In the previous article, Phu Quoc Express traveled with you to Ly Son Island and visited the TOP 3 favorite places here. Those are Thoi Loi Mountain, Hang Cau Beach and Hang Pagoda. In this article, Phu Quoc Express will continue to introduce to you the remaining famous places here, with the hope that it will be helpful for you when planning to buy high-speed train tickets to Ly Son for travel!

Index

1. Ly Son Flagpole

Located on Thoi Loi Mountain - the highest mountain on Ly Son Island. With a height of 20m, facing Hoang Sa archipelago. Ly Son flagpole is a symbol marking the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the people here. The special feature of the Ly Son island flagpole architecture is the foundation structure technique and 4 flame-shaped reliefs. Creating the solidity of the flagpole and also symbolizing the burning patriotism, the solidarity and unity of students nationwide to build this project.

Tourists visiting this place will be able to immerse themselves in the majestic beauty of nature. The intersection between the sea, the horizon and the image of the national flag fluttering in the wind, all paint a perfect picture. In addition to the beautiful scenery seen from the deck if you choose to travel by speedboat to Ly Son, this is also a great place to watch the sun and catch the wind on this trip.

Ly Son flagpole is a symbol marking the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the people here.

2. Whale Temple

Successfully restored since the end of 2022, two whale skeletons, also known as Ong whales, measuring 28m and 22m long, were introduced by the People's Committee of Ly Son district, Quang Ngai province at the Ong whale exhibition house, Tan mausoleum in Dong An Vinh village, Ly Son district. These are the two largest Ong whale skeletons in Vietnam to date. The two Ong whale skeletons are 28m and 22m long, respectively, and nearly 4m high. Each set includes 50 vertebrae, 28 ribs, a 4m long head bone, and a 4.7m long tusk bone. After more than 300 years, the two Ong whale skeletons stored at the exhibition house have been damaged by nearly half, so the restoration process has encountered many difficulties.

Immediately after completing the final restoration, the Whale Exhibition House opened its doors to welcome locals and tourists to visit. And immediately this new tourist destination attracted many visitors, because even the elders in Ly Son saw for the first time “Dong Dinh Dai Vuong” and “Duc Ngu Nhi Vi Ton Than”.

Ly Son Island is not large but has 7 whale worshiping shrines, each with dozens of skeletons. Coming to Ly Son, visitors can not only admire the whale skeleton considered the largest in Vietnam, but also learn more about the whale worshiping culture of the island's fishermen.

The custom of worshipping Whales (i.e. whales, dolphins, sperm whales and large fish in general) is a folk belief in the coastal regions of Central and Southern Vietnam from Thanh Hoa to all the coastal provinces of the South. This is the belief of coastal residents, also known as fishermen. Phu Quoc Express has learned that according to custom, if any fishermen discover a stranded whale, commonly known as "Ong Luy Bo", they have the duty to bury and mourn for him as if they were mourning their own parents. The whale's body is bathed in wine and then shrouded in red cloth. Villagers also put red paper in the whale's mouth to absorb the saliva, then dry it and burn it to ashes to cure asthma. The whale's body is buried in a sand dune near the sea. Every year, villagers choose the day Ong Luy Bo (the day the whale washed ashore) to hold a memorial service according to the Nghinh Ong ritual. Local people have a saying: "Seeing him enter the village is like gold entering a cabinet" because according to this belief, whichever village the whale enters, that village will be prosperous forever, safe from disaster.

Three or four years after the burial, the villagers must exhume the body, usually in the spring and summer, then put the bones in the mausoleum and offer sacrifices. For large whale bones, the villagers will wait for three years for the bones to decompose before putting them in a coffin and bringing them back to the village for worship. In the case of small fish, the villagers will put them directly in a coffin and bring them back to worship. When offering sacrifices to the fish, the villagers also worship the souls of fishermen who died at sea. After the sacrifices, there are entertainment activities such as singing “cheo ghe”, racing basket boats, tug of war, singing tuong and other games. In addition, when fishermen go out to sea, they often burn incense and pray for the whale’s protection.

The fact that Whale continuously saves fishermen in stormy weather has made the custom of worshipping Whale a unique cultural belief of Vietnamese fishermen.

The house displays two whale skeletons, considered the largest in Vietnam today.

3. To Vo Gate

If you have visited Ly Son, please visit and take photos at To Vo Gate! To get to To Vo Gate, from Ly Son welcome gate, you just need to follow the sea road and you will see a small rocky outcrop jutting out into the sea with a unique shape. That is To Vo Gate.

To Vo Gate in Ly Son is about 2.5m high, formed from volcanic lava, with a very unique stone arch shape. To Vo Gate attracts tourists to Ly Son because of its impressive and unique beauty. Besides, this is also a great virtual check-in spot, beautiful to prove that you have been to Ly Son island.

The special thing is that at different times of the day, To Vo Gate will have its own unique beauty. So feel free to visit this place at any time of the day to capture the magical moments that nature brings!