Phu quoc

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One legend says that 400 years ago six fishermen from Do Son in Hai Phong stumbled upon a beach that’s now named Tra Co (Mong Cai town, Quang Ninh province) and these were the first human beings to set foot on this beach. Appreciating the beauty of Tra Co, these fishermen moved there to live. All these years later, Tra Co is a famous tourist attraction in Quang Ninh that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. And that’s no legend, that’s a fact. (The Tra Co tourist site authority)

The 17 kilometer-long Tra Co beach runs from Sa Vi to Mui Ngoc. The natural setting is rather well preserved along much of Tra Co and its quite the tourist site. Looking out over the imposing sea, breathing clean air, feeling the breeze coming in off the ocean, and listening to the waves endlessly lapping at the shore would relax all but the most hardened curmudgeon. One thing that visitors to Tra Co can and should do is try to work with fishermen in the nearby fishing village. One can stand alongside fishermen and draw in a fishing net and share the joy, or disappointment, of the catch. Or, learn how to mend a fishing net from a villager who’s done it a thousand times. These open, kindhearted fishermen know how to show visitors a good time in Tra Co.

It’s a fine thing to set down before a table of special Tra Co dishes prepared from king crab, ghe crab, sea crab or Bop fish after a swim in the sea. These people have seven different dishes they make from king crab. They fry up the king crab’s pincers with chili, vinegar, sugar and seasoning, or extract the flesh and fry that with bamboo shoots and lot leaves. If a momma crab is caught, its eggs can be eaten raw right out of mom, braised with sugar, or fried. There’s also king crab blood and that makes a soup to remember. And there’s the ghe crab, which is very tasty, and Bop fish is nutritious and excellent tasting, too.

Nearby is the town of Mong Cai and the Bac Luan border crossing that leads to Dongxing city in Guangxi province, China. The Mong Cai border market is an extremely bustling border trade location and Chinese goods are sold here for just a fraction of the price in Hanoi. Tens of thousands of visitors and buyers go every year, and it may seem that they’re all there at once. It’s quick and easy to go from Mong Cai to China at the Dongxing border crossing. While there, one should also go to see the Tra Co church and the Tra Co communal house.

Tra Co is a popular tourist spot for several reasons: shopping, pretty, getting away from the big city, convenient, and the inexpensive package tours available. The Hong Gai Tourist and Service Joint Stock Company has a four day package tour from Ha Long to Tra Co, Mong Cai and Dongxing for VND995,000 per person (for a group of 10-14), VND970,000 per person (for 15-19), VND938,000 per person (20-29 people), and VND838,000 per person for groups of 30-45.