Quang Chung goes in search of pirates and adventure in Ha Tien archipelago in southern Vietnam.
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| Night market on the island |
In search of adventure I am always keen exploring some of Vietnam’s lesser known islands, where invariably you will find untouched beaches, stunning scenery and amazing seafood. And perhaps more.
A former schoolmate, who is now a teacher in Ha Tien town, informs me that once upon a time the islands near his adopted hometown were a notorious hideout for pirates.
“Three hundred years ago pirates were based here. They would attack merchant ships from China or Europe,” he says. “The pirates stashed the loot in secret places around the island.”
So, I say intrigued, there could be treasure?
“Possibly, yes!” says my friend. “In 1981, two foreigners were caught sneaking around the island with a compass, a map and digging tools. They said they had found a treasure map drawn by the pirates 300 years ago and were trying to find the pirates’ cove!”
That’s all I need to hear. I pack my bags and take an overnight bus from Ho Chi Minh City’s Mien Tay Bus Station to Ha Tien town – the 400km trip sets me back just VND120,000 and I arrive at 7am the next morning.
My friend is there to meet me and show me the sights. He’s not a professional tour guide, but as a teacher he knows pretty much everything about Ha Tien there is to know. But to find out more about the pirate’s cove, we pay a visit to a local historian, Truong Minh Dat.
The 76-year old informs us that Ha Tien was once a bustling port with merchant ships from Southeast Asian, China and Europe coming and going. According to Dat with plenty of traffic, the pirates had “plenty of chances”.
But I am determined to hear more than stories. I would like to see proof. So we jump on the back of a motorbike taxi and brave the scorching heat to head to Mui Nai, one of Ha Tien’s most beautiful beaches 5km southwest of Ha Tien town.
When we arrive we see a cape which has been named, Loc Tri (Deer’s Cape) as it looks like a deer hopelessly looking for its herd. A local legend tells that a genie deer came here to drink water. The deer was so besotted by the scenery of Ha Tien it got lost and didn’t get home before the door of the forest closed. The deer returned to the seaside but the waves crashed upon the shore and killed the deer.
The beach is, however, very safe and picturesque. So picturesque, in fact, it was also immortalised by the poem Loc Tri Thon Cu (Deer’s Cape Village) penned by the 18th century poet Mac Thien Tich, who wrote a whole collection of poems inspired by Ha Tien. The collection was introduced for the first time in 1735, a year before a poets’ club called Tao Dan Chieu Anh Cac was established in Ha Tien.
That evening we enjoy the atmosphere by Dong Ho swamp where the coffee shops and seafood restaurants are busy with customers. We sit outside a café and chat with the locals until midnight. The lively staff claim that they will stay open till the last customer leaves.
The next morning, we head off in search of pirates and treasure. There are 14 islands in Ha Tien archipelago, which covers area of about 9sqkm. On our boat we are joined by an official from Tien Hai Commune People’s Committee. He tells us that only six islands are inhabited – Hon Doc, Hon Tre Nho, Hon Giang, Hon Duoc, Hon U and Hon Doi Moi – with a total of about 2,000 people living in 400 households.
Hon Doc is home to the Tien Hai Commune People’s Committee, a school, a post office, a healthcare station and a market. I discover there is one guesthouse. So it happens the owner of the boat, Ba Minh, also owns the guesthouse, which has just three rooms. The rate is just VND80,000 a night. Ba Minh walks me over. I dump my bags and head off to find a local café where I might pick the brains of the locals about pirates in the days of yore.
“My grandparents said in the past there was a small lagoon on the north of the island, where the pirates hid their boats and took shelter,” says one 70-year old man. “Now, they have built a small reservoir there.”
I leave immediately in search of the reservoir, which is only 1km away. But I must imagine how the pirates rolled in and out of the cove as sadly there is no evidence of their time here.
The next morning, I hire a boat to visit Hon Duoc and Hon Giang islands for VND150,000. Hon Duoc is home to a small fishing village of about 10 households. The simply-built huts are an indication of how poor the local inhabitants are. The island is even more rugged and pristine than Hon Doc. I walk over to the west side of the island where I discover just one solitary house. This lonely abode by the sea almost moved me to tears.
Hon Giang is just a five-minute boat ride from Hon Duoc. Here there are 20 households and even a church with seats for a congregation of about 100 people. As I walk around two seven year old girls suddenly appear and take over as tour guides.
The girls lead me to a 60-year-old woman’s house. The woman is busy picking snails which she sells for just VND3,000 a kilo. I take the bait and she boils some up so myself and my new friends can enjoy a tasty snack. Afterwards we walk round the island. I am introduced to a man named Luy, who invites me to stay the night in his home.
That night his wife cooks up some crabs and fish and we sit down to a glorious feast, which humbles me. The locals here are so very poor but so generous and hospitable. After our meal, and a few glasses of liquor, I lay down on my makeshift bed on the floor.
There is no electricity or fan but a cooling sea breeze blows through the room. I fall asleep thinking that the Ha Tien pirates once fell asleep listening to that same gentle breeze.