Ly Son Island - Unique natural wonder

Over millions of years of geological tectonic activity, Ly Son island district ( Quang Ngai ) has formed a unique natural wonder, with a wild beauty that attracts domestic and foreign tourists.

After millions of years of geological tectonic activity, Ly Son island district (Quang Ngai province) still has intact traces of 10 ancient volcanic craters associated with the wild natural landscape. Of which, six craters are on the Big Island, one on the Small Island, and three craters are underwater.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Vu Cao Minh, Institute of Geology - Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, the geological heritage on Ly Son Island is like a natural museum of marine volcanoes. The 149m high Thoi Loi crater, the 106m high Hon Soi, and the 86m high Tien Well are all ideal observatories that attract tourists.

Mr. Minh added that the underwater volcano at a depth of 40-50m in the south of Ly Son island has a diameter equivalent to the Thoi Loi volcano on the ground. The west of Big Island also has an underwater volcano rising high near the Tien Well scenic area. This is a valuable resource that needs to be exploited to serve the development of diving tourism to explore sea volcanoes.

The three cliffs of Hang Cau, Hang Pagoda, Tien Well stretching hundreds of meters and the To Vo gate made of volcanic lava have great scientific value and magnificent landscape. The geological and geomorphological tourism resources in Ly Son are unique and rare in the world .

The majestic cliffs of Cau Cave curve around the remains of Thoi Loi crater. The crater has a lake on the top of Thoi Loi mountain that erupted 1 million years ago, has a diameter of 0.35km, and is 149m high. This is an ideal observation deck that attracts tourists when coming to Ly Son island district.

Not only possessing unique natural heritage, Ly Son island district, Quang Ngai province has dozens of national and provincial historical and cultural relics, directly and indirectly related to the sovereignty of Hoang Sa - Truong Sa islands. The most prominent is the ceremony to commemorate Hoang Sa soldiers held in the second and third lunar months every year in the clans on Ly Son island district. In April 2013, the ceremony to commemorate Hoang Sa soldiers in Ly Son island district was recognized as a national intangible heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism .

According to the official history books of the Nguyen Dynasty, the Hoang Sa team operated continuously from the 17th century (about 400 years ago), at the beginning of the Nguyen Lords' reign, to the mid-19th century, to the Tay Son Dynasty, with famous captains such as Phu Nhuan Marquis Vo Van Phu, Hoi Nghia Marquis Vo Van Khiet. During the Nguyen Dynasty, right from the time of Gia Long, Pham Quang Anh was assigned to be the Hoang Sa captain, selecting soldiers to go to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, erecting sovereignty steles, building temples, measuring waterways, making maps...

Dr. Nguyen Dang Vu, a Quang Ngai cultural researcher, said that Ly Son island district is a "living museum" of Vietnam's sovereignty history in the Hoang Sa - Truong Sa archipelago. In addition, the warm and friendly people here contribute to creating an impressive "Ly Son destination" in the hearts of tourists from near and far.

Tourists check in at To Vo Gate located in the eastern part of the island. This is a stone gate, more than 2m high. According to locals, lava erupted from a volcano 2 million years ago, solidified when it met seawater, creating this arched gate with this special shape.

Ly Son island district still has intact traces of volcanic craters such as Thoi Loi, Gieng Tien, Hon Vung, Hon Tai, Hon Soi... opening up a series of unique island wonders that attract tourists.

Ly Son island district has Big island (An Vinh and An Hai) and Small island (An Binh) located about 30km from the mainland. With the advantage of wild scenery, in recent years, Ly Son has always been a destination chosen by many tourists.

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