Ngoc Vung Island

Ngọc Vừng is quiet, and few places in Quảng Ninh have kept their quiet the way it has. Nothing about it is grand.

It is an island commune in the Vân Đồn area, set among the Bái Tử Long islands.

A good place to begin is the memorial area for Bác Hồ. Bác Hồ, or Uncle Hồ, is the name by which Hồ Chí Minh is widely known. In 1962, President Hồ Chí Minh visited the island and encouraged its soldiers and people. According to the Quảng Ninh newspaper, the spot where he stood and spoke to them is now the center of the memorial area. It is a fitting start for hearing about the spirit of the island's people in those years.

General Secretary Trường Chinh also visited the island that year, and the beach on the southern side has carried his name ever since. Trường Chinh Beach is nearly three kilometers long, with white sand, right beside the center of the commune. At its far end lies Hòn Pháo Đài, a small island of about 42,000 square meters, according to the Quảng Ninh tourism portal. Local sources say the name Pháo Đài probably comes from a lookout role in the old days.

Near the middle of the island stand the communal house and shrine of Ngọc Vừng. They honor three generals surnamed Phạm. According to the Quảng Ninh newspaper, local tradition ties this place to a victory over a Yuan Mongol supply fleet. The Yuan were the Mongol dynasty then ruling China. The site was ranked a provincial monument in 2020.

Another place worth noting is the old fort of Ngọc Vừng, popularly called the Mạc dynasty fort. It belongs to the defenses of the northeastern sea. The Quảng Ninh newspaper has a separate article on the dispute over its age. The popular name points to the Mạc dynasty, but there are also records of Bảo Tĩnh Hải from the reign of Emperor Minh Mệnh of the Nguyễn dynasty. Whichever date is right, the mossy stone walls speak of a commanding post, where people kept watch over this sea through many dynasties.

Ngọc Vừng has held its own place in the Vân Đồn area since long ago. According to the Quảng Ninh information portal, the Vân Đồn garrison was established in 1349, under Emperor Trần Dụ Tông. A watch post called Điếm Canh was built in the northwest of the island. Under the Mạc, the Cửa Mai fort was built to hold off pirates. Through the Lý, Trần, Lê, Mạc and Nguyễn dynasties, Ngọc Vừng remained an important post on the northeastern sea.

Yet among all these sites and all this history, what sets Ngọc Vừng apart is island life that is still quiet and close. The village roads suit a bicycle or an electric cart. Casuarina trees grow in a forest along the shore. Ngọc Thủy Lake and Cẩu Lẩu Lake are two large freshwater lakes, and they matter to the lives of the people who live on the island. From June to September, above all in August, comes the season of Ngọc Vừng sea shrimp, called tép biển, a seasonal specialty of the island.

Ngọc Vừng is not an island of resorts and comforts. It is one of the rare places that still keeps a slow walk or bicycle ride along village roads, a history few people know, and the Bái Tử Long sea at first light, with the mist not yet gone.