With its wide stretch of sand dunes, 20 beautiful isles with even virgin forests in some of them, and exotic creatures in the fishing village, among others, Dam Mon Peninsula is eyed as a big potential tourism site in Khanh Hoa Province.
Dam Mon Peninsula is situated at Van Phong Bay, Van Thanh Commune, Van Ninh District, Khanh Hoa Province. It is estimated to be around 80 kilometers North of Nha Trang City on the National Highway 1A and about 45 kilometers by the sea. It has an especially huge area of 128 square kilometers which makes it an even bigger possible candidate for tourism exploration.
In fact, the World Tourism Organization has already conducted a survey on the area as a possible tourism spot. According to the organization, Dam Mon has “all the natural conditions for the development of eco-tourism: the climate, forests, landscapes, ecosystem, ports and supply of marine products, etc.” Moreover, all of these conditions are “completely and originally natural.”
Tourism efforts began in June 2002 when an 18.5 kilometer road was constructed from the foot of the mountain pass Co Ma to Dam Mon. This initiated and developed tourism in Van Phong Bay as a whole wherein visitors could marvel at the stretching sand dunes of the area, creating an image of a vast desert. The Dam Mon Fishing Village is another tourist attraction with its serene, shaded atmosphere and abundance of coconut trees.
Albeit small, the fishing village is composed of three communes: Lower Dam Mon, Upper Dam Mon, and Xuan Dung. Upper Dam Mon Commune is characterized by its high sand hill, while Xuan Dung Commune is known for its fresh water and the ethnic minority group Dang Ha. But like a traditional rural village, the residents live a generally simple and slow-paced lifestyle. Thus, people usually go around barefoot and spend most of their time on the sand, either sitting or lying down.
Tourists visiting Dam Mon Peninsula can enjoy several activities. Daytime activities include boat riding around the 20 isles and exploring their virgin forests, underwater expedition and discovering its coral reef ecosystem, diving, swimming, and boating in Van Phong Bay. Visitors who enjoy night time adventures can engage in squid fishing and campfire building by the beach. Fresh seafood is always a guarantee such as grouper and lobster which can be caught from a nearby floating cage.
People usually escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city to a more quiet, slow life of the province. And with its natural blessings of a fantastic view, warm people and overall relaxing, peaceful environment, it’s no surprise when Dam Mon Peninsula will make waves all over the globe sooner or later. In fact, it already has begun.
Photo by http://vietnamdiscoveries.com/en/nhatrang/place/nature/dam-mon-peninsula-154.html