Diep Son Nha Trang

Diep Son is a cluster of small islands in Van Phong bay, about 52 km north of Nha Trang. The three main ones are named after birds: Hòn Bịp, Hòn Ó (also Hòn Đuốc, or Phật Nằm) and Hòn Quạ (Hòn Giữa). What made it famous is a sandbar joining two of them: at low tide the bar surfaces as a path a few metres wide with sea on both sides, and you can walk from one island to the next.

And one more thing to know before comparing photographs: the path in most of the pictures online is gone. The roughly 800 m bar linking Hòn Quạ to Hòn Bịp was destroyed by typhoon No. 12 in November 2017; what remains is a bar of about 400 m between Hòn Ó and Hòn Quạ. Still a sand path through the sea, but less than half the length of the images that made the place famous.

Know one thing before you pay: the path depends entirely on the tide. Go at the wrong hour or on the wrong day and the bar lies under water and there is no path to see. Still a quiet island with clear water, but not the thing you booked. That is exactly why the operators time their departures to the tide, and a joined day tour from Nha Trang currently runs around 700,000₫ a head.

Going independently costs less: get to Van Gia: about 50 km up the highway, then take a boat from the pier, roughly 7 km of water. But the boats here run on the islanders' hours and on the tide rather than on any fixed timetable we could verify, so if you go this way, ask about return times at the pier the moment you arrive, before you plan anything else.

The island has a small fishing hamlet, little shade and very few services. Bring water, a hat, sunscreen and cash; do not count on buying anything there. With small children, remember what the sandbar is: sea on both sides, deepening away from the path, and nobody on lifeguard duty.

In the same direction: Dốc Lết and Đại Lãnh – Vạn Ninh. Inside Nha Trang bay: Hòn Mun and Hòn Tằm.