According to the Quang Ngai Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has designated the To Vo Gate in Ly Son as a national site.
The gate was formed by eruptions of the Gieng Tien Volcano, one of the volcanoes that shaped Ly Son Island. Lava flows created a thick layer of basalt at the site of the arch.
The To Vo Gate in Ly Son (Photo by Quoc Trieu)
Over time, waves eroded the basalt layer of To Vo Gate, hollowing out the middle and creating an opening shaped like a wasp’s nest.
The stone arch of To Vo Gate is approximately 9 metres long, rising 4 metres above the wave-cut surface, with its narrowest point measuring around 2 metres in width.
With its pristine, unique beauty and high recognisability, To Vo Gate has become one of the most famous scenic spots in Quang Ngai.
Ly Son also features another rock arch located off Be Island, which was discovered by archaeologists in 2014. Formed from volcanic lava, it has a structure identical to To Vo Gate on land.
Located about 15 nautical miles off the mainland, Ly Son Special Zone covers around 10 square kilometres and is home to some 22,000 people. It consists of Big and Small islands and retains traces of 10 volcanic craters, three of them lying beneath the sea.
