Amazed by the beauty of Ly Son

Those who have been away from Ly Son (Quang Ngai) for about ten years and now return will be amazed at the transformation of an island that once slept in poverty and oblivion. It is tourism that has awakened this beautiful island in recent years.

A PLACE OF CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SEDIMENTS

The Vietnamese people were present on Ly Son Island in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when 15 ancient clans of Binh Son and Son Tinh districts ( Quang Ngai ) officially set foot on the island and began to exploit and settle down here.

Amazed by the beauty of Ly Son — **Ly Son Island seen from above.** Photo: Huu Tho

Despite being isolated from the mainland and always standing at the forefront of the wind and waves, the "floating battleship in the East Sea" always knows how to survive and overcome. Nowhere else has an area of only 10 square kilometers but the cultural and historical relics are as dense and unique as in Ly Son.

A Hang Pagoda with a wild and mysterious beauty. A Fairy Bathing Beach on Be Island recalling the primitive prehistoric times associated with legends full of ghost stories. An extremely strange To Vo Gate - the remaining traces of volcanic eruptions from millions of years ago. A giant crater on Thoi Loi peak. Two whale skeletons considered the largest in Vietnam have been preserved by fishing villagers for hundreds of years. A shrine to "fallen soldiers" always filled with incense smoke as a reminder for future generations not to forget the boundless sacrifices of their ancestors to protect the sovereignty of the territorial waters... In particular, the Hoang Sa soldier Khao Le The Linh Festival - the only festival in Vietnam to honor the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Hoang Sa during 300 years of defending the island.

According to statistics from the cultural sector, Ly Son Island currently has 4 national cultural relics, 14 provincial cultural relics and many other unique intangible cultural forms. Excavations of archaeological sites at Suoi Chinh - Ly Son show that this is a place where the Sa Huynh, Champa and Dai Viet cultures intersect. Therefore, each historical and cultural relic here shows the inheritance and intersection of the quintessence of each culture that has existed on Ly Son Island throughout thousands of years of history.

Ly Son people, despite facing many difficulties due to geographical isolation and harsh nature, always know how to cherish and preserve the heritage left by their ancestors. That is the "savings" that their descendants today inherit through tourism business activities.

ESCAPE "RUN AWAY"

Ly Son is considered the famous "garlic kingdom" in the whole country, but 300 hectares of land for growing garlic and onions cannot feed 20,000 people on the island. Ly Son has "saved" itself with the formula "field feet - sea feet", meaning half working in agriculture, half participating in fishing at sea. However, hunger and poverty still do not leave this island. Then, a miracle happened: high voltage electricity has been brought to the island via underground cables, starting in 2014. It can be said that this is a breakthrough to change the entire face of Ly Son over the past 10 years.

It is also worth mentioning this: before 2014, tourists also visited Ly Son Island but very few. They only stayed one night and then "ran away" immediately and never returned because the generator-powered electricity only cut off from 5-9 pm. Not a single hotel or motel was built on Ly Son due to this lack of electricity.

Again, only 18 nautical miles from the mainland, but visitors to the island had to spend 2-3 hours to get to the island because they had to travel by old passenger boats or "hitchhiking" ships carrying construction materials. But now, every 30 minutes there is a high-speed boat to the island, it only takes 40 minutes to get to the destination.

LIVE ON TOURISM

Since the national grid was established, more and more restaurants and hotels began to spring up on Ly Son Island, and many businesses have spent tens of billions of dong to buy high-speed boats to transport guests to the island. With full facilities and easy access, Ly Son has changed every day.

Ms. Pham Thi Huong, Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Ly Son island district, said that currently on the island there are 130 accommodation establishments with 1,100 rooms, including 23 hotels from 1 to 4 stars, not to mention 55 homestays where people take advantage of some rooms in their homes. However, on normal days, the island will accommodate all tourists, but on holidays or whenever there are events such as the national marathon, paragliding, beach volleyball, and swimming across the sea to Be Island like recently, the rooms are "full" because on each occasion like that, there will be over 3,000 tourists on the island.

Despite its small area, Ly Son still reserves land for a large square, close to Ben Dinh port. This is where cultural and artistic activities take place and where the island’s specialties are sold to visitors all night long. More than 10 years ago, this place was deserted, but now it is bustling with tourists.

According to statistics from Ly Son district, there are currently about 7,000 families participating in tourism services, accounting for 30% of Ly Son's current population. It is understandable, because every year this island welcomes 170,000 domestic and foreign tourists to visit the island, if the infrastructure is not relatively adequate, it cannot meet that many visitors. The material and spiritual life of the islanders has also been significantly improved.

Although there are still many problems ahead such as environmental pollution, messy houses, low professionalism in serving tourists... what Ly Son has done in the past 10 years has turned this desolate island into an attractive destination for tourists from near and far.

According to thanhnien.vn

Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/du-lich/ngo-ngang-ve-dep-ly-son-135095.html