Cu Lao Cham — the Island That Banned Plastic Bags First

Cu Lao Cham is a cluster of eight islands off Hoi An, about 15km from shore: Hòn Lao, Hòn Dài, Hòn Mồ, Hòn Khô Mẹ, Hòn Khô Con, Hòn Lá, Hòn Tai and Hòn Ông. Hòn Lao is the largest and the one visitors go to.

The first place in Vietnam to drop plastic bags

This is the most memorable thing about the island, and it is real rather than a slogan.

In 2009, the same year UNESCO designated the Cu Lao Cham – Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve, the island authorities and residents launched a “say no to plastic bags” campaign — the first locality in the country to do it.

And they did not just launch it. Plastic bags are checked at the pier, and visitors carrying them are asked to leave them behind. Shops and eateries on the island use banana leaf, paper and cloth.

If you are going out, bring a cloth bag and your own bottle. It is the simplest way not to become someone else’s problem.

What “biosphere reserve” actually means here

Cu Lao Cham is one of five World Biosphere Reserves across the eleven provinces of central Vietnam.

Its core value lies in the coral reefs and seagrass beds around the islands, and in the way islanders live off the sea while keeping the stock intact. The surrounding waters are a protected area, which means some zones are closed to fishing and anchoring.

For visitors that translates to: snorkel only on the permitted routes, do not break coral, do not litter, and follow what the management board tells you.

Getting to the island

Boats leave from the Cửa Đại pier or the Bạch Đằng pier in Hoi An. There are two kinds:

• Speedboat — 20 to 30 minutes, the usual option, normally as part of a day tour.
• Wooden boat — much slower and cheaper, the islanders’ own transport.

Most visitors take a day trip: out in the morning, snorkelling, a seafood lunch, a walk through Tân Hiệp market, back in the afternoon.

Staying overnight is worth considering if you like quiet: there are family homestays, and the island empties out completely once the day boats have gone.

The season — this part is not optional

Boats cannot reach the island every month of the year.

• March to August — the season for going. Calm sea, boats running to schedule, clear water.
• September to February — monsoon and storm season. Sailings are banned frequently, sometimes for days at a time.

In other words, Cu Lao Cham is not a year-round destination. If your trip falls in the windy season, do not lock the date in — check the forecast and ask at the pier the day before.

What there is on the island

• Tân Hiệp market by the pier — dried seafood, ngô đồng bark hammocks, souvenirs.
• The old Cham well — a freshwater well centuries old, said never to run dry.
• Hải Tạng Pagoda — the island’s old temple.
• Edible bird’s nests — Cu Lao Cham has harvested them for generations; the caves are closed to visitors, but the trade is part of the island’s history.
• Bãi Chồng, Bãi Hương and Bãi Xếp — the swimming beaches around Hòn Lao.

Fitting it into a Hoi An trip

Cu Lao Cham is nearly always combined with Hoi An Ancient Town — half a day or a full day on the island, the rest in town.

The same cluster also holds My Son Sanctuary and the Marble Mountains.

Stone crab and seafood on the island

Eating on the island means seafood — Cu Lao Cham stone crab is the famous one, but it is a species harvested under a seasonal quota, so there are times when it is unavailable, and that is exactly as it should be.

To take home: bird’s nest, dried seafood and ngô đồng hammocks, woven from the bark of the red ngô đồng tree that grows on the island.

If you would rather have the logistics handled, there is a Cu Lao Cham day tour with the speedboat, a guide in the water and lunch on Bãi Ông beach.