400 years of Pirate Islands legend

According to many legends about the Pirate Islands, the archipelago began to have inhabitants since the 17th century, about 400 years ago. The archipelago has a special position, being a sea route that international merchant ships often pass through, trading with countries in the Southeast Asian region. Taking advantage of this location, many pirate groups were formed to rob the properties of merchant ships.

Regarding the appearance of pirate groups, many prestigious newspapers in the country have quoted historian Truong Minh Dat (a scholar specializing in researching the history of Ha Tien, Kien Giang ) as saying that the time when Mac Thien Tich expanded Ha Tien (1718-1780) was the time when pirates appeared in the Pirate Islands. Later, when Mac Thien Tich fell to the Siamese army, this archipelago had no government to manage, which was also the time when pirate groups were rampant.

There is no official historical document recording the activities of pirate gangs in the waters of the Pirate Islands, nor is it clear when the name “Pirate Islands” originated. However, the fact that this name, along with many 400-year-old anecdotal stories about the island that was once a pirate’s lair, has made everything related to the Pirate Islands mysterious because it is not transparent, rarely verified, and is only passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.

Pirate Islands Panorama.

In the book “Tran Ha Tien va Tao dan Chieu Anh Cac” by author Ha Van Thuy, published in 2002 (Literature Publishing House), it is written: “… Due to its geographical location, Ha Tien was also robbed by many parties outside the Gulf of Siam: In 1747, pirates in Long Xuyen intercepted and robbed boats carrying gifts from Lord Nguyen; in 1767, they suppressed the pirates led by Hoac Nhien in the Co Cong area; in 1770, they suppressed the big pirates with their lairs in Canpot, Vung Thom...”, sharing a perspective on the instability in the sea area of the Gulf of Siam (now the Gulf of Thailand).

Among them, the Pirate Islands were one of the focal points of pirate gangs. Until later, when the French colonialists ruled Ha Tien (after 1884), the waters around the Pirate Islands were still believed to have pirates active, but they were quite weak.

Panoramic view of Hon Tre Lon Island, part of the Pirate archipelago, once believed to be the lair of the "Black Sails" pirate gang.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Chua, 69 years old, who has lived on Hon Tre Lon, part of the Pirate archipelago, for nearly 40 years, he has heard many people tell the story of a pirate group called "Black Sails" in the modern period, starting from when the French colonialists invaded Ha Tien (after 1884).

At that time, pirates no longer had the capacity to rob foreign merchant ships, or large merchant ships. The “Black Sails” pirates used crude wooden sailing ships to rob the cargo of small merchant ships passing through the Pirate Islands area.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chua.

One of the members of the “Black Sails” gang mentioned by Mr. Chua is named NTV (born 1892). Currently, the graves of this person and his relatives have been built a fairly spacious cemetery by their descendants in 2005, located against a high hillside on Hon Tre Lon Island.

Previously, these were little-known earthen graves. Through the guidance of the elders on Hon Tre Lon Island, the reporter found this special grave.

The grave of Mr. NTV and his relatives. Many people confirmed that Mr. NTV was a member of the "Black Sails" pirate gang in the Pirate Islands.

Following Mr. Nguyen Van Chua’s instructions, we arrived at Mr. NVN’s house in Hon Tre Lon at dusk. This season, the island is scorching hot, even though the sun has fallen asleep in the West Sea, the air is still hot.

Welcoming us, Mr. NVN stripped naked, made us a pot of hot tea and treated us like honored guests. He said that everyone who came to his house was a valued guest of his family, first strangers, then acquaintances, then deep affection.

Mr. NVN told stories about the Pirate Islands that he heard from his own relatives.

Mr. NVN is 76 years old, lucid and healthy, currently living with his wife, selling groceries on the island. Mr. NVN is the grandson of Mr. NTV - who is believed to be a member of the "Black Sails" gang in the past.

Through the reporter's investigation, Mr. NVN is not the only descendant of the pirates, but he also has two younger brothers (cousins) and dozens of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who are also living on Hon Tre Lon Island. Mr. NVN and his other children and grandchildren have built a tomb to worship Mr. NTV on a hillside on Hon Tre Lon Island.

Mr. NVN's cousin shared with reporters about his embarrassment when asked about the origin of the Pirate Islands.

In the story, Mr. NVN also mentioned another descendant of the “Black Sails” bandit group, Mrs. Muoi Bau. She has been dead for many years now, and is also the niece of a member of the bandit group.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Chua, in 1983, fishermen on the Pirate Islands discovered two foreigners illegally entering Vietnamese territory and reported them to local authorities for arrest. These two people arrived at the Pirate Islands by canoe, carrying walkie-talkies, cameras, metal detectors, binoculars, nautical charts and ancient maps depicting the terrain of the Pirate Islands.

Although there was no confirmed information from the authorities at that time, local people told each other that two foreigners came to their island to look for treasure.

This raises the question of whether or not there is a treasure in the Pirate Islands, which was once considered the lair of pirate gangs in the past?

