Binh Ba is a small island in Cam Binh commune, Cam Ranh city, Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam. The island is located in Cam Ranh Bay, about 60 km south of Nha Trang city, 15 km east of Ba Ngoi port (Cam Ranh). This place has become a very hot destination in recent years. Binh Ba Island makes the young people who have come praise and those who have not gone are eagerly looking forward. So, Vinlove will share with you what you need to know when coming to Binh Ba Island.
Brief introduction about Binh Ba island
Binh Ba Island is a small island, with an area of more than 3 km2, located in the territory of Cam Binh commune, Cam Ranh city, Khanh Hoa. About 20 km from the mainland and about 60 km from Nha Trang city center. Previously, it was an island for military purposes, so people were very restricted from entering the island. Now, the regulations have been relaxed, but foreigners are still not allowed. Thanks to that, the island became famous and stimulated the curiosity of many people.
In recent years, Binh Ba Island has become a “fever” in the tourism community. Especially for believers who have a passion for the sea and islands, they have a need for a quiet resort, away from the crowded and stuffy city. Wherever you go, you will surely enjoy the wild and rustic beauty of nature. Along with that is the friendliness and hospitality of the local people. All will make you nostalgic not wanting to leave.
The best time to visit Binh Ba Island
As a destination in the Central region, but compared to other provinces, Cam Ranh is drier, sunnier, less rainy and windy. The dry season here lasts from January to September, while the buying season is only 3 months (October to December). So, except for the rainy season, almost always traveling teams can make a trip to this beautiful Binh Ba island.
However, according to Binh Ba island tourism experience, the most ideal time is from February to July of the year. At this time, there is no rain, the sea is calm, the sky is extremely clear and windy, very suitable for exploring the island, taking photos as well as experiencing outdoor activities. If you are not busy, it is best not to arrange your schedule in October and November because it is often stormy, rough seas, cold water. This is not convenient for travel and fun activities, swimming and shooting at all.
Guide to move to Binh Ba Island
In Saigon or other provinces, if you want to travel to Binh Ba island, you must move to Cam Ranh city first, from Cam Ranh move to Da Bac port (Ba Ngoi) and from the port will continue to go to the island. Regarding the mode of travel, you can follow the following details:
How to move from Saigon to Cam Ranh – Da Bac port : From Saigon to Cam Ranh, you can move in many ways, be it plane, passenger car, train, even motorbike.
- By plane: This is the fastest way to, it only takes less than 1 hour to fly to Cam Ranh city. Currently, there are many airlines exploiting this route, depending on the time, the airline has different prices, ranging from 1 to 2 million VND. If you work hard to hunt for cheap tickets, it’s only about 500,000 – 600,000 VND/ticket. After arriving at Cam Ranh airport, you take a taxi or grab to Ba Ngoi port, the distance is about 15 km.
- Taking the train from Saigon station: This is also an interesting and safe form of transportation. The train will stop at Nga Ba station, Cam Ranh city, 20 km from the port. The train ride takes about 9 hours, the lowest fare is 210,000 VND/hard seat. From this station you take a taxi to Ba Ngoi port. But note that the train only stops at Cam Ranh if there are 20 or more passengers on board at this point. Otherwise, you have to get off Nha Trang station and take a taxi or take Phuong Trang bus, which costs VND 24,000,000 to get to Cam Ranh bus station.
- By bus: This is the most popular and convenient way, with the cost from 170,000 to 220,000 VND/ticket (depending on the car seat or the sleeper car). From Ho Chi Minh, there are many car companies for you to choose such as: Phuong Trang, Phuong Nam, Lien Hung, Gia Phuc, Mai Linh, Hoa Thuan Anh, Cuc Tung, Hanh Café … travel time is about 7 hours.
