Tropical Gems: 6 Lesser-known islands in Vietnam you should absolutely visit

Sarah Khan 21 Dec 2016 updated the Wednesday, December 21, 2016

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Con Dao
You might not have guessed as much looking at the island's striking beauty, but Con Dao Islands was once the preserve of political prisoners and undesirables during French rule and the American-backed regime. Although isolated from the mainland, the islands are definitely one of Vietnam's star attractions, drawing streams of tourists every year.
Con Son, the largest of this chain of 15 islands and islets and the only inhabited one, is surrounded by beautiful white beaches, coral reefs and picturesque bays. With its quaint colonial seaside promenades, manicured hedgegrows, and an actual loudspeaker occasionally issuing communist slogans, you might feel like you've travelled back decades into a chapter in Vietnam's history.
Besides hiking through the lush forestry (a definite must), you can visit its beaches (Nhat Beach and Bai An Hai), sip on cocktails by the promenade, explore the natural landscape and watch the rich wildlife on the island. For a bit of sobering history, visit the sprawling prison complex. You'll find the harrowing 'tiger cages', which were tiny boxes where North Vietnamese prisoners were shackled. The prison allows you a fascinating insight into the captive of some of Vietnam's celebrated national heroes, including its former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong.
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Phu Quoc
With its magnificently turquoise seas, spectacular sunsets, and lush rainforests, it is not surprising that Phu Quoc is one of Asia's emerging tropical island destinations. This heart-shaped island is fringed with white sandy beaches and is still densely covered in tropical jungle in some areas.
Beyond the resorts lining Long Beach, the island offers numerous options for you to explore. You can dive among the reefs, snorkel, kayak in the bays, hop on a motorbike and traverse across the island, or simply lounge on its beautiful beaches and indulge in the freshest seafood. If you're headed here with family, you'll find that the island has plenty of child-friendly activity options too, like a large amusement park and a safari zoo.
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Ly Son Island
Ly Son Island is known as the Garlic Kingdom of Vietnam. In spite of its size, this small island grows a lot of garlic for export and is home to beaches, stunning mountains and ancient temples, all surrounded by beautiful clear waters.
Although there are no excursion tours available to Ly Son Island, you can easily travel there by an hour's ferry ride. Once on the island, you'll find that Ly Son is a unique cultural corner in Vietnam that draws many tourists. There are more than 50 ancient pagodas, temples and shrines on the island, like the Pagoda Chua Hang which overlooks the sea and Dinh Liem Tu.
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Nha Trang
The high-rise, high-energy beach resort of Nha Trang is located in a stunning setting ringed by hills, beaches and a clear turquoise bay peppered with tropical islands. It is without question Vietnam's most famous seaside resort-town, with a more lively and urban character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc.
If you're a diving enthusiast, you'll like that it is the scuba diving center of Vietnam. In recent years, the town's shoreline has seen plenty of changes, with quiet parks and gardens spreading along its impressive promenade, and a cosmopolitan selection of boutiques and dining establishments available inland.
Come night time, its restaurants wind down and the nightlife kicks to life. Central Nha Trang is the place to be for a great party, but if you prefer to avoid the crowd, the beachfront has quieter, open bars available for a more serene evening.
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Cham Island
It was only until a few years ago that Cham Islands were a military zone and off-limits to tourism. Today, times have changed and the islands are now accessible via boat trips from April to September only from Hoi An. As the island has been mainly set up for day visitors, accommodation on the island is limited if you're planning on making it an overnight trip.
The island sees its peak visitors during the Vietnamese holiday season from July to August where you'll find tour groups frolicking on its golden beaches. The island offers decent diving options, although visibility may be slightly more of a challenge compared to other Vietnamese islands. For a bit of culture, definitely be sure to drop by the island's unusual little temple, Ong Ngu in Bai Lang. Before you assume that this is your traditional Vietnamese buddhist pagoda, this temple is actually entirely dedicated to the whale and whale shark, long regarded by the island locals as oceanic gods until a generation or two ago.
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Nam Du Island
Nam Du is a small archipelago near Phu Quoc island. The largest island in the archipelago is Hon Lon (translates to 'Large Islet'), which the locals usually refer to as Cu Tron islet. As Nam Du's tourism is still not developed, you'll find that much of the island is still pristine, raw and natural - perfect if you are looking for a less commercialised island destination.
To get to the island, you'll have to travel to Rach Gia from Ho Chi Minh City by bus (approximately a 6-hour journey), before traveling to Nam Du by boat. Once on the island, you can choose to visit the various islets in the stunning archipelago; just simply rent a boat at the Nam Du dock!

Make these islands your next travel agenda.

While much is known about popular island destinations in Asia like Krabi, Boracay or Bali, less is known about the lush and absolutely stunning tropical islands that Vietnam has to offer. Any traveler to these islands will tell you that they are all vastly distinctive in character. In Vietnam’s extreme south lies the beautiful Phu Quoc island, tipped to be Asia’s next hot spot beach destination. And then, off the central coast is the idyllic Con Dao Islands. This blissfully tranquil island, with its fascinating and unique history as the preserve for those incarcerated by French colonists, also makes for the perfect getaway,

Whether you’re living in the city (either Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi) or simply planning a vacation to Vietnam soon, you’d do well to venture away from the densely populated mainland for a welcome change of scenery in any one of these beautiful islands. Head up to our gallery above to find out more!

Sarah Khan

Photos: Getty Images

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