Leaving the mainland behind
Every morning at around 4 am, 51-year-old Bui Duc Hanh, a native of Quang Ninh Province, wakes up in his corrugated-metal house on Bay Sao Island, part of Co To special zone.
He walks along the sandy beach, breathing in the fresh air as the sea remains quiet in the early darkness. The sound of waves mixes with the crowing of roosters signalling the start of another day.
“For more than 10 years, I have lived surrounded by nature and tranquillity, away from the dust and noise of the city,” Hanh told Dantri. “Life on the island may not offer material wealth, but it gives me good health and a clean environment, things money cannot buy.”
Duc Hanh chose a calm and peaceful life on the island (Photo: Provided by the subject).
Bay Sao Island, also known as Ba Rau Islet, lies about 70km from the mainland.
Hanh's simple clothes and sun-tanned skin give little indication that he once ran a business and enjoyed a comfortable family life in Cua Ong ward. His wife and children still live in their spacious home of more than 350 sq m.
Over tea, Hanh recalled first seeing the island's pristine beauty in 2004, while travelling by boat on fishing trips.
At the time, the island was covered in dense vegetation, with long stretches of white sand and clear blue water. As he stepped ashore, he heard the wind moving through the trees and saw the vast expanse of the sea around him.
The poetic beauty of Bay Sao island (Photo: Son Bien Dao).
He began dreaming of living there and leaving behind the material pressures of everyday life. It was not until 2017, after making financial preparations to ensure his wife and children could support themselves, that he decided to make the dream a reality.
His wife initially opposed the idea, while his children worried about their father living alone on an uninhabited island with limited access to basic necessities.
Before leaving, Hanh sold his car for VND 700 million (USD 26,950) and bought a boat for VND 1 billion (USD 38,490) to travel between the mainland and the island.
“I couldn't be persuaded to change my mind. My wife even threatened to divorce me, feeling helpless,” he recalled. “I had made my choice after thinking it through carefully, so I quietly left the mainland.”
When he first arrived, the silence was striking. There were no vehicles and no bustle, only the sea and open space. For Hanh, it felt like turning to a completely new page in his life.
Starting from scratch proved difficult. The island had no electricity or reliable source of fresh water. For weeks, he cleared marine rubbish that had washed ashore and accumulated over the years.
For the first few days, he cooked and slept on his canoe. He later collected pieces of driftwood and built a makeshift shelter to protect himself from rain and sun.
He had brought about 20kg of rice from the mainland and relied on fishing and squid catching to provide fresh food.
“I stayed on the island for four months and gradually established a routine,” Hanh said. “When I returned home, my wife and children no longer complained. They simply reminded me to take care of my health. Perhaps they realised this was the life I truly wanted.”
Finding fresh water was his biggest challenge. He searched the island for signs of underground water and eventually dug a well himself, a process that took several months.
Today, he no longer has to stretch tarpaulins to collect rainwater as he did in the early days. The well provides enough fresh water for drinking, cooking, bathing and watering plants.
“I like the quiet life here. At night, listening to the waves is like therapy for the soul,” he said. “Since moving to the sea, my health has improved.”
The chickens he raises provide a source of fresh food (Photo: Provided by the subject).
Living off the land and sea
After nearly a decade, Bay Sao has taken on a new appearance, with a vegetable garden, a chicken coop and dogs playing in the evening light.
Hanh has adopted a largely self-sufficient lifestyle and avoids pesticides and chemical fertilisers.
Whenever he returns to the mainland, he brings back lemongrass, cassava, sweet potatoes, pineapples, gourds and herbs to grow on the island. His small garden now produces enough vegetables for his daily meals.
Instead of chemical fertilisers, he uses crabs, mud crabs and decomposed leaves to nourish the soil.
“Natural fertiliser helps the plants grow very well,” he said. “I often take vegetables back to my family or give them to fishermen passing the island.”
He also keeps around 20 chickens in a coop he built soon after arriving. The birds forage for themselves and eat insects such as centipedes and bugs around his living area.
Hanh believes this also helps keep the surroundings free of unwanted pests.
In 2020, he transported construction materials from the mainland and built a sturdier corrugated-metal house capable of withstanding storms and strong winds at sea.
He also invested around VND 500 million (USD 19,250) in a solar power system, providing enough electricity to run a refrigerator, electric cooker and kettle.
Because most of his food comes from his own production, his monthly household expenses amount to only a few hundred thousand dong, mainly for rice and seasoning.
His biggest regular expense is fuel for the boat, which costs VND 4-5 million (USD 154-192) a month for trips between the island and mainland.
To generate additional income, Hanh recently secured four hectares of marine farming area, where he raises sea snails and harvests sea cucumbers. Revenue from the seafood is enough to cover the cost of running his boat.
Hanh has lived self-sufficiently on the island for years (Photo: Provided by the subject).
Having grown accustomed to the quietness of the sea, Hanh says he no longer misses the noise of city life. He has abandoned his old habits of sitting in cafes and constantly checking messages on his phone.
Longtime friends, worried that he might lack basic necessities, have offered to send food and other supplies to the island. He has declined, saying he is content with what he has.
“I no longer feel the need to dress well or buy expensive things,” he said. “I wear simple clothes and eat modestly. I am busy with physical work, so I don't have the habit of constantly checking my phone.”
When he is not tending his garden or looking after the chickens, Hanh spends much of his time fishing, enjoying the sea or drinking tea on the beach.
“Once I decided to live on an uninhabited island, I stopped being afraid,” he said. “I am prepared to face whatever challenges may come, from storms and heavy rain to falling ill alone.”
Bui Van Luong, head of Dong Tien Village in Co To special zone, confirmed that Hanh lives on Bay Sao Island and has secured marine farming areas there. Another household has also moved to the island to engage in aquaculture.
Bui Nhu Duan, an official with the Economic Division of Co To special zone, said Hanh had secured two aquaculture plots, each covering two hectares of sea.
Every year, he raises rock snails and also harvests naturally occurring sea cucumbers. He can raise up to three crops of snails annually, with each crop taking about three months to mature.
Each two-hectare marine plot produces around 2-2.5 tonnes of snails per harvest.
Duan said residents involved in aquaculture and marine conservation have an incentive to protect the surrounding waters while providing a stable supply of commercially farmed seafood.
“Leasing marine areas for aquaculture, as Hanh has done, not only supports economic development but also provides additional income for local communities and plays an important role in maintaining border security and protecting the sovereignty of our seas and islands,” Duan said.