Lang Co and the Lap An Lagoon — a World-Class Bay at the Foot of Hai Van

Lăng Cô lies in the south of Hue province, right at the foot of the Hai Van Pass, on the border with Da Nang. It is a narrow strip of land caught between two bodies of water: the sea to the east, the Lập An lagoon to the west, with the Bạch Mã range behind.

The world’s most beautiful bays — a real designation

On 16 May 2009, at Setúbal in Portugal, Lăng Cô bay was admitted to the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World as its 30th member.

The designation rests on the unusual geography itself: sea, lagoon and mountain within a few kilometres of one another. Stand on the Hai Van Pass looking down and you see all three at once.

To be fair about it: Lăng Cô is not developed to match that title. Its tourism infrastructure is thin next to Da Nang or Hue, and most visitors stop for half an hour of photographs on the way over the pass. If you like quiet places, that is a point in its favour.

The Lap An lagoon — timing is everything

The Lập An lagoon is the most photographed thing at Lăng Cô, and the familiar picture — water flat as a mirror reflecting the mountains — only happens at certain times.

To catch the lagoon flat:

• Early morning, before the wind gets up. This is the surest window.
• At low tide, when sandbars appear across the lagoon and the water shallows.
• Avoid midday and the windy afternoon; once the surface ripples the mirror effect is gone entirely.

The road along the lagoon runs right at the water’s edge and is very pleasant by motorbike. The best stretch is on the western side, looking straight across at the mountains.

Lap An oysters

The Lập An lagoon is a substantial oyster farming area, and the oysters are why many people stop for lunch rather than only taking photographs.

Along the lagoon road are simple oyster places cooking on the spot: grilled with spring onion oil, grilled with cheese, oyster congee, raw with lime and mustard. Prices are noticeably softer than in the cities at either end.

Two things worth remembering. Ask the price before you order, because oysters are usually priced by weight rather than by plate. And if your stomach is at all delicate, order them cooked — the raw ones with lime and mustard are good but do not suit everybody.

When to come

Lăng Cô sits exactly where the weather of the two halves of the country meets — see the Hai Van Pass for why.

• March to August — the good season. Sunny, calm sea, swimmable.
• September to December — the wet season on the Hue side. Heavy rain, rough sea.

The point to remember: Lăng Cô’s weather follows Hue, not Da Nang, even though it is closer to Da Nang by road. Plenty of people check the Da Nang forecast, set off, and drive into rain.

Fitting it into a trip

Lăng Cô sits halfway between Hue and Da Nang, which makes it the natural stop on any journey between the two:

• To the south: the Hai Van Pass immediately, then My Khe beach and the Sơn Trà peninsula.
• To the north: Bạch Mã National Park about 25km away, then the Imperial City and Thien Mu Pagoda.

The Hue day tour stops here on the way north, which is the easiest way to see the bay without driving the pass yourself.

Eating at Lang Co

Besides oysters, the area has fish, squid and crab from both the lagoon and the sea. In Hue itself there is bún bò Huế, cơm hến, and the bánh bèo–nậm–lọc set.