While there are many known beaches in Vietnam, foreign tourists today are no longer as enticed as before in visiting highly popular places because of their growing crowded and commercialized environments. Instead, true beach lovers prefer to take on a long and maybe difficult, but totally worthy, trip of discovering an untouched and truly beautiful beach.
Binh Ba Island in Cam Ranh City, Cam Binh Commune, in the central province of Khanh Hoa is one such beach which visitors look forward to explore because of its crystal white waters, blue waters and small population, a paradise in its purest form especially for those longing for both an amazing view and relaxing place to beat the summer heat. At present, there are only around 700 households residing on the island, a total of only 5,000 people. The local residents are known to be friendly to visitors. The main source of livelihood is raising lobsters of which the island is abundant in, thus earning the nickname “Island of Lobsters,” another bonus for seafood lovers.
Chuong Beach is one beach in the island with uncorrupted natural beauty which beach enthusiasts like to visit. An old block house and a tunnel built during the French colonization are also famous tourist sites in the area, mainly because they provide a perfect view of the sea. Nom Beach and Nha Cu Beach are other well-known destinations at Binh Ba, always offering a feast of lobsters cooked in different ways for the delight and satisfaction of its guests.
Image by http://www.alotrip.com/vietnam-news-travel-blog/binh-ba-island-precious-pearl-cam-ranh-bay
Tourism at Binh Ba Island developed mainly through word of mouth, wherein initial visitors literally told their family and friends about the beauty of the place, and the news just spread through places and in time. Today, there is noticeably an increase in the number of visitors in the area, thus the progress in its tourism sector through the establishment of commercial structures and services like hotels, restaurants, tours and lobster breeding in order to meet the needs and wants of the clientele.
But this positive scenario is not without concerns. The development of the tourism sector of Binh Ba Island is not supported by the government and therefore basically independent, fearing the possibility of not being able to provide if or when the time comes that demand outweighs the supply. There is also the issue of environmental responsibility wherein the growing number of visitors may lead to the destruction of the natural state of the island in the future. As such, Binh Ba residents are currently active in raising public awareness and developing strategies in maintaining the island’s natural beauty.