Ly Son is central Vietnam's volcanic island: black lava rock, a sea that turns turquoise over coral, and sandy fields planted with the garlic the whole country knows it for. Give it two nights, see the main island in one day and Be island in the next, and keep an eye on the wind. The boats from the mainland are quick and cheap, but they stop whenever the sea turns rough, and that happens most from October to December.
How we built this guide: on 4 October 2026 we checked the Quang Ngai port board's own timetable, fares and ticket rules, 2025 and 2026 Vietnamese news reports on the special zone, the ferries, storm closures and the visitor fee, the Ministry of Construction's climate tables for the Ly Son weather station, Wikipedia's entries on the island, a VnExpress island guide updated in July 2026, Vietnam Coracle's 2019 guide and Vietnam's national tourism site. We did not visit Ly Son for this update.
What is Ly Son, and what changed in 2025?
Ly Son is a small group of volcanic islands about 15 nautical miles east of Sa Ky port, which lies in Dong Son commune of Quang Ngai province, per Vietnamese Wikipedia. There are two inhabited islands, the main island (also called Cu Lao Re) and Be island to its north, plus the islet of Hon Mu Cu. Together they cover 10.40 km², and 25,639 people lived there at the end of 2024.
The names changed in 2025. Quang Ngai merged with Kon Tum province under a National Assembly resolution of 12 June 2025, keeping the name Quang Ngai, per vietnam.travel, and Ly Son stopped being a district and became a special zone on 1 July 2025, per SGGP. The island's former communes, An Vinh, An Hai and An Binh, live on in the names of its six villages. For travelers, the practical effect is new addresses: the port board now lists Ben Dinh, the island's ferry port, in Dong An Vinh village of the Ly Son special zone.
SGGP counted nearly 82,000 visitors in the first half of 2025, more than 1,170 of them from abroad, and Viet Nam News put the yearly total at around 200,000 in March 2026.
How many days should you spend on Ly Son?
Two nights is the sweet spot, because the boat timetable eats into your first and last days. On the October 2026 dates we checked, the port board's timetable showed two or three sailings a day from Sa Ky and two back from Ly Son, at 08:00 and 15:00. A simple plan:
- Day one: arrive on a morning boat, then ride around the main island: Hang pagoda and the To Vo arch on the east side, the Thoi Loi crater, and To Vo again at sunset.
- Day two: a morning canoe to Be island for its beaches and snorkeling, back by early afternoon, then Hang Cau and the temples near the port.
- Day three: an early walk through the garlic fields, then the boat back.
Vietnam Coracle also recommends at least two nights. From October to December, add a spare night in case a boat is canceled.
What should you see on the main island?
The main island's sights are all within a short ride of each other, and a motorbike or hired electric car covers them in a day.
The To Vo rock arch
To Vo is a natural arch of black volcanic rock on the shore of the island's east side, a little over 2 m high and surrounded by lava boulders, per VnExpress's island guide. Vietnam ranked it a national relic in September 2025, per Vietnamese Wikipedia. It is smaller than photos suggest. Sunset is the classic time, when the light comes through the arch, but VnExpress warns that crowds make photos hard and that litter has become a problem around it. Take care on the wet rocks.
Hang Cau
Hang Cau is a beach under a tall, wave-carved cliff, with white sand on one side and the rock face on the other, and coral close to shore. VnExpress suggests snorkeling and kayaking there, and Vietnam Coracle rates it among the most dramatic beach settings in the country.
The Thoi Loi crater
Thoi Loi is the island's highest peak, the rim of an old crater that now holds a freshwater reservoir, per vietnam.travel. VnExpress puts it at about 170 m above the sea and notes a 20 m flagpole that has become a favorite viewpoint. From the top you see the sea on one side and the garlic fields on the other.
Hang pagoda and the temples
Hang pagoda (Chua Hang) sits in a large cave halfway up a hillside near To Vo, more than 400 years old by VnExpress's account, with a statue of Quan Am, the bodhisattva of compassion, looking out to sea from its courtyard. It is one of four national relics on the island, with the An Vinh and An Hai communal houses and Am Linh Tu, per Vietnamese Wikipedia. Chua Duc, built in 2008 on the slopes of the Gieng Tien volcano, has a 27 m Quan Am statue at the top of about 100 steps.
Am Linh Tu, about 500 m west of the port, honors the island's founders and the men of the Hoang Sa flotilla. In the first half of the 17th century the Nguyen lords formed this flotilla with men from An Vinh and sent it to the Paracel Islands (Hoang Sa), per Vietnamese Wikipedia. VnExpress notes that the island still holds a ceremony for those soldiers in the third lunar month. Dress modestly at all of these sites.
