For tourists going on vacation in Vietnam, one of the main attractions is diving. Hong Mun Island near Nha Trang is unique in this respect. There are luxurious coral reefs around it, in which the life of underwater inhabitants boils and you can enjoy watching them endlessly. The area is protected by the World Wildlife Fund, so you can look, but you can’t touch. In addition to diving on the island of excellent beach holidays and excursions on boats with a transparent bottom for those who have no weakness for scuba diving.
Description of Hong Mun Island
Nha Trang Archipelago consists of 19 islands, with the northern ones are more interesting for sightseeing and the southern ones are famous as a quiet place for a beach holiday. Despite the impressive territory of about 450 hectares, Moon Island is uninhabited because it is part of the reserve. It prohibits all economic activities, extreme sports and water activities that could disturb the coral reef inhabitants. The underwater world around the island is unique, there are rare species of fish, an underwater cave system and a ring of coral reefs.
Hong Mun Island in Vietnam is located near Nha Trang, just 11 km away. You can get here on your own or as part of a tour. It is considered an interesting natural attraction and the number of visitors per day is impressive.
It is forbidden to stay on the territory overnight.
Excursion tours
Trips are organized for groups or individually. Those who do not want to deal with organizational issues and aims just to visit the Hon Mun, will suit the tours in the company of the same unpretentious tourists. The cost will be from 1000 to 1250 rubles, the list of services includes transportation on a longboat, lunch and snorkeling equipment.
The price of a personal tour is more expensive by 3-3.5 times, but the benefits are undeniable:
- Russian-speaking guide;
- Extended lunch menu with a selection of drinks;
- unlimited time of stay and free route of travel.
Theme tours are purchased by diving fans. They do not disperse their attention to the beach or walks in the neighborhood, and purposefully move to the coral reefs.
Tourists with children will be interesting to go on an hour boat ride, where through the transparent bottom you can watch the bustle of underwater life, admire the colorful flocks of tropical fish or catch the shadow of stingrays gradually floating in the water column.
The beach on Hong Mun Island is clean and quiet. It’s nice to lie on the sand at the edge of the waves waiting for the signal to send the barge back to Nha Trang.
Diving
Tourists are offered several programs designed for beginners or already experienced masters. The cost of the trip ranges from $60 for a group and $90 for a personal instructor.
In the depths of the sea when diving you can find stingrays, flute fish, octopus, cuttlefish, seahorses.
There are several of the most popular dive sites.
- The Madonna of the Rock is located between the rocks, is several connected underwater caves. If luck smiles, you can observe barracudas, which live in tangled passages and are quite comfortable in the conditions of the reserve.
- Coral Garden really lives up to its name. From the main arrays in all directions stretched fragile sprigs of colorful corals, centuries of forming a reef of amazing beauty.
- Mushroom Reef is not recommended to visit alone. It’s all about reef sharks, which are found there in abundance. Dives are allowed only when accompanied by an experienced partner.
For beginners there is a small diving-school, where you can get an initial briefing and then solidify the acquired knowledge in practice, diving for the first time with an instructor. You will need to pay about $50 for the training. The payment is also made in the local currency, the dong.
How do I get to Moon Island on my own?
The most successful period lasts from early May to mid-September. At this time, the sea is calm, the water is clear and clean, there is almost no precipitation. Later comes the rainy season, suspended sediment rises from the bottom and seeing something in the water column is problematic.
If you do not want to limit yourself to a rigid time frame and the imposed program of activities, it is worth to go to the island on their own. Thankfully, solo travelers are allowed access.
Hong Mun Island on the map
The path will start from the South Bay, where several boats and barges are always on duty. For a small company or an individual trip usually choose a speedboat. It has a capacity of 4-6 people, the rent price on weekdays 120 thousand VND, on holidays and weekends the trip will cost 80 thousand more. For a large number of passengers it is more profitable to hire a diesel barge. It is slower, so it takes about 40 minutes to get to the island.
You have to pay an environmental fee of VND 22,000 to land on the island.
There are no restaurants or entertainment venues on Hong Mun. The whole range of entertainment is related to nature. These are swimming, hiking around the island, diving and boat trips. On the territory of a truly reserved silence, broken by the cries of birds and the gentle rustle of waves. Those who are used to the benefits of civilization and looking for wild entertainment, here is unlikely to like. This corner is designed for direct communion with nature, admiring its beauties and admiring the rich underwater world, where there are more than 2000 species of corals and almost 1500 fish, mollusks and invertebrates.
