Travellers visiting Bai Mon-Mui Dien in Hoa Xuan Commune, formerly part of Phu Yen Province, say the dog regularly appears near a roadside refreshment stall and leads them along narrow paths linking the lighthouse, the beach and the car park.
“When we stopped to take photos, the dog stopped and waited. When we wanted to head back, it looked in a direction as if pointing the way. We followed and found the exit,” said Quynh Ngo, who visited the site with friends.
Other visitors have reported similar encounters. During a recent trip, Bui Trong Nghia and his group met the dog at a refreshment stall, where it walked ahead before suddenly stopping and barking to warn them of a snake hiding in nearby bushes.
“The dog’s warning probably prevented us from being attacked,” Nghia said.
Photos and videos of the dog guiding tourists have spread rapidly online. On Google Maps, the nickname “Ban cho Vang” (Friend Dog Vang) appears alongside enthusiastic reviews praising its intelligence, with many visitors recommending small food offerings as a reward.
Local guides say Vang has lived near the Dai Lanh Lighthouse area for more than a decade. By day, it roams coastal paths, returning at night to a small shack below the hill. As tourism at Mui Dien has grown in recent years, the dog has become a familiar presence.
“Vang runs ahead, then waits, as if worried people might get lost,” one guide said. “Sometimes it even blocks the wrong turn, forcing visitors onto the safe route.”
The dog’s owner, Dinh Hoang Phong, 50, said he brought Vang to the area about a decade ago to guard a makeshift house at the foot of the hill. The dog soon gravitated towards places frequented by tourists.
Vang, a female dog that has had several litters, gradually drifted away from other dogs as she grew older. After clashes with the pack, she moved between the beach and the lighthouse before settling permanently at Mui Dien, where she unexpectedly became an unofficial guide.
Over the past five years, as visitor numbers have increased, Vang has been a constant companion along the narrow paths leading to the summit.
As word spreads, the dog has become a symbol of the area’s quiet charm, guiding visitors with patience and familiarity.
“I was impressed the first time I met Vang,” said Nguyen Tu, a tourist from Nghe An Province. “She led us exactly where we needed to go, waited while we explored, then showed us the way back.”
