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I have recently had a
trip to Co To with my colleagues in the company. The
trip lasted 3 days, but it was 3 beautiful days, so I
got around the island quite a lot. I also captured a
number of photos to share with you guys. I will also
share everything from traveling, eating, sleeping,
places visited...so that anyone who is going to
visit Co
To has a specific plan for the trip to have the most fun
and discovery.
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We departed from Viet Hung residence area at 8.00, we
travelled on a big bus
The buses follows the Hanoi - Hai Phong highway, so it
is quite fast. As soon as we started, we stopped briefly
for breakfast and at 10 am we arrived at Bach Dang
bridge.
We entered Quang Ninh territory, follow the highway
towards
Van Don. There appeared hills with green trees
Scenes of breaking rocks as building materials and
burning cement that destroyed the environment. Even
though I didn't like it, I still took a few pictures.
This region produced good stone, no wonder there are so
many cement factories.
It is true that going on the highway is different, at
11:30, my group arrived at Cai Rong port. In the past,
there was no highway, no Bai Chay bridge, it took almost
12 hours to get to Van Don.
Arriving at Cai Rong Port, it was pouring rain. Because
we had ordered food at a restaurant in town, so the
lunch is ready when we arrived. The ship to Co To
started at 13.30 so we had plenty of time.
Cai Rong wharf is quite beautiful, spacious and crowded
with ships.
A few more photos to make it easier for you to visualize
Cai Rong port.
The port is quite large. These ships will carry
passengers to the islands of Co To,
Quan Lan and also to
Tuan Chau and
Cat Ba.
From a distance, the ships looked quite small, but in
fact they were big and travels very smoothly.
The boat I rode to Co To could carry 300 people. Surfing
lightly on the sea quite fast. The good thing about this
ship is it doesn't make passengers seasick.
Perhaps because I went on a beautiful day, the sea was
calm, so there were not enough waves to get sick.
Going to Co To and Quan Lan in the rainy season is
really luck and fate. The day I went the weather was
very nice, blue sky, white clouds, yellow sunshine.
The buoys and signs must have signaled the channel of
the sea.
The ship travelled through
Bai Tu Long bay, there are
many beautiful small islets, some islets just put up a
sign.
The boat wriggled through the islands of Quan Lan, Tra
Ban, and Minh Chau to reach Co To. This part of the sea
is the biggest wave. However, on a beautiful day, it is
only beautiful, not sick at all.
White wave trailed behind the ship.
On this route, it must be said that it is exciting when
standing outside the cabin. The ship run out of the bay
with big waves, there were very strong waves, but the
good feeling of traveling in the sea that was not limited
by the islands.
The most beautiful time to go to Co To is September,
October. However this time students are at school so
there are few tourists. June and July are also fine
(except early July when there are storms).
The farm in the distance must have clean fish.
Is this called a lighthouse? It's a bit small.
After 1:30 minutes on the ship, Co To island appeared.
It's not bad at all, it's beautiful.
In my mind, I didn't think Co To has such high-rise
hotels. Before coming I thought that Co To was still
wild, under developed. But such a beautiful scene would
make us fall in love.
Being thoughtful, wherever I go I keep some necessary
phone numbers.
Looked at the sign and felt pity.
Co To island and small Co To island in the group of
islands.
In Co To, there is a boat service to small Co To island,
but there is no boat to Thanh Lan island. I don't know
if there is anything on Thanh Lan island?
I'm just afraid of tropical storm. This season it
usually has a little shower and then stops.
In 2016 I went to Co To for the first time, it seemed
less developed than now. The highlight of the trip was
the swim across the sea from the large Coto island to
the small island, nearly 2.5km, so amazing.
Swimming from Bac Van beach is farther than swimming
from Bac Van port. This place looks very close to Co To
island.
After arriving at the island, I looked around. My hotel
is in the center of Co To town.
Some other views of the town center.
On the island, a house is as tall and thin as an
electric pole.
