Turtle Islet (Con Quy) – Thing to Explore in Ben Tre
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As an alluvial land, Ben Tre has many islets, each with its own beauty and unique riches. In which, it is impossible not to mention the Turtle Islet (Con Quy). What makes visitors excited is that in Quy island up to now, this place still retains a wild character with many perennial fruit gardens, planted in rows, so it is very cool and beautiful.
By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | Official Ben Tre Visitor Guide
Ticket:
Spend-time: One and a half hour (approx)
Hours: Dawn – dusk
Food: Yes
Shop: Yes
Parking lot: Yes
Blog:
Address: Located in between Tan Thach and Quoi Son communes, Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province.
Added values: Sitting on boats floating on the river watching the rich, green and peaceful trees will be one of the experiences that perhaps everyone wants to try once in their life. The Turtle Islet (Con Quy) is definitely one of the destinations that leaves a strong impression on your mind after leaving Ben Tre.
Nearby attractions and hidden gems: Looking for places to stop on your way to and from Con Quy? Ben Tre City (14 km), Son Doc Rice paper village (55 minutes), Ben Tre Brick Factory (15 km), Thoi Son Island (11 km), Cho Lach Flower Village (34 km), Ben Tre Coconut Candy (2 km),…
Turtle islet (Con Quy) tourist area is about 23km from the center of Ben Tre city, you can rent a cruise ship down the Tien river about 30 minutes to Con Quy. Traveling to Ben Tre, coming to Con Quy, visitors will enjoy the fresh air and admire the typical beauty of the river and garden, and listen to the passionate folk tunes.
Con Quy, also known as Sand Dunes, is one of the "four dunes" of the Tien River. Con Quy is the smallest of the dunes in Ben Tre province, with a natural area of about 65ha. According to locals, among the four famous "Tu Linh" dunes of Western tourism, the three Long, Lan, and Phung islets have a long shape, and Quy islet has a round shape (like a turtle). In which, Quy and Phung islets are located in Ben Tre province, while Long and Lan islands are in Tien Giang province. In some regions of Vietnam, often in the South, people use the concept of dune or islet to refer to the middle beach, which is a strip of land formed in the middle of a large river through the process of long-term alluvial accretion.
Con Quy was formed hundreds of years ago. In the beginning, this was just a wild floating land on the river, with dense vegetation, built up by river alluvium but gradually grew. After that, in the 1950s and 1960s, only sporadically, people went to establish a business, discovered the land... Remains left at the top of the dune (upstream direction) is Ba Chua Xu Temple built by the pioneers who reclaimed the land. In the first period, the dune was about 60ha wide, then thanks to the poor farmers to keep the land and alluvium accretion, it got the area like today… In the 1960s, Con Quy started to reclaim and invest in tourism development.
The attraction of tourists when coming to Con Quy is the wild beauty and no human impact. Admiring Con Quy from afar is like a floating island in the middle of a river, on Con Quy there is a Protestant church where people come to pray.
At first, people here only built small houses of bamboo leaves and were small-scale to welcome tourists. After that, when realizing that there is a potential for tourism development, people built the Thuy Ta riverside restaurant that can accommodate hundreds of guests and since then the quality of service has also been improved.
Traveling to Turtle islet (Con Quy), you will admire the pomelo, orange, longan, rambutan, banana, coconut, mango, To Nu jackfruit... Besides planting fruit orchards, people also develop beekeeping for honey, honey bees here are taken from longan flowers, so they have their own unique flavor.
Especially visiting the dunes, tourists can also dress up as farmers to participate in "slapping ditches to catch fish", going "crawling for crabs, catching snails", ... to experience the idyllic life in the countryside.
At noon, under the trees, visitors can relax in hammocks swaying with the breeze. In addition, visitors can also organize picnic camping with many interesting activities. In the evening, visitors will be canoeing with local people to take visitors in the small zigzag canals, with green coconut trees on both sides, watching fireflies at night is very attractive.
The daily life of the people here is associated with crafts made from coconut and coconut candy production. Visitors here will have the opportunity to witness firsthand the process of making products made from coconut, learn how to make coconut candy and can choose for themselves some coconut candy or products as souvenirs.
Coming to Quy island, do not forget to enjoy special and rustic dishes such as roasted shrimp with coconut, snakehead fish cooked in sour soup with morning glory vegetable, steamed red tilapia with termite mushrooms with pumpkin, goby hotpot, braised snakehead fish,…
At Con Quy, hotel services and motels are developed to meet the needs of tourists. In particular, homestays that attract tourists both save money and have the opportunity to learn about the lives of the people here.