- Riding a motorbike: Often the “photographers” or young people who like to experience will prefer to choose motorbikes to move. In Saigon, you drive along the sea route through Vung Tau – Mui Ke Ga – Phan Thiet – Mui Ne to Bau Trang, Phan Ri Cua, Ca Na beach to reach Phan Rang. These are all famous destinations, if you have time left, you can combine sightseeing along the way. Fuel cost is about 150,000 VND/car/2 people, quite cheap. But the travel time takes 8 hours or more if you go slowly, it is best to combine going to many places to avoid exhaustion.
How to go from Da Bac Port to Binh Ba Island?
- Take the train to Binh Ba island: The boat is usually a wooden boat, the fare is about 25,000 – 30,000 VND / time, the train runs by the hour, about 9 am every day. Going by wooden boat is quite slow, it takes nearly 1 hour, but in return you can enjoy watching Cam Ranh Bay.
- Canoeing to Binh Ba Island: Compared to wooden boats, canoes are modern and much faster, only 15-20 minutes later you are at the island. Of course, the ticket price will also be much higher, about 160,000 – 220,000 VND (depending on the type of canoe). You will experience the feeling of ice on the waves, very interesting, if possible you should experience canoeing once. Canoes can run continuously, the departure time is 1h – 1h30 and the end at 16h30.
Traveling on Binh Ba Island
Although it is an island located far from the mainland, when traveling to Binh Ba island, there are still many choices of means of transportation, supporting the process of visiting and exploring your island, specifically:
- Motorcycle: The first must be a motorbike, it is very suitable for you to explore the whole island, wriggle around. You can rent a motorbike at a homestay or a motorbike rental shop. Rent is 50,000 VND/round, 70,000 VND/session and 120,000 VND/day, self-sufficient petrol.
- Tram tuk tuk: If traveling in large numbers, renting a tram is a reasonable choice. The tram parking is located right at the wharf in the center of the island, so it’s easy to choose to rent. Each car is less than 10 people with the price of 250,000 VND to visit around the island. But there must be enough people to run the car, in case your group is not 10 people or self-sufficient, you can join the car with other people.
- Wooden boats and canoes: To go to beaches such as: Nha Cu beach, Me beach (Ru island), Sa Huynh beach, etc. diving to see corals and swimming, you either take a wooden boat or canoe. The price of a wooden boat to visit the island is 1,200,000 VND / trip / 20 people, 100,000 VND / person. The price of the canoe is higher, about 1,500,000 VND/trip/10 people visiting around the island. Canoes do not carry individual passengers, so you have to wait until there are enough people to go.
In general, depending on your preferences, you give yourself the right way to travel to explore beautiful Binh Ba. Or if you don’t mind getting tired of your legs and climbing steep slopes, you can also walk. But according to the travel experience of Binh Ba Khanh Hoa island, it is a combination of forms, so that you can fully admire and experience the interesting things here.
Should Binh Ba travel by self-sufficiency or by tour?
Going on a tour or being self-sufficient has its pros and cons. If you are a backpacker, like to travel here and there, self-sufficiency is a reasonable choice. If you are a backpacker, you should know what you need to prepare. However, besides having to take care of everything on its own, it also comes with risks. The choice depends on the preferences and experiences of each person.
For those of you who are self-sufficient and come from Nha Trang, you should follow Nguyen Tat Thanh Boulevard – Bai Dai – San Bay – Cam Ranh. Compared to National Highway 1A, this road is beautiful and has fewer cars. If you come from Saigon, you follow the route for motorbikes as mentioned above.
For those who go on a tour, you can choose to take a tour from Nha Trang city or from Cam Ranh. According to Nha Trang’s travel experience, if you come from here, you will be picked up by a shuttle bus at the hotel, tour guide, food expenses, train, not have to ride a motorbike for up to 60 km. In Phan Thiet, if you want to go on a tour, there are 2 cases: if your place is on the same road as the pick-up car, the car will come to pick you up, but if it’s farther away, you have to go to Ba Ngoi port and wait there then join the group (all However, the tour price will deduct the cost of the car).