The position of the arc is the square with the statue of
Ho Chi Minh. Here in 1961 the helicopter carrying Uncle
Ho to visit Co To island landed. In 1962, Uncle Ho
allowed to erect his statue at this location.
Love Beach seen from above, where the red flag is.
In the distance at the edge of the image, on the top of
the mountain is the Co To lighthouse.
Moving on the island you can rent electric cars or
motorbikes.
I rented a motorbike to be less dependent.
@chaukga: For me, the most impressive thing when taking
the speed boat to and from Co To island is that not many
people can keep their eyes on the phone - the height of
the waves were reportedly just more than half a meter.
My first job was rent a motorbike, 250.000 VND a day,
petrol at my expense. I rented it from the very hotel.
Note that you should rent strong motorbikes in order to
climb the mountain, and manual gear because you have to
go some steep hills.
Riding along Love Beach. This beach is in the west of
the island, so the afternoon is sunny. However I
couldn't take photos because of the backlight.
The paved road stretches under the casuarinas trees is
quite poetic. Maybe that's why it's called Love Beach.
The path is next to the beach of love so people call it
the road of love.
The motorbike I rented is quite strong, maybe that's why
it costed 250.000 VND (11 USD) a day. The climb up to Co
To Lighthouse was very smooth. Only on the last slope at
the gate to the lighthouse door two people had go get
off.
This is the building of Co To Lighthouse. Located on a
mountain about 5 km from the town, is the highest point
of the island. Built in the late 19th century. The road
from the foot of the mountain to the lighthouse is
winding under the dense woods.
The lighthouse has a bright view of 118m above sea
level, from here looking out to the sea and the island.
Co To Lighthouse has a height of 118m above sea level
I arrived late in the afternoon, so the soldiers told me
to just drive straight to the yard and leave it.
Then climb 72 stairs from the bottom to the top of the
lighthouse. This lighthouse is managed by the military,
so it is very clean, when entering, leave your slippers
in the yard.
It was probably late that day, so they didn't let them
climb onto the light.
The forest at the foot of the lighthouse in the
afternoon against the sun.
Standing on the lighthouse, taking in the view is the
vast landscape of the island. This place brings the
peaceful atmosphere of the sea and islands with the blue
sea on four sides. In the distance are winding mountains
with the endless green of the forest.
The four sides are the forest and the sea.
In the distance is Thanh Lan island, one of the two
island communes of Co To island district
End the first day with a magnificent party on the beach.
At the beginning of the party, the tide was still high,
everyone sat on chairs with their feet in the water.
After eating, everyone went to the walking street, Ho
Chi Minh's monument. In general, the air on the island
is very cool at night.
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The second day started with a seafood noodle meal,
nothing special. Today's schedule is to continue riding
motorbikes to explore Co To island.
First, I went to the wharf to see if there was anything.
The storm shelter is located in the south of Co To
island. About 2km from the town center. The good thing
is that it goes through the island's only gas station.
So just fill the tank and go ahead.
As a place to avoid storms of ships, there were many
concrete pillars to break the waves for ships to anchor
to avoid storms.
On a beautiful day, the ships set sail, so the shelter
was quite deserted.
The water and the sky are blue. A chain that doesn't
seem to be able to withstand the corrosion of seawater.
It was too sunny, so I continued on in the hope of
finding a cool place.
The day began with a mild annoyance. In the morning,
prepare a camera, phone, bike, hat and then go to the
storm shelter. When I got to the place to take out the
camera to work, it was: My Goodness, the camera has all
the accessories, except... the battery.
Last night, I removed the battery to charge it, but did
not re-insert the device in the morning. Well, I had to
take a photos with my smartphone. Fortunately, this
phone is not bad for taking pictures.
But when I went to Mong Rong beach, I found myself
really angry.
Mong Rong beach is on the way from the storm shelter to
the town center. Great scenery, blue sky, white clouds,
golden sunshine, but there are many young men and women
here. It was really a torture when the camera doesn't
have a battery. So again used smartphone, but couldn't
get close.
