On
my trip to Kien Giang Province, in the far south of Vietnam, I traveled to Kien
Luong coastal district to see what is reputedly the most beautiful island in the
Mekong Delta. To get to Hon Nghe Islet I took National Road 80 to Nga Ba Hon
wharf and caught a boat.

The beautiful Hon Nghe Islet off Kien Giang Province. (Photo: SGT)

The cruise departed early in the
afternoon and we seemed to get lost in a wonderland, a small Ha Long Bay in the
south. The cruise glided past many islands. The famous mountainous Phu Tu Islet
was to the north surrounded by many smaller islands. The little islands have
weird shapes - a stone castle, a whale and there’s the coconut tree covered Ba
Lua Island.

After two hours we arrived at Hon
Nghe Islet and went ashore in a small wooden boat. The first thing I saw,
halfway up Lau Chuong Mountain, was a 20-meter-high statue of the Sakyamuni
Buddha. The limestone mountain has many stalactite caves.

We decided to go to the old Lien Ton
Co Tu Pagoda. We had to conquer hundreds of stone steps to get the sanctuary. On
the way, we passed the statue of Sakyaminu Buddha and Chuong (Bell) giant rock
which will made a “boong… boong” sound like a bell when I struck it with a
small rock.

Further up are beautifully carved
Arahat statues.

The pagoda is about 20 meters inside
a stone cave. On the mountain walls are many statues of lion, tiger and dragons.

Night time in the pagoda is really
peaceful and still. It was a full moon, so the ocean that looked amazing. The
pagoda was blanketed in mist. Sometimes, the monks struck the wooden bell while
they prayed. The gongs of the bell resonated with the other sounds in the
forest.

Early in the morning, I got up to
enjoy the dawn. It was a contrast to the stillness of the night; the islet was
very busy with fishing boats, fishermen and traders.

Hon Nghe Islet is 320 meters high
and 380 hectares. Tourists can take a boat trip to a fish farm to buy fish and
discover the lives of local fishermen. The islet is also home to many species of
birds.

Phat Co Don Cave can be accessed by
a winding path. Inside, it is like a living room and there is a Buddha statue.
Some other caves are also worth a visit.

VietNamNet/SGT