Where should Binh Ba island travel?
Binh Ba tourism has only developed in recent years, so the service on the island is generally still quite rudimentary. There are no high-class hotels or resorts, but only affordable guesthouses and homestays in the spontaneous style of households. So for those who are “difficult to live” sometimes it will feel a little inconvenient, but please bear with it.
- Hostels are the first choice of guests to Binh Ba: Most of the motels on the island are mid-range, easy to stay. Rent is usually from 100,000 VND / person / weekdays and on weekends or holidays can be doubled or half times. It is best to call in advance and negotiate the price.
- Homestay: If you want to save money, don’t care too much about amenities but just need a place to put your luggage and sleep overnight, homestay is not a bad choice. The rental price is only half of the motel. The homestays on the island are also very monotonous because they follow the household size, bringing a feeling of closeness to nature.
- Traveling to Binh Ba island by yourself in tents: In addition to motels and homestays, those who like free space or new experiences can bring a camping tent right at Bai Nom. But this form is only suitable for groups and before deciding to sleep at the beach, you should survey people about the weather, is it safe? The feeling of a good night singing, setting a campfire on the shore, then waking up early in the morning, catching the sunrise on the sea is hard to forget.
Famous places to visit on Binh Ba Island
Coming to Binh Ba, you will feel a completely different atmosphere, it seems that everything here goes by very slowly and gently, making people feel relaxed and comfortable. Not only the sea, there are also many attractive tourist sites on Binh Ba island that you will have the opportunity to explore.
Hon Nom with the charming beauty of beaches: Bai Nom is located in the middle of the mountain, surrounded by two mountain ranges, creating an arc to help reduce the wind flow. Thanks to that, the waves are calm all year round, the sea is calm, and the white sand is smooth. Here you will enjoy the fresh, cool atmosphere and enjoy immersing yourself in the sea water. After swimming, you can walk around the shore to enjoy fresh seafood dishes with many restaurants. However, this is not a beautiful sunrise or sunset spot because it is located in the south of the island.
Pig cellar area, where there is a unique vertical cliff: Binh Ba also has a pig tunnel, which is blessed by nature with unique steep cliffs and clear seawater. The reason for its name is because there used to be a lot of pigs here, but because the steep slope is quite high, they often fall into the cliff, so many people give it the name pig cellar. This place is also quite dangerous, so few tourists come here, but if you don’t come, you won’t know the sunset in the pig cellar is extremely beautiful.
Bai Nha Cu – the ideal coral reef diving spot:Bai Nha Cu is known as the most beautiful beach in this island. The seawater is so clear that you can see through to the bottom. Even more attractive are the colorful exposed coral reefs. It’s beautiful, but you can’t bathe here because there are a lot of very dangerous crushed stones and small rocks just to see the coral. If you like, you can hire people’s basket boats (with a driver) to go around the beach to admire their beauties, both starfish and let your soul in the light breeze, feel a little peace.
Bai Chuong – the first sunrise viewing spot on the island: Located about a 30-minute walk from the jetty, although it is not as beautiful as Nha Cu beach, it is the first and only sunrise viewing spot on the island. It is also beautiful here but beautiful in an idyllic way the daily life of fishermen. You will see images of bustling markets when fishing boats return from the sea, images of hundreds of boats anchored every morning. Come here very early to watch the sunrise, observe the activities of the fishing village people, maybe you will find it more loving than life every day.
Romantic pink reed grass hill on Binh Ba island: Coming to Binh Ba, you can still check in pictures with reed hills like Da Lat. Located not far from Turtle Island, the reed lawn appears as a beautiful lipstick that adds to the scenery on the island. This is one of the most visited places because not many places have pink grass and are even more special when it is located near the sea.
