Co To’s rustic beauty has attracted a lot of young tourists in Vietnam who are seeking adventure and do not care about hotels and organised tours.

For tourists in Vietnam travel, this is an ideal place to travel and relax.

Beautiful photos of Co To

About travel to Co To, the boat departs at 7 am everyday or possibly sooner if having enough passengers. Hence you should on board quickly otherwise must wait until the following day.

Cai Rong port in the early morning with tender breezes early. The sky has not woken up after a long night sleep. Oscillating boats are now crowded with visitors. The boat is riotous with eager travellers’s chattering and boisterous music from radio. In recent 4 years, this port has continuously welcomes numerous groups of young visitors to distant island.

Starting from the Cai Rong Port in the morning with tender breezes, visitors shall spend an hour and a half to sail on the Bai Tu Long Bay where has mountainous sceneries like hundreds of baby dragons were sleeping on a giant green carpet. Morning dawn is breaking on the tranquil sea. The boat suddenly turns its direction into the space with view of sea and sky. Intermittent waves flapping to two boat edges make it fluctuate. The boat owner requires all guests to seat down in stead of standing on the deck. Co To island is located in Van Don district, Quang Ninh province of about 3 hours by boat from Cai Rong Town. In storm days, no boat dares to carry passengers to the island.

Cruising through the magnificent scenery and emerald water of Bai Tu Long Bay, there come Co To Island which appears beautifully brilliant sunshine, blue sky and white sandy beach. As an important part of Bai Tu Long Bay, the islands of Co To feature unmatched natural beauty that is undamaged by human intervention and far from the noises and dusts of the urbanisation.

I book a room in a local guest hoowned by the district People’s Committee. Following my friends’ experience, I choose a room on third floor to enjoy windy air and a beautiful seaview. This local guest hois situated on a busy street of a residential area, next to markets and restaurants. People who want an escape from the noise can find for them a small room at a motel at the end of island and shall have chance to meet hospitable islanders.

Co To island district comprises three main islands - Co To, Thanh Lan, and Tran along with three main beautiful beaches and other smaller unnamed ones.

From the Co To wharf you can easily see a 15 km beach lengthening to the end of the island. It’s commonly called Uncle Ho beach, the main beach of islanders and the most crowded place. The beach is deserted and not quite polluted by modern industrial society. It is typical with white sands and blue water as clear as crystal.

Co To sea is beautiful both day and night, sunrise and sunset, bright moon and dim moon.The attraction is not only known for a long, clear beach near the residential area but also for a green pine forest and a tiled road along the shore where locals love to take a walk at sunset. Co To Island has abundance of seafood such shrimp, cuttle, fish... Their price is very cheap. You can bring gas cooker and cook your own meal or hire native to cook.

Co To Sea

The second beach is named Hong Van, about 8 km from the town. Hong Van beach is regarded as the most beautiful one with fresh air and deserted space, from the ticklish lanes passing through green fields with sudden curve to the beach. Thanks for Thanh Lan island, which plays a role as a fence of marine wind to preserve Hong Van’s serenity. Hong Van beach is also widely called Hom Trinh Sat.

The final beach in the island is Van Chai, a small one located by the end of the island. Passing through the small path of island, tourists shall reach to Van Chai beach. People humour that it’s the most ideal place for dawn view. If you deliberately come Co To in full moon time, just pay a visit to Van Chai and you shall be delightful on front of sparkling white sand beach under moon light.

For local residents, the best way to explore every corner of the islands is to hire a motorbike at VND80, 000 a day. I ride through pine forests and rice fields in harvest season, harmonizing in scent of mature rice and violet Sim flowers along the roadside, and through some winding trails leading to small beaches till the end of the forests. From large Co To Island, hiring boat to around islands, you will discover another things such as play kinds of water sports: snorkeling, fish stabbing...

On the mountain of 5 km distance from the town lie an imposing lighthouse, the highest point of the island. The pathway from mountain foot to the light hois deserted and tortuous with rough stones. From the balcony of the light house, you shall take an overview of spectacular green island with Co To, the farthest inhabited island from the mainland. Wildlife adventure lovers often camp here. You can also spend one day to explore this pristine tiny island in a trip carried out by young islanders in the weekends. Thanh Lan island is nearer with surrounding white sand beach. On the island, oranges are a special harvested fruit. During harvest time, the island turns a splendid orange-yellow colour.

Over the past few years, Co To’s rustic beauty has attracted small groups of young tourists who are seeking adventure and do not care about hotels and organised tours. In Vietnam travel, Visitors to the islands can’t help but become absorbed by the fantastic, unspoilt beaches. The smooth white sand of the beaches under the shining sunlight create a peaceful, romantic setting for visitors. Take a walk on the romantic beaches, bath in the blue water, go fishing and seeing coral reefs from aboard a ship. The island is also where you can hike, bike and scuba dive in the deep blue waters.

Further information:

From Hanoi, visitors in Vietnam travel can take a bus to Van Don  at Luong Yen or My Dinh station every one hour from the morning to 5.30 pm. Or catch a later bus at Ha Long or Cam Pha station, then get on a Mong Cai bus near the Bai Chay bridge to reach the Cua Ong market.

The boat departs at 7 am everyday. There’s a trip at 1 pm from mainland to the island on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and reserve direction is on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. A boat trip is VND 70, 000 per passenger. Motel on the island is priced at VND 150,000, tourists should book a room in advance or homestay, renting tent on beach. Motorbike for lease is priced at VND 80,000 – 100,000 per day. On the morning, tourists can take a boat to Thanh Lan island, a small island near by Co To and explore Co To by trekking.

 Source: Vntravellive

Vietnam travel - Vietnam travel companies - Tours in Vietnam

Travel to Co To Island - Co To sea - Vietnam tour cruise