A beach on Co To Lon island in the Co To island district in Quang Ninh province. (Source: scorpioncruise.com)Quang Ninh (VNA) – CoTo island district, an archipelago in the northeastern province of Quang Ninhprovince, can become an important sea tourism destination in Vietnam.
With pristine white sand beachesand crystal clear water, mountains covered with jungle, roads zigzagging theisland, a diverse plant ecosystem and fresh seafood, Co To archipelago is perfectfor tourists.
From Cai Rong port in Van Dondistrict, another island district of Quang Ninh province, you can takehigh-speed boat trips that take one hour and half to cover the distance.
The port on Cai Bau island alsooffers super-fast boats which can travel to the island in just 45 minutes. Thetrip itself provides spectacular views.
Since connecting to the nationalgrid at the end of 2013, Co To Lon, the largest island in the archipelago, hasits tourism infrastructure developed quickly, giving a facelift to Co To townon the island, with bigger and modern hotels and more eateries and cafes.
To navigate Co To Lon, you canhire an electric vehicle with a tour guide or a motorbike to explore the islandon your own. Luckily, Co To Lon is small enough to explore in one day.
For those who love to swim orrelax on beaches, Co To Lon has plenty. Beaches are on all sides of the island.Some small accommodation services have popped up on some beaches, providing optionsfor visitors who want to savour the island.
There is a small lighthouse tovisit as well. It is located atop a mountain, 70m above sea level, in Co To Lonand can be accessed via a road winding through the pine jungle with wildflowers all around.
Riding a motorbike around Co ToLon is the best way to explore and see the daily activities of island natives. Youtravel along roads lined with trees or through rice paddy fields scattered withbuffaloes.
The peaceful feeling around theisland is unique, particularly for those who come from big cities.
Co To archipelago district consistsof 15 islands, so if you are ready to spend more, you can take boat tripsoffered by local residents to nearby islands, which are more wild, pristine andoff-the-beaten-track.
After exploring, you can returnto the town to enjoy coffee or drinks and find a restaurant to eat seafood.Because Co To Lon is little known among foreign tourists, most tourism servicesfrom hotels to restaurants are typically Vietnamese but the quality is good atreasonable prices.
The downside of Co To Lon isthat its town has not been designed well with buildings lacking charisma, whilethe streets are not lined with trees and do not have the ambience of a touristtown.
Despite these problems, Co To Lonin particular and the Co To archipelago district in general have greatpotential to become a sea tourism destination. The district administration has aimedto bring the ratio of tourism in its economy to 45-50 percent by 2020 withrevenue of 1.6 trillion VND (72 million USD) and income per capita of 3,000 to3,500 USD.-VNA