Activities not to be missed when traveling to Binh Ba Island
In Binh Ba, there are many attractions and activities for you to experience. This is swimming, diving to see corals, sightseeing, practicing being a coastal fisherman, …
Watch the sunrise and sunset on Binh Ba Island: Sunrise and sunset on the island are very different from where there are tall buildings where you live. So come here to “change the wind” you remember to take advantage of getting up early to watch the beautiful and fresh sunrise. There’s nothing better than waking up in the morning and hovering in a place without people, inhaling the scent of the sea breeze and finding a place to catch the first rays of the new day, gently and relax.
Delight in bathing, immersing in cool water: Usually, people come to the sea because they like the sea, like to be immersed in the blue sea and golden sunshine, but it will not be interesting at all if a series of people gather in a puddle of water. . But when you come to Binh Ba beach, you will not have to suffer that situation. There are many beautiful beaches here, visitors are free to swim and play with the water. The most interesting thing is that visitors can also bathe right in the middle of the sea, rent a fishing boat and take a very interesting bath.
Diving to see corals under the sea: Saying diving to see corals but not necessarily you have to dive, just wear a life jacket and lie on the buoy, wear swimming goggles and face down in the water to be able to see them, the water is clear so that you will see its color and shape very clearly. So here it is, even if you are afraid of the depth, do not hesitate to try it. Or else, if you go to Old House Beach and wait for low tide, you will see coral reefs exposed in the sun, spoiled for viewing. However, this way is unlucky and not as interesting as diving.
Rent a motorbike to explore the island: You may think that this activity will be nothing new and attractive, but without it, your trip to Binh Ba will be incomplete. Rent a car, all day only 120,000 VND to travel around the island. You should leave early in the morning to Bai Chuong to watch the sunrise, then explore the mountain pass roads. There are many places with beautiful views so you can admire the beauty of the island and Cam Ranh Bay, see Ru islet, fishing boats, patrol boats… Besides, old relics such as cannon pedestals, The tunnel is also well worth a visit.
Specialties on Binh Ba Island should try
Khanh Hoa people have a saying “Hon Noi bird’s nest, Binh Ba lobster, Dien Khanh dried deer, Ninh Hoa duck” to talk about the specialties of this land. But according to Binh Ba island, there is much more than shrimp that you should not ignore:
- Binh Ba Lobster
- Grilled scallops with onion fat
- Seafood of all kinds
- Apricot fish salad
- Seafood pancakes
- Seafood cake
- Vermicelli and fish cake soup
- Grilled rice paper with fish sauce
- Binh Ba salted lemon
Specialties should buy as gifts when visiting Binh Ba Island
Not only possessing many delicious dishes, this island also has countless specialties for you to buy as gifts for relatives and friends. Here are some suggestions from Binh Ba Cam Ranh travel experience you can refer to:
- Lobster: With lobster you can enjoy on the spot, you can also buy it as a gift. This type of shrimp has a very long life time but still ensures freshness thanks to its hard shell. Especially when coming to Binh Ba, you can easily buy shrimp at the original price.
- Green lobster: price of shrimp is from 400,000 to 600,000 VND/kg (from 3 to 4 fish); Live shrimp from 700,000 to 1,000,000 VND/kg (type 1 head).
- Lobster: price of shrimp is from 1,200,000 to 1,500,000 VND/kg; Live shrimp prices range from 1,600,000 to 1,900,000 VND/kg (depending on time).
- Dried seafood: Like other islands in our country, Binh Ba Island is blessed with abundant seafood resources by nature. And people have taken advantage of it to process into extremely delicious dry specialties to serve tourists. So if you don’t know what to buy, you can consider choosing it.
- Seaweed: Another source of marine benefits is seaweed, which is a food containing high nutritional value, which is minerals, vitamins E, B1, B2, B5, iodine, calcium, etc. neck, effective cancer. There are many types of seaweed here such as: black jam seaweed, jam seaweed and jelly, agar that you can buy as a gift.
Come with friends and family to Binh Ba. Hope this article will help you.