From here are pictures of Mong Rong Beach. I show the
pictures for everyone to see and feel, because I don't
know what to comment.
Maybe this is a claw of the dragon
Also one of the dragon's claws.
The claws reach out to the sea.
Another angle of the beach.
This corner is too cloudy, anything too much is not
good.
This rocky beach has clear water. Although it is a rocky
beach, but due to the waves hitting day and night, the
stones have been rounded, so it is round, not sharp. I'm
not afraid of breaking my foot in the water, but it's
slippery. Be careful not to fall off your feet.
This stone surface is not slippery, can stand
comfortably.
Looking up from the sea, the rocks are stacked on top of
each other. I don't know if the water will ever come up
here?
This is probably a dragon's thumb
In Co To island you can tell a local restaurant to set
up a dinner on a boat by the sea, drink beer and watch
the sea is very interesting, don't go fishing, just
drink, if you are lucky with a moonlight night is just
wonderful.
There are many areas in Co To that are controlled by the
army, and people are not allowed to enter.
At the end of June, you can go to the rocky beach, climb
the mountain and pick some ripe myrtle fruits to soak in
wine.
Mong Rong rock beach is beautiful to take pictures from
any angle. Perhaps on a beautiful day, the sea and the
sky are both blue, with the addition of white clouds
hovering, so any photo is impressive.
Two nights in Co To, I spent time in party and play with
people in the company. Also sitting on the beach, under
the feet is the sea rise to the leg.
Food in Co To is quite delicious and cheap. Fresh
seafood, the price is also reasonable, not high.
Van Chay beach was deserted.
I added some pictures of Mong Rong rock beach and moved
to another location.
The sea is beautiful, but plastic bags are everywhere.
The location of Mong Rong stone beach is next to Cau My
stone beach, but the way to it is different.
Playing in the water, taking pictures was boring, I
stopped at the parking lot to drink a cup of coconut
juice. Drinks here are probably cheaper than sidewalk
shops in Hanoi.
Note: Now if you go to Co To island, you will catch the
express ships at Ao Tien Port in Van Don. Fares depend
on the type of boat, but the highest is 300.000
VND/person.
The fee to use service at Ao Tien Port is 30.000
VND/person.
Van Chay Beach.
This beach has very fine, gentle sand, so even if you
get out a hundred meters from the shore the sea level
was just as high as your neck. An interesting thing is
that a stream of sea water flowing slowly across the
beach. Let the body floats for a while and it pushes you
along the beach, the speed is slow enough to feel the
body floating.
In Van Chay, there are enough services of fresh water
bathing, eating, organizing events, sports... This beach
is still unspoiled so it is quite beautiful.
The road to this beach runs through a rather steep
slope, three people on a motorbike is a bit overweight,
but it is worth the experience. When you come back, you
don't need to go back to the old road, but turn left to
Bac Van to get around the island.
Eating in Co To is also reasonable compared to other
tourist sites. Some restaurants along the beach or in
the downtown were quite good. Some friends recommended
me a restaurant, so maybe it's also a good place on the
island.
I wandered around to explore the town at night. Going to
a restaurant, I saw a few children who went to work on
the island, they were eating porridge. The children said
they do everything if someone hired them. At the end of
summer, they would leave the island and go back to
school. It's a pity that the children are too young.
I asked to take pictures with the children and and they
happily agreed.
In addition to seafood, who would have thought that in
Co To there were peaceful landscapes like many villages
in northern Vietnam. A large herd of cows is grazing on
a field in Bac Van, near the wharf to the small Co To
island.
Before 1978 in Co To island many Chinese people lived.
But then there was a border war in 1979 and they
returned home. By the end of 2022, the island has 1,957
households with 6,778 people including 13 ethnic groups:
Kinh, Thai, Tay, Muong, Khmer, Hoa, Nung, Dao, Gia Rai,
Cham, San Diu, Hre, Giay.
Therefore, raising cows, fish, cultivating all kinds of
things are available. However, due to soil conditions,
fresh water is little so cultivation does not seem to be
very good. Only the cows live well.
