My destination is yet another island in Vietnam: Ly Son Island, an island near Quang Ngai, and I got there from Quy Nhon. To get from Quy Nhon to Quang Ngai, I asked for help at my homestay. Even though their English was very poor we were able to communicate through Google Translate and the staff was always very helpful!
Bus from Quy Nhon to Quang Ngai
The lady helped me to book a ticket with a company called Son Tung and they picked me up at the homestay, so it was perfect. I paid 252K Dong for the trip which lasted longer than expected.
The bus departed at 1 pm and arrived in Quang Ngai at about 6 pm. I was expecting it to arrive at 5 pm, but this bus stopped so many times for people to hop on that it wouldn’t be possible for it to be as fast as expected. Some bus companies stop literally anywhere to pick up people along the way. That’s why sometimes it makes a difference between bus companies. This bus had the AC leaking for a long time and people changing seats constantly as it was “ raining” on them. Fortunately, the bus wasn’t full and fortunately, I was on the bottom bed and only felt some splashes coming from the top haha. Never seen such a thing happening before and I already rode many buses in Vietnam.
We had one stop for food and that was it.
Once in Quang Ngai, the bus stopped in a place just before a bridge and not that far from “Quang Ngai Hostel” the place where I was staying that night. There were some moto taxis in the spot so it was easy to find a ride to the hostel for 40K. Quang Ngai has Grab service though and it might be cheaper.
The hostel is not in the very center of the city but its location was still ok. I simply found a place to eat something on the street not far and that was all. The following day I was heading to Ly Son, an island I had in mind visiting for a long time.
Getting to Ly Son Island
I will say again that Vietnam is not known for its beautiful islands and beaches, but I have definitely discovered some stunning ones. That’s what I hoped to find when visiting Ly Son Island: an island that seems known among Vietnamese, but very unknown to foreigners. There isn’t much about Ly Son Island on the web, so exploring it was a total discovery. I was hoping to find a beautiful island with nice beaches, but the place surpassed my expectations. Ly Son Island was way worth the time spent there.
If you seek hidden gems, consider this one.
From Quang Ngai to Sa Ky Port
There is only one way to get to Ly Son island and that is through Sa Ky port, a port not that far from Quang Ngai. And that was the reason why I went from Quy Nhon to Quang Ngai, as Quang Ngai itself doesn’t impress. To get to Sa Ky port I asked the owner of Quang Ngai hostel, where I have stayed, for help. He was always super helpful, such a nice guy, offered food and coffee, such a helpful person. He helped me a lot throughout my stay In Quang Ngai, so I have to mention him.
To get from Quang Ngai to Sa Ky port, he helped me to book a bus that picked me up from the hostel. I would have no idea how to do it on my own. This bus cost 50K and took about 1 hour to get to Sa Ky port. The port is not that far, but the bus, aka, minivan, makes many stops in the city to pick up customers before starts heading to the port itself. I hopped on the bus at 10 am and arrived at the port at 11 am hoping to catch the 11.30 am ferry from Sa Ky port to Ly son Island. Well, I’m traveling a few days before the Vietnamese New Year, and I’m sure it made a difference. The ferry was fully booked so I had to wait for the next one at 2.30 pm. It was fine cause this way I had time to have lunch at the only restaurant in the port.
Sa Ky Port to Ly Son Island
There are 4 daily departures to Ly Son Island: 7:30 11:30 14:30 and 16:30. The boat takes around 45 minutes to get to Ly Son Island and it can get very bouncy. The way to the island was smooth, but the trip back to the mainland was terrible. I don’t know if there is something with Vietnamese ferries, but I’ve had some terrible experiences getting to Vietnamese islands. The boat is so bouncy that it feels like we are in danger. People vomiting everywhere OMG! At least this one ride is too short for me to feel sick too. But on the trip back from Ly Son Island the boat stopped its motors several times to crash the waves without speed. Even like that, it swung so hard that people were “shouting” wow’s and I was hanging to the bench with my life haha TERRIBLE!
The trip to and from Ly Son Island had two different prices. To go from Quang Ngai to Ly son it cost me 203K dong. The trip back cost me 183K dong. Not sure why the price difference and if the Tet holiday has something to do with it.
I took pictures of the departure times, but my phone was stolen on this trip so I lost them. As far as I remember, there is a ferry to go from Ly Son to Quang Ngai at 13:15 and 16:15. There are others in the morning too probably around 7.15 and 11.15, but I can’t confirm. Anyway once on the island you can check the schedule at the port.
From the port to the hotel
Once on Ly Son Island, I thought I would have someone trying to sell their transport offer but I was wrong. Just like in Phu Quy Island, no one approached me or cared that I was there and obviously needed a way to get to my place.
According to Google Maps, I thought the ferry would dock at Ben Tau Ly Son- Sa Ky so I booked my hotel based on that info. But, I was wrong. The ferry didn’t dock in that port, but rather at a further one, ruining my plans of walking to my hotel. I really had to find a transport to get to the hotel. The ferry docks at Cau Cang Ben Dinh which is too far for a walk. I saw some buggies that were there waiting for customers but I didn’t even approach as there should be a motorbike taxi to take me wherever I wanted.
I went to the ticket booth and asked for help there. They said there are no moto taxis! Wow, I didn’t see that coming. They asked for my hotel name and called it so they would pick me up. I saw no other moving option so I had to accept it thinking it would be pricey but guess what? The people from the homestay where I was staying did it for free! They didn’t ask for anything, neither for picking me up from the pier or dropping me off when it was my time to go.
I stayed in a very modest homestay, literally with a family. Seems to me like they have some extra bedrooms at home so they rent them. It was the cheapest option I saw on the island when booking my stay. It was about 5€ a night in a private room without hot water or a sink, haha not having a sink was weird. The toilet didn’t have a flush either. Had to use a bucket to flush. It was fine. I’d rather explore longer than have luxury. People at the homestay were very friendly and helpful all the time, so I didn’t mind staying with them in the alley haha.
As I arrived early, for the rest of the day I went for a walk around nearby. Check the spots I have visited on Ly Son Island HERE!
