Embark on a 3-day, 2-night adventure to Binh Ba Island and indulge in exquisite lobster delicacies.

If you're a sea and island enthusiast craving exploration, a journey to Binh Ba Island will leave you fully satisfied with its plethora of exciting experiences.

Experience a tantalizing 3-day, 2-night itinerary to Binh Ba Island featuring divine lobster feasts.

Transportation Options

Travelers can easily reach Binh Ba via four modes of transportation: airplane, train, car, and motorbike.

Airplane: From Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, numerous daily flights to Nha Trang are available, landing at Cam Ranh Airport located 17km from Ba Ngòi Port (the departure point for Binh Ba). From there, you can take a taxi to the port.

Car: Currently, at Mien Dong Bus Station - Ho Chi Minh City, numerous bus companies operate routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Cam Ranh. Reputable bus companies include Phuong Trang, Phuong Nam, Mai Linh, Hoa Thuan Anh, Huynh Gia, Cuc Tung... One-way ticket prices range from 170,000 to 200,000 VND per person.

Train: From Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, you can take a train to Nha Trang Station, then catch a bus to Cam Ranh Bus Station. From there, you can take a taxi or motorbike taxi to Ba Ngòi Port (about 3km away). From Hanoi to Nha Trang Station takes about 27 hours by train, with ticket prices ranging from 660,000 to 1.5 million VND. From Ho Chi Minh City, it takes about 9 hours to Nha Trang Station, with ticket prices ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 VND.

Motorbike: Due to the relatively long distance, you should carefully consider your own health condition, weather, and the condition of your 'steed' to avoid unfortunate incidents on the road. From Ho Chi Minh City, follow National Highway 1A (heading North). Along the way, you will pass through Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan), Phan Rang - Thap Cham (Ninh Thuan)...

From Ba Ngòi Port, the only means of transportation to Binh Ba Island is by boat.

Boat Schedule:

- Ba Ngòi - Binh Ba: 7:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 1:30 PM, 4:00 PM.

- Binh Ba - Ba Ngòi: 5:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 4:30 PM.

Travelers should pay attention to the boat schedules as they may vary depending on passenger volume. The ticket price for the Cam Ranh - Binh Ba boat is 30,000 VND per person, while the canoe is 100,000 VND. The boat trip usually takes 45-60 minutes, while the canoe takes only about 20 minutes to reach the island.

Accommodation

There are numerous guesthouses, homestays, and hotels on Binh Ba Island, with room prices ranging from 50,000 to 400,000 VND per night. Those accustomed to luxury hotels may find it challenging to be satisfied with the services here. Additionally, camping on the beach is an exciting option for large groups of travelers.

You can consider some accommodation options such as:

A&T Binh Ba Guesthouse

Bai Nom Guesthouse Binh Ba (Phone: 0909686775)

Bay Ho Guesthouse (Phone: 0983 858941)

Blue Sea Guesthouse (Phone: 0903081117)

Saigon Hotel - Binh Ba: (Phone: 0905 56 53 11)

Day 1:

From Saigon, you can book a late-night bus to arrive in Cam Ranh in the morning for the 7:00 AM boat trip to Binh Ba Island. Upon arrival, check into your hotel, rest, have lunch, and use the electric car service to explore the island. With this electric car service, you won't have to worry about accompanying elderly or young children. The modified gasoline-powered cars make it easy to climb slopes. Each car can accommodate over 10 adults for a tour around the island.

In just half a day, your driver will take you to admire the famous sights of Binh Ba such as Turtle Island or the panoramic view of the former deserted military port. From here, you can see how vast and expansive Binh Ba Island is. Fishing boats dotting the sea, small sampans bobbing aimlessly amidst the waves create a serene and unfamiliar scene.

In the afternoon, visit Nom Beach for a stroll, a swim, or participate in thrilling water sports. Nom Beach is surrounded by two mountain ranges, creating a crescent-shaped bay with gentle waves year-round. Around 4:00 PM, when the sun sets, both tourists and locals flock to the beach for a lively atmosphere.

Nom Beach offers various beach services for you to experience, such as riding a motorbike or banana boat riding at affordable prices. Along the beach are numerous seafood stalls in a row. After enjoying swimming or beachcombing, choose a seafood stall you like and savor island specialties like lobster or famous shellfish dishes such as moon snails, sea cucumbers, and cowrie snails, all caught and prepared on-site.

In the evening, the first exciting activity you should try is crab hunting. The beaches around Binh Ba Island have many crabs, and you can have fun using a flashlight to spot them and chase them at night. Especially, you can enjoy delicious fried crab meat afterward. Additionally, another fun activity is contacting local boat owners to go squid fishing. Some tour companies also organize this activity, or you can simply ask any local on the island, as it's not difficult to find the right place.

Day 2:

On the second day, in the morning, you must wake up early to catch the sunrise at Chuong Beach. This beach has fewer visitors than Nom Beach but offers a very romantic scenery, suitable for couples or young people passionate about 'living the virtual life.' Afterward, you can rent a boat to explore the small islands and beaches around Binh Ba such as Sa Huynh Beach, Bo De Beach, Nha Cu Beach,...

Sa Huynh Beach is an incredibly beautiful beach and also a haven for natural coral reefs. This beach resembles a crescent moon with smooth white sand embracing the calm azure sea. The clean, gentle slope, and the sheltered sides of the beach by magnificent rock formations create a diverse landscape.

A drawback and also an advantage of Sa Huynh Beach is that it is not located on Binh Ba Island, but on the Cam Ranh Peninsula in the military area. So from Binh Ba, the only way to reach this beach is by boat or canoe. But once you're here, you'll be enchanted by the pristine, deserted waters.

Compared to the beaches on Binh Ba Island, Nhà Cũ Beach is almost the clearest in terms of water, but it's regrettable that there are many rocks here so you can't swim. However, this place is a territory with countless brilliantly colored coral reefs. Just sit on the sampans of the nearby fishermen, and you'll be able to admire the corals tirelessly without the need for difficult diving. If you're lucky, you won't find it difficult to catch a few starfish with various interesting shapes.

When renting a boat for sightseeing, you can also ask the driver to take you to visit lobster farms, where you will be given a tour of the shrimp farming process from small shrimp to fully mature ones. Especially, at these shrimp farms, tourists can buy seafood directly at the farms at discounted prices as souvenirs for family and friends.

The ideal evening on the island is to have dinner on the beach and admire the night sea. Binh Ba Island currently has many dining establishments with prices that are considered quite affordable.

Day 3:

On the final day on the island, you can explore around the island and visit Binh Ba Market. Binh Ba Market offers a wide variety of delicious and affordable dishes, so you can indulge in options like rice noodle soup, grilled shrimp and squid cakes, quail egg cakes, snails, fermented shrimp paste with rice paper, spring rolls... Prices range from 3,000 to 20,000 VND. Additionally, the market also has a selection of fresh and dried seafood available, which you can choose as gifts for your loved ones.

At noon, you return to your guesthouse to check out and head to the port to board the ferry back to Cam Ranh.

Tieu Lam

***

Reference: Travel Handbook from Mytour