Minh Chau Island

The lanes of Minh Châu run under the shade of phi lao trees, which hold back the sand, and the sea wind moves softly through their leaves. The Quảng Ninh tourism portal describes the first impression this way. There are no signboards and no shops, only forest, quiet and the smell of the sea.

Minh Châu lies on Quan Lạn Island. This is the Vân Đồn area of Quảng Ninh Province. In April 2021 the province recognized a provincial-level tourist area here, named Quan Lạn and Minh Châu. It covers about 2,400 hectares, across the two former communes that share those names.

Minh Châu Beach curves in an arc. Quảng Ninh sources describe it as one of the finest swimming beaches in the north. The water is clear and the sand is fine, and the shore still looks wild, not yet turned into a town. People swim here, sit in the shade of the phi lao trees looking out to sea, or walk along the sand in the afternoon.

But the most valuable thing about Minh Châu is not on the sand. It is in the forest.

The Minh Châu area belongs to Bái Tử Long National Park, and in it stands a rare grove of old trâm mốc trees. Quảng Ninh sources record 272 trees that are at least 150 years old. They also record more than 2,000 younger ones. Of these, 150 old trees have been recognized as Vietnam Heritage Trees.

Local people call this grove Thần mộc giữ làng, which means the divine trees that guard the village. That is how they explain the work these old trees do. They break storms and waves, and they keep the soil from crumbling away toward the sea. On an island off the northern coast, century-old trees are a living fence that protects the village from the harsh weather and sea.

Inside the grove the leaves rustle in the sea wind, and the tall crowns overhead have stood through many generations of villagers. Some trunks are so thick that two people cannot reach around them, and green moss clings thickly. Roots rise out of the ground like huge hands gripping the heart of the island.

Bái Tử Long Bay surrounds Minh Châu, and it is a rich and living ecosystem. The national park records more than 2,415 species of living things. In 2016 ASEAN recognized it as an ASEAN Heritage Park.

From the curve of the sand, the bay shows limestone islands rising and falling in the distance. The blue of the water shifts with each passing cloud. Behind, the rows of phi lao rustle without pause. Minh Châu is beautiful in the way of an island that has not forgotten what it is, a place where forest and sea are still the main characters.