A fishing village on Co To island. (Photo: VNA) Extremely importantposition in security-defence
Almost all islands in Vietnam hold an extremely importantposition in defence and security; however, Co To has its own characteristicswhich are a rich floral ecosystem, beautiful natural landscapes and locals’cultural identities.
Co To is formerly known as Chang Son (Chang Mountain) or“Cau Dau” in some old books which means a place with many mountains gatheringat the middle of the sea. The island district has an area of 46.2sq.km with about 50islands, in which Big Co To and Small Co To are the two most famous islandswith pristine beaches and landscapes. At present, Big Co To has primeval forests with an area of10ha. Many streets on the island are lined with trees, mainly casuarina andpines.
The best attraction for tourists is the long beaches withwhite and smooth sand in the island, such as Hong Van and Van Chay. From Big CoTo, tourists can go to Small Co To and Thanh Lan islands to discover untouchedbeaches. The flora on the islands is quite plentiful and diverse. Thenatural forest has diverse types of wood. Planted forests are mostly casuarina,eucalyptus and pine.
Thanh Lan island also has orange, tangerine and banana whichhave been popular in the province for many years, and a 100-strong troop ofyellow monkeys, pythons, geckos. There are many kinds of rare medicinal herbssuch as holy basil, Panax pseudoginseng, Ricinus communis on every island.
Co To is said to have the richest biodiversity in Vietnamwith the presence of many typical ecosystems of tropical waters, includingconcentrated coral reef ecosystems. The island is also home to rare seafoodtypes with high values.
With its special position, security – defence is consideredas Co To’s top priority. Since 2017, the “Coast Guard accompanying fishermen”model has been implemented by the Vietnam Coast Guard Command and expanded toremote island districts and communes.
Through many activities, the model has helped increasefishermen’s awareness of sea and island strategies and the importance of seaand islands to socio-economic development, national defence and security, thuscontributing to successfully implementing the Party and State’s policies.
Outstanding touristspots
Some tourist spots that visitors must not miss in Co Toinclude Mong Rong (Dragon Claw) Rock Area with special sediments formingthousands of years ago, which is also the most ideal place for watching sunriseon the island, the road of love with casuarina trees along the two sides, and awooden bridge at sea– a new attractive check-in spot for young people.
The Co To lighthouse, built in the nineteenth century, isalso a must-go destination. It is one of more than 30 “night sea eyes”operating in the territorial waters of Vietnam.
At the district’s centre, tourists can visit President HoChi Minh relic site. The President visited Co To island in 1961, and in 1962,when he made a visit to the Northeast region, Hai Ninh ProvincialAdministration asked for his permission to build a statue of him on Co ToIsland, and build memorial houses and steles at places where he visited. Thisis the only place President Ho Chi Minh agreed to have his statue erected whenhe was still alive.
Cau My rock area has a sedimentary rock system that has beeneroded over thousands of years by sea water, creating a real wonder withbeautiful landscape and geological research value.
Meanwhile, Small Co To island is 7km away from Co To town.It has a primeval forest with many rare and precious animal species, and manybeautiful coral reefs in the sea bed.
Turning Co To into ahigh-class marine eco-tourism site
Currently, Co To island district is building a tourismdevelopment plan, with the aim to turn Co To into a sea and island touristdestination in the northeastern region.
Until 2025, Co To is determined to develop into a high-classisland eco-tourism area with a variety of types of tourism, sports andentertainment both at sea and on islands. At the same time, Co To will become a destination in thetourist complex of Cat Ba-Ha Long-Van Don-Co To-Mong Cai-Tra Co.
The island district is also focusing on calling for investment inbuilding 3-4 star accommodation facilities./.
VNA
