O Loan Lagoon

The water spreads across more than 1,500 hectares. Mountains hold it close, fishing villages sit along its edge, and small boats drift back and forth in the first light or the glow of evening. Ô Loan Lagoon needs little explaining, because the water does the explaining.

Ô Loan is a brackish lagoon on the coast, close to Highway 1 at the foot of the Quán Cau Pass. It lies in what used to be the Tuy An area, about 22 to 25 kilometers north of the center of Tuy Hòa. After the administrative reorganization of 2025, the land around the lagoon belongs to two communes, Ô Loan and Tuy An Đông. They are part of Đắk Lắk Province. The commune of Ô Loan was formed from three communes, An Hiệp, An Hòa Hải and An Cư. These are the communes that have surrounded the lagoon for generations.

The lagoon covers about 1,570 hectares, and three landforms hold it on three sides. Two are mountains, Đồng Cháy and Cẩm. The third is a sandbar, An Hải. On the east, the lagoon opens to the sea through two mouths, Lễ Thịnh and Tân Quy. The average depth is about 1.2 to 1.4 meters, and the bed is fairly flat and shallow. This shape of the land, together with the natural seaweed and sea grass, creates ideal conditions for a shellfish called sò huyết to grow.

Seen from the high points near the Quán Cau Pass, the lagoon appears as an open sheet of water, ringed by the green line of the mountains and the villages. People from the area often compare its shape from above to a bird's wing opening wide. Whatever the comparison, the view down onto the lagoon is a beautiful one, and it belongs to the coast.

In the middle of the lagoon, two large rocks lie stacked on each other. They are called Hòn Chồng, and they stand out on the still water.

One product is closely tied to the lagoon, and that is the sò huyết. The Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam has granted Ô Loan sò huyết a geographical indication. This means the product's name is protected because it belongs to one specific area. Its quality comes from the natural conditions of the lagoon. Brackish water flows in from the rivers, and the seaweed and sea grass give the shellfish plenty of food. The sò huyết here usually has darker red flesh and a richer taste than shellfish from other areas. That is why consumers think highly of it, and why its good name needs protection.

The lagoon was recognized as a national scenic heritage site on September 27, 1996. But beyond its scenery and its specialty, the lagoon is also where the people along its shore make a living. Every day, fishermen take their boats out to raise and catch seafood, and the small boats crossing the water make a lively picture of life on the water.

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, the lagoon holds a traditional boat-racing festival. It shows the community spirit of the people along the shore, and visitors can see in it the festive rhythm of life among the people of Tuy An.

Sunset at Ô Loan is often mentioned as a special moment. As the sun sinks low, the water changes color with the light, the fishing boats begin to return to shore, and smoke from the cooking fires of the shoreline villages begins to rise.

Ô Loan suits a slow day rather than a busy one of many activities: sitting still, looking out over the water, eating a seafood meal by the shore, and letting the wide view slow down a hurried pace of life.