Close-up of Hon Tre Lon, the largest island in the Pirate archipelago.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Chua, many years ago, a group of fishermen who were diving to catch seafood in the waters of the Hai Tac archipelago picked up many ancient coins. Once again, the story of suspicion that the Hai Tac archipelago is the place where many ancient coins, gold, silver, and jewels of pirates are hidden continues to be hotly discussed by locals and tourists.

However, the truth is that the story of whether or not there is a treasure in this archipelago has never been verified. Folklore has it that many times, curious local fishermen spent a lot of time and effort searching for traces of the “treasure” but returned empty-handed.

The hypothesis that ancient pirate gangs hid great treasures in the Pirate Islands is still a "provocative" question.

Pirate Islands are always a destination that contains mysterious stories, arousing the curiosity of many people.

It is undeniable that the stories and anecdotes about the pirate gangs of the past and the question of whether or not there is a giant treasure in the heart of the island have created a special attraction for the Pirate Islands for the people and tourists from all over.

Many people come to this archipelago because of the stories told, not entirely because of the green mountains, blue water, or the unique features that nature has bestowed, creating a charming sea and island destination.

In 2017, the Pirate Islands were recognized as a local tourist destination by the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province. This is an important legal basis for this tourist island to attract more domestic and international tourists. The Pirate Islands, especially Hon Tre Lon, continue to receive investment in infrastructure, transportation, accommodation services, etc. to meet the needs of tourists.

A corner of the Pirate Islands with wild and beautiful scenery.

The local tourist area of Hai Tac archipelago consists of 18 large and small islands scattered across the sea of Ha Tien city. The highlight of this tourist destination is Hon Tre Lon island with beautiful natural scenery and fresh climate. The island has Bai Bac, a beautiful beach with long stretches of white sand, pristine rocks, sovereignty stone stele, Ba Chua Hon palace, Son Hoa Tu pagoda.

The scenery of the islands surrounding Hon Tre Lon is also very lyrical. People and tourists can take boats to visit Hon Tre Vinh, Hon Duoc, Hon Giang...

The national grid was extended from the mainland to the Pirate Islands in 2019.

In 2019, the national power grid from the mainland was extended to Tien Hai island commune. Hon Tre Lon Island has completed the road around the island, on the island there is a freshwater reservoir of about ^50,000m3 ..., helping with daily life and business needs, creating motivation for local tourism development.

On the island there is a special structure, which is the sovereignty stele with the name “Pirate Archipelago”. The stele was established by the navy of the Republic of Vietnam government on July 28, 1958. The stele clearly records information such as the name of the archipelago, coordinates, range of the archipelago, names of the major islands, the force that established the stele, etc.

Close-up of the sovereignty stele "Pirate Islands", located on Hon Tre Lon, Pirate Islands.

“The Pirate Islands sovereignty stele is a special symbol. This is proof of our country’s sovereignty over the archipelago during the American invasion (during the Republic of Vietnam era). For me, the stele contains historical value and practical lessons about the spirit of the sovereignty over the sea and islands of the Fatherland,” said Ha Trung Hoa, a tourist from Kien Hai district (Kien Giang).

Anh Tuyet's group of friends (An Giang) visited the "Pirate Islands" sovereignty stele.

"We came to the Pirate Islands to satisfy our curiosity about the story of the archipelago with pirates and the suspicions surrounding the story of the treasure on the island. When we arrived here, I was surprised by the wild and beautiful natural scenery of the island. The local people are honest and the children on the island were very friendly and welcomed us," said Anh Tuyet, a tourist from An Giang province.

Children living on Hon Tre Lon, part of the Pirate Islands.

The Pirate Islands area currently has more than 80 fish farms owned by local people. In addition to ensuring the quantity of fish harvested, the owners of these fish farms also serve tourists on fishing boats, serving delicious dishes made from seafood raised in cages or seafood caught in coastal waters of the Pirate Islands.

Pirate Islands fishermen raise fish in cages at sea.

Fishermen working at sea in the Pirate Islands.

The Pirate Islands have been piloted by the authorities with the “Homestay Tourism” model at local homes. From 2018 to December 2023, the archipelago attracted about 334,919 tourists.

Pirate Islands currently has 8 food service establishments, 4 seafood shopping establishments, 12 accommodation establishments with 109 rooms, accommodating more than 500 people/night.

Speedboat takes passengers to the island, upon arrival visitors visit Hon Tre Lon by electric car.

People and tourists from Ha Tien City go to Hai Tac archipelago by high-speed boat or normal speed boat. At Hai Tac archipelago, there are about 5 boats carrying tourists for sightseeing, fishing, and coral diving; there are about 60 motorbikes and about 10 electric cars serving tourists around Hon Tre Lon island...

Peaceful sunset over the sea of Pirate Islands.

According to many tourists, each road, stop, beach, tree line, ravine, hill, or sunset scene on the sea of the Pirate Islands has a unique, quiet beauty that is difficult to describe.