Buzz
Approximately 18km north of Nha Trang City lies Hon Lao Island, also known as Monkey Island, like a gem floating in the beautiful Nha Phu Bay.
Monkey Kingdom amidst the Coastal Charm of Nha Trang
It's called Monkey Island because it's the natural habitat of over 1,200 monkeys. With human care, the monkeys here have become increasingly friendly to visitors, transforming the island into a unique tourist attraction in Nha Trang.
At Monkey Island, visitors can easily spot beautiful scenes of monkey life, such as mother monkeys cradling their young, male monkeys competing for dominance, and playful baby monkeys.
Mr. Nguyen Van Nguyen, an employee of Long Phu Tourism Joint Stock Company, who has been directly caring for the monkeys on the island since 1988, shares: 'To me, these monkeys are like friends.' Mr. Nguyen recalls that transportation to the island used to be scarce, making it very difficult to care for the monkey population. Nowadays, convenient boat transportation and an increasing number of visitors have made the monkeys on the island even friendlier.
'Years of work on the island have left me with countless memories of the monkeys. I can't even recall how many times I've been teased by them, whether they're swinging down from trees, snatching hats and running off, or stealing food from guests,' Mr. Nguyen shared.
Mr. Bui Van Truong, who has worked on the island for 11 years, described the most striking image as every late afternoon when the tide recedes and passengers return to the mainland. The monkeys then descend to the beach, flipping over coral rocks to catch crabs and snails for food. 'Seeing that scene, we jokingly liken ourselves to farmers, the monkey farmers out gathering crabs and snails,' Mr. Truong recounted.
It is known that nowadays, Monkey Island - Hon Lao is not only the habitat of wild monkeys, but the monkeys here are also carefully selected and trained to perform circus acts such as basketball, tightrope walking, cycling, swimming, etc., to entertain tourists.
Source: Tuoi Tre
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Reference: Travel guide from Mytour
MytourFebruary 16, 2016
