Phu Quoc, probably the most known Vietnamese island, is part of the An Thoi Archipelago. Part of the same archipelago are other islands, like Nam Du Island, that people seem to forget about, maybe for lack of research, just like me. I had no idea there were so many islands around Phu Quoc itself, but I’m glad I discovered it.
The reason why I spent 1 day in Rach Gia was Nam Du Island, a very small island not that far from land. The ferry took 2 hours to get there and cost 230K dong one way. The ferry departs from Rach gia Harbor and from here other ferries are departing to Phu Quoc or even Hon Son, a lesser-known island too.
I stayed a total of 2 days in Nam Du Island and it was enough to meet all the island. I saw almost all there is to be seen and I explored the whole island on foot, but it is possible to rent a motorbike, just like everyone else does. I decided not to rent one cause the island is pretty small so there was no need for it. Plus the street to my hotel was a big mess, would be scary to ride through those wooden boards haha.
Nam Du Island’s highest viewpoint
Anyway, there aren’t any hostels in Nam Du Island. There isn’t much infrastructure all around the island. I arrived on the island early in the afternoon, therefore I had time to walk to the highest viewpoint on the island. The viewpoint is on the way to Hai Dang Nam Du. The latter is the highest point on the island but it is not accessible. It is a military base and tourists aren’t allowed up there. I didn’t know about it, so I made the mistake of walking up, only to see forbidden signs and no view from the very top. There is a military building and I saw a man. I asked if I could go further and he promptly gave a no as an answer. What a shame. The path up there was grueling! So steep OMG, under the sun, is not a pleasant walk… this way, I don’t recommend a walk up cause it is useless…
But, on the way there the views are great! There is a lower viewpoint but very beautiful with very wide views! Might be a good sunset spot! And it is not that far from the island center. The island center and the only place where something is happening is near the pier. That is where I stayed and where there are some shops, a small night market, and pretty much the only place with several eating options. The rest of the island is pretty deserted with an occasional hotel here and there and nothing around them but a restaurant.
Nam Du Palace beach
So the first place I visited was the viewpoint. After that, I went to the nearest beach to my hotel which is the beach in front of Nam Du Palace. There isn’t much of a beach here… there isn’t much sand, just rocks, but the place looks like paradise with beautiful shades of water and coconut trees around it. So charming, quiet, and nice that I stayed there for the sunset that came with the rain. Still, it was lovely to be there at that time. I stayed at Nha Nghi Nam Du Ty Hoa and this beach was the closest one and not a far walking distance. The hotel had a nice rooftop view and was the cheapest option on the island.
Down by the beach:
All around the island on foot
On the second day, I started very early. My idea was to walk along the loop that crosses all island. It would be quite a walk, but doable, I thought haha. The total would be not much more than 12km and about 2h30 to walk all around the island. Yes, I said it is a small island. So, I woke up early and made my way to Bai Cay Men which seems to be the most beautiful beach on the island. In matter of fact, it is! One of the most beautiful Vietnam beaches I have seen. My walk started on the east side of the island and about 1h30 later, around 5km, I should have been at Bau Cay Men. But I crossed many beautiful sceneries before arriving, so the walk was much longer with many stops along the way.
Walking along the street in Nam Du Island is very pleasant. There is no such thing as traffic, no human noises, I didn’t cross those many people while walking all around. The streets are along the coastline for most of the time, so this is a scenic walk with Ocean views. I recommend a walk here, even though I was the only one doing it! I didn’t see anyone walking all day. Also, I didn’t see any other foreigners during my 2 days spent in Nam Du Island.
