Much as I love to visit every island around the world, I still find myself never touching any other countries’ sea water. Fortunately, my home country - Vietnam - has more than 3,000 islands and islets, and to be honest, I can never get enough of them.
Being able to travel to many islands in Vietnam is such a blessing, but not everyone have a chance to do it. Out of a thousand places to go for a hot summer trip, most people still choose famous beaches on mainland like Do Son, Nha Trang, Vung Tau. To me, a worthy beach takes more than just being touristy. It has to be clean and untouched. It is the kind of place that you will have to spend several minutes just standing there and admire the view. The kind of place that makes you want to stay, not for hours but for days. And to me, that kind of beaches can only be found on small islands.
Everytime I go to a place like these, I just want to shout out to the world: “Hey, there are a lot more to discover in Vietnam”. Pristine beauty of Con Dao islands, Tho Chu islands, Nam Du islands never failed to surprised me. There may not be resorts or giant hotels, sometimes the only bed you have is a hammock, but the nature can be so captivating you would even want to sleep on the sand.
It has been great to see many unknown places appeared on Google Maps. I wouldn’t have known about Thom beach and Ong Lang beach if I hadn’t use Google Maps when visiting Phu Quoc island. The experience I had in these two beaches is far more precious to me than in the crowded Sao beach, which many tour guides recommend.
With my camera, and a passion for islands, I snap some shots whenever I can. Sharing these hidden gems with the world excites me, but also makes me wonder: Will those places loose their wilderness like some famous beaches on the mainland? Can my reviews and photos be the reasons for it, if it happens?
Mass tourism is thriving in Vietnam, putting many natural tourist sites in pressure. So, well, I share my journey in a slightly different way. I made a blog encouraging my readers to go figure but also be aware of the enviromental issues there. I post reviews and photos on Google Maps with a reminder to keep these places clean. I think I have a responsibility not only to promote my country’s best places but also to preserve their environment.
