialty of Cham Island, with conical shells, resembling the breasts of the girls who has just reach puberty, the body of this snail is yellow and green, but every time someone touches their hands, it turned into a faint pink.
Forest Vegetable: Picked and processed into a rustic dish but it still maintains a strong flavor of mountain by the local people, it is a dish that makes a difference on the Island.
Black glutinous rice cake: Perhaps this is the dessert that people like the most on the Island.
Where To Stay At Cham Island?
Accommodation: It was distributed according to each specific area, and arranged according to hotel standards so you can contact for booking easily.
Homestay (highly recommend): A way to fully experience the culture of the local people on the Island. The price of the homestay service fluctuates from US$ 6.5 to 8.7 (VND 150,000 to 200,000) / person or US$ 17.4 (VND 400,000) / room for 2 people.
Camping: If you do not want to stay in a motel or homestay or if you want to save your money, camping on the beach is a great choice.
How To Get To Cham Island?
The Cham Island is located in the area of Tan Hiep commune (15km from Cua Dai Beach — map). There are 2 ways to go to Cham Island:
By motorboate: Start from Cua Dai beach, moving time about 20 mins, ticket price is US$ 6.5–8.5 (VND 150,000–200,000) / person.
By wooden ship: Start from Bach Dang street in the Old Town, moving time about 2 hours, ticket price is US$ 1.5–3.5 (VND 50,000–80,000) / person.
Cham Islands attracts tourists by its beautiful scenery, pristine beaches, stable and quality travel services with experiences, discovering the life of fishermen, learning about sea creatures, satisfactorily swimming and diving to see corals and many other interesting activities.
Cham Island — All You Need To Know
From March to August every year is a good time for tourists to visit. At this time, the weather is warm, sunny, clear and the sea is so calm. It is not a good idea to go in the remaining months because of storms, rough seas, islands becoming isolated areas.
This place is suitable for those who like resort tourism, and it is the best destination in the summer. Visitors should stay overnight in Cham Island to experience all the interesting and unique features of the Islands.
Attractions at Cham Island
Beaches: At Cham Island, there are many beautiful beaches with clear and blue water such as Bai Ong beach, Bai Lang beach, Bai Xep beach, Bai Chong beach, Bai Huong beach…
Tan Hiep Market (Cham Island Market): Here you can buy any specialities, seafood and souvenirs at extremely cheap prices.
Cham Museum: It is a place where you can have a comprehensive view of the Cham Island’s life, culture, customs and festivals.
Ancient Champa Well: It is a mark of antiquity of Tien Sa Huynh and a place to supply fresh water for the whole island. The water here never runs out, whether it’s the dry season or the rainy season.
Hai Tang Pagoda: It is a place to express the beliefs of Cham people. Unique, sacred architecture associated with mysterious legends are the attractions of the Pogoda.
Yen’s Temple: A place to worship Yen’s protective craft gods on the island.
Activities at Cham Island
Experience high speed canoe to Cham Island
Try the feeling of sitting on a soaring canoe, tourists must shudder every time the canoe changes the direction, fall down your heart when crashing big waves and breath a sigh of relief when it docks.
On the return journey, try taking a wooden cargo ship to feel the hardship and isolation of the people on the islands and enjoy the calm beauty of the sea. Visitors will be surprised to see that the sea will be colorful, such as emerald green, dark blue and green when the boat moves from the island to the mainland!
Walking around the island
Cham Island has a lot of beautiful scenes, so it will be a big omission if you do not enjoy the whole scenery here. The Island is not too large,so it is easy to go around the island by motorbike (tourists can rent a motorbike on the island). If the sky is clear enough, you can even look to the mainland.
Fishing
You can also rent a tourist boat of fishermen to go fishing. When renting a boat, you will be prepared fishing tackle and fish bait with the enthusiastic guidance of the boat owner. In addition to satisfying the pleasures of fishing, it is more wonderful than going around the big and small islands to see a deep blue of the forest and water. Additionally, at night, you can go squid fishing.
Diving and watching corals
Ticket price is about US$ 6.5 (VND 150,000) / person including instructor, life jackets, glasses, snorkel and boat to take you to the diving area.
Visit the small islands by boat
If you have time, you should rent a boat to go to these islands. The price for a boat is US$ 26 (VND 600,000) for one morning or one afternoon. A boat can carry up to 10 people. Join in groups if you travel with fewer people so that you can save your money. You can visit Hon Ba, Yen Island, dive to watch corals.
Sea-bathing
Cham Island has 7 beautiful beaches, which are extremely wild. The sea here is very clean, because the local people and authorities are determined to keep the environment green, they do not allow the use of plastic bags on the island, and do not litter to protect the marine environment.
Camping
At Cham Island, besides staying at homestays, you also choose to go camping overnight on the beautiful beaches.
Watching the stars at night at Cham Island
Cham Island is a wild island, therefore, the sand is an appropriate place to organize outdoor activities at night (at 21:00–22:00 daily, the festival takes place with fun and campfire organized by young people themselves). If you prefer tranquility instead of noisy activities, watching the starry sky and hearing the murmur of the waves on the island is an interesting and unforgettable experience.
Local Specialities at Cham Island
Half dried cuttlefish: Here, the cuttle fish was just caught and half dried, it is sure that when you have tried this food, you will want to buy more to bring home for your family.
Gecarcoidea lalandii: A big and strong kind of crab in the mountains. There are crabs which are as big as one fist with very impressive colors. They are difficult to catch and there are only so many and delicious when they are processed here.
Scallops baked onion grease: There is ivory white meat, which is delicious, sweet, not very hard bitten. When enjoying, visitors will feel the sweetness of scallops, have a buttery taste of roasted peanuts, strong scent of scallions with sweet and sour sauce.
Vu Nang Snail: A famous specialty of Cham Island, with conical shells, resembling the breasts of the girls who has just reach puberty, the body of this snail is yellow and green, but every time someone touches their hands, it turned into a faint pink.
Forest Vegetable: Picked and processed into a rustic dish but it still maintains a strong flavor of mountain by the local people, it is a dish that makes a difference on the Island.
Black glutinous rice cake: Perhaps this is the dessert that people like the most on the Island.
Where To Stay At Cham Island?
Accommodation: It was distributed according to each specific area, and arranged according to hotel standards so you can contact for booking easily.
Homestay (highly recommend): A way to fully experience the culture of the local people on the Island. The price of the homestay service fluctuates from US$ 6.5 to 8.7 (VND 150,000 to 200,000) / person or US$ 17.4 (VND 400,000) / room for 2 people.
Camping: If you do not want to stay in a motel or homestay or if you want to save your money, camping on the beach is a great choice.
How To Get To Cham Island?
The Cham Island is located in the area of Tan Hiep commune (15km from Cua Dai Beach — map). There are 2 ways to go to Cham Island:
By motorboate: Start from Cua Dai beach, moving time about 20 mins, ticket price is US$ 6.5–8.5 (VND 150,000–200,000) / person.
By wooden ship: Start from Bach Dang street in the Old Town, moving time about 2 hours, ticket price is US$ 1.5–3.5 (VND 50,000–80,000) / person.