The garlic fields
Garlic is why most Vietnamese know Ly Son. It grows in volcanic soil layered with coral sand, and the island is known for a sweet single-clove variety, per vietnam.travel. Farmers plant from September to October and harvest from February to March, per VnExpress, so in October you will mostly see freshly planted sandy fields. The first half of 2025 brought 2,800 metric tons from 314 hectares, per SGGP. The farming has a cost: Wikipedia notes that mining coastal sand for the fields has caused significant erosion.
Is Be island worth the boat ride?
Yes, for the clearest water and the quietest beaches. Be island lies about 3 nautical miles north of the main island, roughly 10 minutes by speedboat, and covers only about 0.7 km², per VnExpress. Its best-known beach, Bai Ngang, has clear water with rocks and hollows near the shore where you can see colorful fish.
VnExpress's guide lists return canoe tickets at 80,000 to 100,000 VND, basket-boat rides over the coral at 60,000 VND a person with life jacket and mask, and snorkel gear with a freshwater shower at 110,000 VND. It gives departures from the main island between 07:00 and 11:20 and returns between 10:00 and 14:20, and says you need an ID document to buy a ticket. The port board sells tickets for this route too, but its site had not yet published October times when we checked, so confirm at the port the day before.
Tip: Be island has homestays and bungalows, per VnExpress. Stay a night if you can: the island empties once the last boats leave in the afternoon.
When should you go, and when do the boats stop?
Go from April to August, the window recommended by both VnExpress and vietnam.travel, and avoid relying on boats from October to December. The Ministry of Construction's climate tables for the Ly Son station give 2,302.8 mm of rain a year and an average temperature of 26.6°C, from 23.1°C in January to 29.5°C in June to August.
| Months | Rain per month | Rainy days per month | Average wind | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February to April | 53.5 to 89.1 mm | 4.8 to 8.5 | 4.3 to 4.9 m/s | Dry and breezy; good sightseeing, boats mostly run |
| May to August | 52.5 to 124.8 mm | 4.4 to 8.2 | 2.7 to 3.4 m/s | The calmest winds and the hottest days; summer crowds |
| September | 411.7 mm | 14.8 | 3.5 m/s | The rains begin; storms possible |
| October to December | 262.5 to 513.2 mm | 19.4 to 19.7 | 5.4 to 6.8 m/s | The wettest and windiest months; boats often canceled |
| January | 123.9 mm | 14.4 | 4.9 m/s | Showery and still windy |
The rule that matters is simple: Quang Ngai bans every vessel from leaving port when winds reach force 6 on the Beaufort scale, roughly 39 to 49 km/h, and that includes the Sa Ky and Be island boats, per Bao Van Hoa. In June 2025, Typhoon Wutip stranded more than 100 tourists on the island. On 20 October 2025, sailings stopped as Typhoon Fengshen brought waves of 2.5 to 3.5 m, per SGGP, and in November 2025 cold-air surges halted the route again, with rough seas expected to last until about 25 November, per Bao Van Hoa.
The UK government puts Vietnam's typhoon season at May to November and central Vietnam's flood months at October and November. Summer brings crowds instead: in July 2026 the route carried about 2,500 to 3,000 passengers a day, per Bao Van Hoa, so book boats and rooms early for weekends and holidays. For the country as a whole, see our best time to visit Vietnam page.
Is there a visitor fee or a permit?
Probably neither, but carry your passport. Quang Ngai's provincial council approved a visitor fee in July 2019 of 70,000 VND for the main island and 30,000 VND for Be island, per Bao Dau Tu. In November 2023, SGGP reported that the fee had never been collected, delayed by the pandemic, and that the district was consulting on new rates of 80,000 and 20,000 VND to be collected at Ben Dinh port. We found no report that collection has started since, so treat it as possible rather than certain.
We found no permit requirement for foreign visitors. Vietnam Coracle said in 2019 that none was needed, and the port board's ticket rules ask only that passengers bring an ID document to the port.
Where should you stay on Ly Son?
Stay on the main island near the port for restaurants and boats, or on Be island for quiet. Supply is still small: SGGP counted about 50 homestays in mid-2025, and around 1,200 rooms in total in May 2026, ahead of the province's sea festival.
| Area | Prices seen | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Near Ben Dinh port and the town | 200,000 to 400,000 VND for a guesthouse | Restaurants, the boats, an easy first night |
| Around the main island | Mostly budget rooms; Vietnam Coracle named one upscale hotel, Muong Thanh Holiday, in 2019 | Quieter nights near Hang Cau or the fields |
| Be island | Simple homestays and bungalows | Empty beaches after the last boat |
The guesthouse range comes from VnExpress's guide; Vietnam Coracle found budget rooms at 200,000 to 500,000 VND in 2019. Book ahead for summer weekends and Vietnamese holidays, when Coracle warned the island gets very crowded.