As a local travel expert, we have some ideas for you to think about.
From Ben Tre city center:
Route 1:
Route 2:
Route 3:
If you do not have much time left, it is easy to check out spots in one full day by boat or with bike or with motorbike and car. But there are much more than tourist sites like these in Ben Tre. Make sure you have more time to feel and explore more about the hidden gems and the culture, food, night life, wildlife and forest as well. Top tip: Stay in a homestay nearby, so you have more chances to visit it and surroundings. If you are looking for the package Ben Tre daily tour with local, you can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com
Google Maps made a name for itself helping people travel from one place to another, avoid traffic (You probably know the route from your hotel to the gas station by heart, but what you can’t be sure about is gridlock), measure a distance, get back to the hotel on time, share the location…
Solo traveller? Travelling on your own means you will get out of any difficult situations by yourself. This, in turn, leads to more satisfying travel experiences and helps you improve your problem-solving skills. Those days we rarely get the chance to sit with ourselves and simply be. That’s why you should consider the time you spend alone on your trip as a gift.
It is possible for solo travellers to use google maps and do it alone. But sometimes they need to update local maintained roads and bridges which close and lead you a longer road than the road from Google maps. It is just about the time. It takes more time to find the correct garden to come. Adventure is always fun. Wifi is strong in Ben Tre village! The locals find it hard to speak English as well. Top tip: Sticking to one canal and keeping going along it which gives you more things to see and avoids getting lost. Contact vemekong.com to hire a car, scooter with English-speaking-guide or cycling tours in Ben Tre.
Don’t get us wrong. But we assure you that you totally agree with us. “Do not give candy and things to the children when you plan to visit any local villages”, the kids will leave the school and follow the sweets and later they find some things to give you or sell to you. The garden is a little forest, don’t pick and touch the flowers or fruits without the local’s smiles. We deal with traveling green and leaving green behind, not plastic. Top tip: Vemekong.com are some of the companies that care a lot about responsible travel and local respectation.
If a picture says a thousand words, it stands to reason that the video says many times more.
To get the best of the best for your unique writing, featuring, photo, video and insider’s stories. We do recommend you to have a local travel expert, the one who always gets more ground information and makes sure every single element is solved perfectly. The Vemekong (very exclusive Mekong) team is your priority choice. Email and have a private talk with them to customize your journey smoothly, personal and the most ultimately amazing. You can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com
You can stay in a homestay which is near the riverside, this will help you out the best option. Then you can hire a scooter, car or bike and explore it by yourself and I hope you have an amazing Mekong Delta river sunrise.
If you plan to extend your travel to Ben Tre homestay, do not forget to bring mosquito repellent cream.
Visit Ben Tre or do any customized tours, please choose reputable providers with boat trips equipped with lifebuoys, jackets, motorcycle and cycling tours with the helmets and. Safety is a priority! Choose Ben Tre responsible tours which help you give back while traveling. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.
Ben Tre food & drink guide ranges from street food, authentic, fancy to fusion foods. As a tropical land of many fresh vegetables and homegrown gardens, which always make Ben Tre cuisines fresh, close to nature and very traditional. If you are a food lover, don’t hesitate to put other bites onto your food lists such as Cai Mon durian, Phu Le Rice Wine, coconut wine, coconut candy, coconut rice, snail pancake, elephant ear fish, Coconut Worm, Young Coconut Salad with Shrimp & Pork…
Bring your hat, sunglasses, and sunblock, scarf to wear when visiting temples, pagodas, and the cathedral.
Bring the raincoat if you’re planning a trip to Ben Tre in the rainy season, as Ben Tre always looks fantastic in the full rain and full sun.
Ben Tre tourist attractions are magnificent itself, but if you have enough time, don’t forget to put other places onto your bucket lists such as Ben Tre brick & pottery kiln, Coconut Candy Traditional Village & Small Canals, mighty Mekong river cruise, educational tour and community tour in Ben Tre, Ben Tre homestay 2D1N, cocohome homestay, Ben Tre cycling tours, Son Doc Puff Rice Paper Village, Dong Khoi Guerrilla Village, Vam Ho bird sanctuary, Cai Mon Ornamental Flower Village in Cho Lach, Ben Tre Museum, An Hiep Nhon Thanh Mat Weaving Villages, Ben Tre Night Market, Phung Island (Phoenix islet), Thoi Son Island, Turtle Islet (Con Quy)…
Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in Ben Tre province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!
“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.
Thank you
