Kien Giang is a province with a long coastline and many large and small islands. This place is likened to a miniature Vietnam with diverse natural landscapes. In addition to the famous Phu Quoc Island and Nam Du Archipelago, few people know that Kien Giang also has a surprisingly wild Hai Tac (Pirate) Archipelago.
Hai Tac Archipelago seen from above. (Picture My Ha)
Located less than 30km from Ha Tien City by sea, adjacent to Cambodia and about 40km from Phu Quoc City, the archipelago is located in Tien Hai Commune, Ha Tien City, in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.
Tien Hai Island Commune has 16 floating islands and two submerged islands (with a total natural area of more than 251ha). People here are used to calling the islands by unique names such as: Big Hon Tre (also known as Hon Doc), Small Hon Tre, Tre Vinh, Big Doi Moi, Small Doi Moi, Hon Giang, Hon Duoc, Hon U, Banh Tet, Banh It, Hon Ruoi, Banh Lai, Kien Vang, Banh Quy, Banh To, Hon Phu Tu, Da Noi 1, and Da Noi 2.
Tien Hai Island Commune currently has 480 households with about 2,000 people, living mainly on Hon Tre Island, Hon Giang, Hon Duoc, and Hon U. Hon Tre is its largest island - the administrative center of the commune. The people on the archipelago mainly live on exploitation, fishing, and aquaculture; there are a few households doing small business services.
The Hai Tac Archipelago possesses smooth sands along with blue sea water, showing a rare unspoiled natural space. On the sea, there are many fisherman's cages raising seafood.
The archipelago is a strange destination for tourists right from the name. The name Hai Tac (Pirate) that people still use comes from a mystery related to piracy. In late 17th early 18th centuries, pirates used the archipelago as a base to attack merchant ships of other Southeast Asian countries, giving the archipelago its current name.
Although not as famous as Phu Quoc and Nam Du, in recent years, Hai Tac Archipelago has been loved by tourists for its rare wild scenery and different experiences. One of the famous attractions in the archipelago is the Vietnamese sovereignty marker built in 1958.
After visiting the sovereignty stele, visitors can rent a boat led by local fishermen who provide islet tours, fishing experiences, and scuba diving. They offer instructions on how to put bait on a fishing hook, go fishing, and help visitors savour their caught seafood right on the boat.
One of the specialties in the Pirate Islands are sea urchins. Catchers need a pair of aluminium tongs to pick the echinus and a net to hold them. The echinus lives on rocks and corals. After bringing them abroad the boat, fishermen put them in a big basket and shake hard so that some of the spines fall off. They then use scissors to cut off the remaining spines. The urchins can be eaten raw with either some squeezed lime or mustard.
Tourists started coming more five years ago. They have helped improve lives here, because locals earn more by selling them food and providing them with accommodation, although tourism services have not yet developed on this archipelago.
Vice Chairman of Tien Hai Commune People's Committee, Luong Thao Ly said: In 2017, Tien Hai Commune was officially recognised as a provincial tourist area (according to Decision No. 2017 of the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province). Implementing the project "Development of community tourism in the period 2014-2016", Tien Hai Commune has established a community tourism management board, focusing on communicating the project's content to each household on the island to create consensus.
The commune creates favourable conditions for households to borrow capital to invest in community tourism facilities.
The "Pirate" archipelago is also highly appreciated by tourists for the sense of environmental protection of the people here. It is very rare to see littering on the island. Every resident on the island has a very high sense of protecting the environment. Tien Hai is also one of the very few communes in Kien Giang that has a modern waste treatment plant.
At the end of April, the commune government signed a memorandum of cooperation with Newstar Tourist Co., Ltd. (Hanoi) to jointly promote the advantages and potentials of local tourism development in the next two years. Newstar Tourist Company will develop the content of new products, especially tourism products, in order to enrich the local product ecosystem.
The travel agency also will connect businesses in the tourism industry to develop services, improve the value of tourism products of Tien Hai Commune, promote the image of tourism, destinations, people and culture of Tien Hai on mass media, websites, fanpages, and social networks.
This year's peak tourist season, with the cooperation with Newstar Tourist Co., Ltd., it is hoped that Hai Tac Archipelago will be an attractive destination to welcome tourists from near and far to explore and enjoy the wild beauty of the sea and islands in the southernmost part of the country.
Tuan Dung - Quoc Trinh - Translated by NDO