DA NANG – Sung Co, where the backpacker had an accident on the 2nd of the Lunar New Year, is a still unspoiled beach, not convenient to travel by road.
Located in the famous tourist city of Da Nang, Sung Co beach (Hoa Hiep Bac ward, Lien Chieu district) is not known to many tourists.
According to the tourist portal of the Son Tra peninsula, Sung Co is isolated in the north of Hai Van cape facing the sea, about 30 km from the center of Da Nang city. The beach is about 300 m long, surrounded by mountains and forests on one side of Hai Van Pass, and Da Nang Bay on the other. Also because of the isolation, this beach has not been exploited for tourism much.
The view from Sung Co is very beautiful, especially at night. In the years 2015-2019, tours to explore the sea and islands take guests out regularly in the summer. Da Nang tourism industry has also planned to exploit this route.
There are two ways to get here from Da Nang city center. The first way, walking about 50 minutes then climbing down the mountain. The second way, by canoe for about 20 minutes or by chartering a fisherman’s boat from Nam O village, it takes about an hour.
According to Ms. Nguyen Nhu Nguyet, people living in Hai Chau district used to do tourism, most people who come to Sung Co beach will choose to go by waterway to be safe and save time. From the Han River inland waterway port (Bach Dang street), just buy a ticket to take a canoe and you will be taken to the beach.
If you go by road, you can go up to Hai Van pass and then park your car and follow the trail that people have opened themselves during their trips to collect firewood on the mountain. Dao Dang Cong Trung, who used to lead guests to Sung Co, said the terrain here is difficult. From the top of Hai Van pass towards Thua Thien Hue, turn right to Bai Chuoi to get down to Sung Co beach. However, the car only goes to the ranger station, then visitors have to walk through the forest.
The road to Sung Co is difficult because of steep slopes and winding paths. According to him, this route is only suitable for locals who often go fishing and gathering, not suitable for tourists because it is easy to get lost and can encounter poisonous animals. If you go, you need experienced locals to guide you, health and survival skills.
Sung Co beach is divided into two parts, one side is sandy beach and blue sea water, one side is rocky beach. On the days of big waves, the currents are complicated and strong, boats and boats are difficult to access due to many reefs.
Activities here include swimming, snorkeling, fishing, catching snails and crabs at the foot of the cliffs near the beach, or chartering a squid fishing boat. The beach has few people, the ecosystem is still quite intact, especially the coral is quite rich. You can bring or rent diving equipment.
Mr. Phu, a boat agent who has brought tourists to Sung Co beach many times in Da Nang, shared: “Visitors should go to Sung Co beach in the summer or when the weather is nice. If there are no local people to guide you, you should go to Sung Co beach in the summer or when the weather is nice. , should not go by the trail down to the beach because it is difficult to find the way and it is easy to be in danger. Especially, there are not many tourists at the moment, this place is wild, if in trouble it is difficult to find help.”
Mr. Phu added that there is currently a couple doing tourism services at Sung Co beach. However, with a small number of guests, the service scale is still small and unprofessional. At the beach, there is no lifeguard team like in other big beaches in Da Nang, so visitors need to prioritize their own safety, wear life jackets to avoid incidents.
On the 2nd day of the last Lunar New Year, Mr. Bui Xuan Huy, from Ho Chi Minh City, fell into a deep hole at Sung Co beach while traveling alone. Huy tried to get out of the hole but failed, the food gradually ran out in the middle of the cold rainy weather. On the evening of the 7th Lunar New Year, Huy detected the phone signal and called his family to report the news. He was rescued a day later, in a state of multiple injuries.
Photo: Phu Quy Cruise