What should you eat on Ly Son?
Seafood and garlic, in that order. Most restaurants sit along the port, per VnExpress, which lists the island's specialties as cua huynh de (frog crab), lobster, oc cu sea snails, ca ta ma reef fish and fish cakes, plus goi toi (garlic salad), seaweed salad and banh it la gai, a sticky rice cake. Vietnamese Wikipedia adds goi ca com (anchovy salad), rau cum cum (a local seaweed) and chao nhum, a sea urchin porridge. Garlic and dried seafood are the classic gifts to carry home.
How do you get to Ly Son?
You take a road trip to Sa Ky port in Quang Ngai, then a high-speed boat. Buses from Da Nang and Hoi An reach the port in two to three hours, and every October 2026 sailing listed on the port board's site took 35 to 45 minutes and cost 180,000 VND, on one of the five high-speed boats of 152 to 231 seats that SGGP counted in May 2026. Phu Quoc Express also returned to the route in April 2026, per DTiNews, with economy seats at 160,000 VND before port fees, per Bao Van Hoa.
Our Da Nang to Ly Son Island guide compares every way to the port, including the train to Quang Ngai and flights to Chu Lai, and the Starting from Hoi An and Da Nang hub lists other trips from the region. If you are continuing south, our Quy Nhon guide covers the next beach city down the coast.
How do you get around the island?
Rent a motorbike if you ride well, or hire an electric car. VnExpress's guide puts motorbike rental at 150,000 VND a day and an electric car tour around the main island at 300,000 VND, and Vietnam Coracle found motorbikes for rent at many guesthouses. Be island is car-free, per vietnam.travel; electric carts, tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis charge about 50,000 VND a ride, per VnExpress.
Before you ride, read our guide to renting a motorbike in Vietnam: many nationalities cannot ride legally on their home license. The UK government also says riding without third-party insurance is illegal, and helmets are compulsory for riders and passengers.
How much does Ly Son cost?
Ly Son is cheap once you are there; the boats and your time are the main costs. Prices were checked on 4 October 2026. We convert at 26,000 VND to US$1, rounded from Vietcombank's published rate that day (25,790 VND buying by transfer, 26,170 VND selling).
| Item | VND | About US$ | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat from Sa Ky, one way | 180,000 | 6.90 | Port board timetable, October 2026 |
| Phu Quoc Express economy seat, one way | 160,000 plus port fees | 6.15 plus fees | Bao Van Hoa, April 2026 |
| Canoe to Be island, return | 80,000 to 100,000 | 3.10 to 3.85 | VnExpress guide |
| Basket-boat ride over the coral | 60,000 | 2.30 | VnExpress guide |
| Snorkel gear and shower on Be island | 110,000 | 4.25 | VnExpress guide |
| Motorbike rental per day | 150,000 | 5.80 | VnExpress guide |
| Electric car tour of the main island | 300,000 | 11.50 | VnExpress guide |
| Guesthouse room per night | 200,000 to 400,000 | 7.70 to 15.40 | VnExpress guide |
| Visitor fee | Not collected as of November 2023 | SGGP |
Key facts at a glance
- Status: a special zone of Quang Ngai province since 1 July 2025 (SGGP), with 10.40 km² of land and 25,639 people at the end of 2024 (Vietnamese Wikipedia).
- Boats: 180,000 VND and 35 to 45 minutes from Sa Ky on every October 2026 sailing listed by the port board.
- Weather rule: no vessel may leave port when winds reach force 6 (Bao Van Hoa).
- Rain: October averages 513.2 mm at the Ly Son station, against 52.5 mm in July (QCVN 02:2022/BXD).
- To Vo arch: ranked a national relic in September 2025 (Vietnamese Wikipedia).
- Garlic: 2,800 metric tons from 314 hectares in the first half of 2025 (SGGP).
Limitations
The boat timetable is a snapshot of the port board's site on 4 October 2026, and it changes from day to day and with the weather; Phu Quoc Express's October schedule was not published where we could see it. Prices for rooms, motorbikes, electric cars and Be island boats come from a single VnExpress guide, first written in 2020 and updated in July 2026, and some figures may date from earlier years. We could not confirm the visitor fee's status after November 2023, or current opening rules at the temples. The climate figures are long-term averages, and each year's storms differ. From October to December, check the forecast and the port board's notices the day before you sail, and keep a spare day before any onward flight.
