Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [120]
The sweep of beach in front of most of the resorts is fine for sunbathing and enjoys a decidedly unspoilt feel with few signs of tourist trappings, but is too shallow and spongy for swimming. Things are better nearer the Hon Trem Resort(see "Practicalities"), though the most picturesque beach, Bai Duong (admission 2000đ), lies 1.5km further south. After passing pandanus, tamarind and sugar-palm trees, the coastal track ends at a towering cliff, in front of which stands Sea and Mountain Pagoda (“Chua Hai Son”) and a cluster of souvenir and food stalls. After passing through the temple grounds, an opening in the rock leads into Cave Pagoda (“Chua Hong”). A low doorway leads from its outer chamber to a grotto in the cliff’s belly, where statues of Quan Am and several Buddhas are lit by coloured lights. The cramped stone corridor that runs on from here makes as romantic an approach to a beach as you could imagine, though the stench of the resident bats somewhat spoils the atmosphere.
As you hit the sand, the rugged rocks out to sea in front of you constitute Father and Son Isle (“Hon Phu Tu”), though it is now rather a misnomer as “Father”, the biggger of the two pillars of rock, fell crashing in to the sea in 2006. The beach here is reasonably attractive, though still too shallow for swimming. For a small fee (9000đ) you can join a short (45min) boat tour out to Hon Phu Tu and the nearby Hang Tien Grotto, which has some attractive stalactites and stalagmites. Nguyen Anh (later to become Gia Long) hid here while on the run after the Tay Son Rebellion, and locals have dubbed its stone plateaux as his throne, sofa, bed and so on. If there’s no-one else around, you can rent the entire boat for about 180,000đ for this short trip.
For a more luxurious boat trip around local islands, the Hon Trem Resort(See "Practicalities") can organize a full day-trip, including fishing and lunch as well as a visit to Nghe Island and the Ba Lua Archipelago, for about $150 per person.
The Mekong Delta | Hon Chong Peninsula |
Practicalities
Irregular buses ply the route between Hon Chong and Rach Gia (about 30,000đ). Check with Kien Giang Tourist (see "Arrival and information") for times. Coming from Ha Tien, you’ll have to take a Rach Gia-bound bus and get off at Ba Hon, then take a xe om (about 100,000đ) the last few kilometres.
All the accommodation at Hon Chong is a few steps from the beach, though the shallow bays make them unsuitable for swimming. Perched on the hillside at the top end of the strip, the friendly Green Hill Guesthouse (077/385 4369; US$11–30) lives up to its billing, its handful of beautifully furnished rooms all commanding sweeping views of the bay and probably representing the best deal around here. Alternatively, the An Hai Son (077/375 9226; US$11–20) and the My Lan (077/375 9044; US$11–20) are both well-managed and have smart rooms with air-conditioning, TVs and fridges, as well as decent restaurants. The Binh An Hotel (077/385 4332; US$10 and under–20) has dingy fan rooms in billet-style quarters for just 80,000đ and much smarter air-conditioned doubles in a newer wing, while the Hon Trem Resort (077/385 4331; US$31–75) boasts a prime location with all its compact villas enjoying great views from a steep hillside, as well as all facilities.
Even if you choose not to stay here, it’s worth visiting the Hon Trem Resort’s smart restaurant, both for its fantastic view of the islands in the bay and for its wide range of dishes priced at 60,000–80,000đ each. For something simpler, the Tan Phat, at the southern end of Binh An Village, about half