Catching fish, squid in Co To is also fun.
On the last day, I bought more than 4kg of bald fish and
grilled it with guise leaves. It was very good.
Note: Now travelers can go to Co To by highway. From
Hanoi it takes more than 3 hours to go to Van Don, and
1h10 minutes by high-speed boat to Co To.
In general, if you depart from Hanoi at 7:00 am, you can
have lunch at Co To at 12:00 noon.
There are many high-speed boats now and you can catch
one when you arrive. You can choose the large boat which
can hold about 300 passengers, going fast and smooth
such as Toan Trang 28 or Havaco. They go straight to Ao
Tien international port to buy tickets for the
high-speed boat, don't go to the old Cai Rong port.
Parking car at Ao Tien port is also cheap, only 65.000
VND/day.
June, July is high season, hotel rates increase to
800.000 - 900.000 VND week days
Note: For those who love fishing, you can buy fishing
gear right in Co To island, in the centre area. Local
people fish with a bamboo stick to catch squid with a
bowl wrapped with fishing line.
Fishing location is right at Co To's storm shelter,
about 4km from the center of Co To. If you want to have
full services, you can book Nguyen Van's boat (see
photos with phone number). This boat docks at the storm
shelter, he specializes in repairing fishing boats and
selling goods to fishermen. You can also order food
right on the boat,very convenient. You can go fishing
squid at night, contact in advance about the cost, Ms
Diem's phone number is 0378 398 998
Note: If you rent homestay near Hong Van or Van Chai
beaches, you will save money on electric car rental. In
Co To, there are only electric cars or motorbikes, no
cars
Hong Van beach is the most beautiful place on Co To
island, the view looks to small Co To island, the waves
are gentle, and the hotel stays at the 3-star
Coto
Ecolodge right in Hong Van beach.
Hotel price depends on the standard. A 3 star hotel in
May costs 500.000 VND on week days, in June and July
will go up to 800.000 VND. On Fridays, Saturdays weekend
is 1 million VND.
Co To Island has now developed very well. From the sea
looking at the town with high buildings like in a busy
urban area of a big city. More people live, more and
more tourists come, so the environment is inevitably
polluted.
The puddles of wastewater have appeared. There were
bottles and plastic bags at the beach and they have not
been cleaned up in time.
Old boats, perhaps long broken, but not destroyed or
treated are still lying on the sand, also making the
beaches less beautiful.
It is not clear if it was the idea of Ong Cop Wooden
Bridge in Phu Yen or not. The wooden bridge at Bac Van
tourist wharf is quite long, with a beautiful direction
reaching out to the sea. Currently, this bridge has
deteriorated, looks quite dilapidated, only young men
dare to go to the bridge to take photos.
The primeval forest is located on the coastal road to
Bac Van port, which goes to small islands. The forest
can be said to be the area with the most beautiful
original trees in Co To. With rich vegetation, one side
is the forest and the other is the beach.
The road through forest to Bac Van wharf is finished. On
Google maps, there is still a road to Van Chay beach,
however, to this pier is the end. In the distance is Co
To island, 2.5km away. Some travelers swim from here to
small Co To island.
The road to Bac Van port is covered with beautiful
concrete, however it is empty. Only a few of us took a
brief look and turned around. Bac Van cape is like this,
it's still a long time (probably never) before there is
a coastal road on the right side of the picture to Van
Chay beach.
My friend said a few years there were jellyfish when he
went swimming in the sea, However I went to all beaches
like Love beach, Van Chay and Hong Van beach and didn't
see any jellyfish. I don't know if other beaches have
jellyfish or not.
Co To island this year seems to be a hot destination, it
is extremely difficult to book hotels at weekends if you
don't make a reservation at least 3 weeks in advance
because the hotels give priority to big groups staying
at least 2 nights. Therefore, those who plan to go on
the weekend should book early.
In the near future, the old port in Cai Rong town will
be converted to a fishing port, and tourists boats will
move to Ao Tien port in Van Don.
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