Two Vietnamese beaches not ruined by tourism
A travel piece in the UK's The Telegraph on 10 beaches in Southeast Asia unspoiled by tourism lists two in Vietnam.
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| Binh Lap Island in Khanh Hoa Province. Photo courtesy of Chi Linh Club |
The article starts by mentioning the fate of Thailand’s Maya Bay, which has been closed down indefinitely following devastation wrought by “overtourism.”
Among the 10 beaches it then recommends as those that are yet to be spoiled are two in Vietnam: the An Thoi Islet off Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province; and Binh Lap Island in Khanh Hoa Province.
Remarking on the “construction site soundtrack” that accompanies beaches on the southern Phu Quoc Island, the article advises travelers to take a boat from the island’s port to An Thoi, which has “secluded coves and colorful reefs almost completely devoid of humans.”
Fifth on the list is Binh Lap Island in Khanh Hoa Province’s Cam Ranh Bay along the central coast. The article describes it as the most enchanting of all the “sensational island beaches” in the bay. It describes Binh Lap as secluded and “more Seychelles than Southeast Asia.”
Two beaches each in Thailand and Malaysia are also included in the list apart from one each in Hong Kong, Cambodia and the Philippines.
A surprise inclusion in the list is an island in landlocked Laos, “which only materializes in the November to April dry season as the Mekong River recedes.”
To prevent these and other unspoiled beaches from being ruined by tourism, The Telegraph article, written by “destination expert” Lee Cobaj, exhorts visitors to “be responsible by removing all of your own rubbish, don’t abscond with seashells or sands and use an ocean-safe sunscreen.”