Bai Soi Beach Nam Du Island
My first stop of the day was Bai Soi Beach Nam Du Island, a beach where I could finally eat something. I made the mistake of not bringing food with me and this was the first place where I saw a restaurant. Food at the restaurant was very expensive and they had mainly seafood. I managed to order some noodle soup cheaper than the rest of the menu. The beach is very quiet just like the rest of the island. It is made of mostly stones, so there isn’t much sand to lie down and relax. Well, but Vietnamese don’t do that anyway haha, so there were some swings where people were taking pictures. It was very cloudy when I was there and the true colors couldn’t shine through, I guess, cause the beach didn’t impress me. It was a very normal beach for me. Not exactly my definition of paradise. So, I didn’t stay that long. Just stopped to eat and give my legs some rest before I proceeded to the next stop.
Mui Nam Hon Cu Tron
The next stop was Mui Nam Hon Cu Tron, a place along the street where it is possible to see several islands nearby! There are some cute bungalows here and a restaurant too. Very beautiful views from here and all the rest of the way until Bai Cay Men. I came across some gorgeous shades of blue on the way, but the most impressive is Bai Cay Men itself! WOW. Now that is paradise!
Bai Cay Men beach
I wasn’t expecting the beach to be that beautiful! Freaki* paradise! The water color is dreamy, the spot is quiet and unspoiled as paradise should be. There was only a place to order some drinks. No people swimming or lying on the sand. Later on, some showed up… The water temperature is perfect, there are palm trees everywhere, this is paradise! Who would know Vietnam has such hidden gems? I spent a lot of time here enjoying the views and the silence. I only left because I still had a long way to walk and I wanted to see more spots before the sun went down. It was too early haha I could have stayed on that beach all day honestly! But it was time for me to go and see the rest Nam Du Island has to offer. At this point, I regret I decided to walk because I was so tired already and there was more than 5km left to get back home damn! I also got pretty sunburned. Vietnamese sun is unforgiving.
My next stop was 45 minutes, 3km away. The sun was excruciating on my skin, but gladly I had a jacket with me. I wished I had gloves too! I was tired just thinking about all the way I had to go until the next stop… ha. But, luck knocked on my door. Just after Bai Cay Men, a man saw me walking completely alone on my own under that heat and stopped. He pointed to his motorbike seat OMG I can’t believe this guy is offering me a ride exactly when I could use one. He was the first person that day to offer me a ride, and it was actually where I couldn’t wish more for it!! Perfect. Of course I hopped on his motorbike, and once at the viewpoint I wanted to see, I told him to stop and thanked his help very much! He just saved me from a 45-minute walk!! Uff
Dinh Nam Hai Ngu Than and Bai Ngu
He left me at Dinh Nam Hai Ngu Than, a temple with absolutely gorgeous views. This seems to be the fishing village on the island and the place where most of them live. There are houses next to the beach among palm trees that they truly respect as their houses were built around them and I could see the trees being part of the house. I truly appreciate the way they respect nature in this sense here. Back at home, all the trees would be knocked down for the sake of people living there.
At the temple, there are lots of people and some selling food and drinks too. I think there is a whale skeleton inside, but somehow I missed it. The views of Bay Ngu are simply gorgeous! All those fishing boats give the view a certain charm, and the palm trees do the rest. So gorgeous OMG, with many islands in the background. It is just not the beach where you would go and lay on the sand, it is really for the views and good ones.
From Bai Ngu, I still had 30 more minutes of walk ahead of me, but that was fine. The nearest beach to my hostel was on the way, so I stopped there to watch the sunset one more time, this time without rain. To reach this beach in front of Nam Du Palace, there is a shortcut through the mountain and among some local houses. This path is marked on “Maps.me”, so downloading this app might be useful here!
And that was it. My day was exhausting but very rewarding. I didn’t regret exploring Nam Du Island on foot, I would do it again! The views make up for the effort and the street is flat most of the time. What a great discovery this island. A great getaway where no other foreign tourist will easily be found. Loved it!
To get to Nam Du Island first I bought a bus ticket from Ho Chi Minh to Rach Gia, and then I took the ferry from Rach Gia to Nam Du Island. You can buy bus tickets within Vietnam HERE!
