The coarse, rugged fishermen residing around a secluded, fairytale-like beach in the south-central province of Binh Dinh have turned creatively resourceful since they began offering tourism services to both domestic and international holidaymakers a few years ago.

Ky Co Beach is nestled snugly in Nhon Ly Commune, 25 kilometers northeast of Quy Nhon City, the provincial capital and home to the International Center of Interdisciplinary Science Education edifice that in turn houses the science and education program Rencontre du Vietnam (Meet Vietnam).

The beach has lured an increasing number of tourists in recent years thanks to its untouched charm and picturesque seascapes, delectable fresh seafood and locals’ sincerity and hospitality.

Surrounded by mountains, cliffs, and lagoons on three sides and facing the East Vietnam Sea on the other, Ky Co pampers tourists with its Eden-like allure, turquoise seawater and silky, golden sand.

The beach, isolated from the fishing villages in Nhon Ly, is accessible to tourists only by renting speedboats or sampans from locals who ride them all the way from Eo Gio Strait to their destination on the half-hour journey.

An under-construction road meandering from Suoi Ca Mountain to the south of Phuong Mai Mountain is just one of the tourism projects in the area that promises easier access to Ky Co.

“The restricted access helps retain Ky Co’s immaculate beauty that might otherwise be spoiled by unsustainable tourism activity if access were easier,” Nguyen Van Long, Secretary of Nhon Ly Commune Party Committee, said.

Worthwhile holidaying

In late April, as most central provinces were writhing in the broiling heat, Ky Co Beach turned into a tourist magnet thanks to its breezy ambiance and low temperatures, which dropped as low as 27 degrees Celsius in the context of sultry Vietnam, where 30-33 degrees are the norm.

Le Van Be and 17 family members and friends from the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai greatly delighted in their one-day vacation at the gorgeous beach.

The trip cost them each a mere VND210,000 (US$9.4) plus a small sampan hiring fee.

“Never have we enjoyed such delicious seafood and the locals are really kind and honest. They even lent us fishing nets so that we could catch some small fish ourselves,” Be remarked.

Vo Ngoc Hieu, a veteran fisherman in his 50s, shared he has done good business over the past few years since fixing-up his old sampan and buying new gear for tourism activities.

He now carries tourists to Ky Co and serves them food and drinks on a daily basis.

“Most food safety-conscious travelers insist they be served food free of spices or preservatives. We often provide fresh grilled seafood or let them prepare it their own way,” Hieu stressed.

As Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters discovered, it was the fishermen in Nhon Ly Commune that woke up Ky Co’s tourism potential three or four years ago. 

Hieu revealed that many of his colleagues took out bank loans to buy speedboats and learned how to properly cook seafood at eateries in Quy Nhon City before launching their own ‘package tours.’

“We offer affordable prices, make handsome profit, and the job is considerably less arduous than multi-day fishing trips,” Long, Secretary of the Nhon Ly Commune Party Committee, said.

Ky Co Beach boasts picturesque charm with turquoise seawater and eerily-shaped cliffs. Photo: Tuoi Tre

He also noticed a marked change in locals’ words and manners, as the coarse, candid fishermen have now turned more genteel and considerate.

Foreign vacationers have also fallen for Ky Co Beach.

Phuong and her husband, two other local anglers, told the reporters that they had just seen off a group of students from Monaco after the group spent more than 10 days in Ky Co and Bai Xep, another immaculate beach secluded in Tuy An District in the neighboring province of Phu Yen.

Bai Xep is among the settings for an acclaimed movie, ‘Toi Thay Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh’ (Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass), by expat Vietnamese director Victor Vu.

“The students and their friends marveled at Ky Co’s splendor, and promised to come back,” Phuong said.

She added that the group was in Vietnam for a charitable program in which they taught free English and French to needy children.

While waiting for classes to begin, the youths rode their motorbikes all the way from Ho Chi Minh City to Bai Xep, where they pitched tents by the sea for two nights.

Learning of Ky Co through locals, the foreign students stayed at the stunning beach for more than one week, during which they followed fishermen to the sea to fish by day and returned to cook their catch together in the evening.

Long, Secretary of the Nhon Ly Commune Party Committee, said the local government has requested that locals keep their prices affordable and the area clean and tidy to attract even more domestic and foreign tourists.

However, Long stressed that Ky Co needs more services apart from sea baths, diving for coral reefs, burying oneself in the silky sand and relishing seafood so that visitors will stay for more than one day, which they do now.

“Undeniably it is an upbeat note that we have gone this far already. We’ll attempt more when locals have enough capital for further investment,” he added.

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