O Loan Lagoon

Ô Loan is a brackish lagoon east of national road 1, at the foot of the Quán Cau pass, in what was Phú Yên and is now Đắk Lắk province; it covers about 15.7 square kilometres by one measure and more than 17.5 by another, with an average depth of only 1.2 to 1.4 metres, rising to 3 metres in the rainy season. The Cái river and smaller streams bring in fresh water, a small creek links it to the sea, and the Đồng Cháy and Cẩm hills and the An Hải dune enclose it. Grouper, crab, shrimp and scallops are taken from it, but the most famous catch is the blood cockle, sò huyết. Every year, on the seventh day of the first lunar month, a traditional boat-racing festival is held on the lagoon.

Background

Ô Loan Lagoon is a brackish lagoon in Đắk Lắk Province, Vietnam, about 22 kilometres north of Tuy Hoà, covering some 15.7 square kilometres. A narrow sand dune separates it from the South China Sea, and a small creek links the two. Shrimp, crab, fish and blood cockles, a local delicacy, live in its waters, and the mangroves around it shelter birds and other wildlife; it was recognised as a national scenic site on 27 September 1996. Legend says a fairy named Loan borrowed an ô thước bird to visit the earth, and the tired bird fell here, giving the lagoon its name.

Source: Wikipedia, "Ô Loan Lagoon"

Highlights

• The lagoon - some 15.7 to 17.5 square kilometres of shallow brackish water.
• The Quán Cau pass - the lagoon lies at its foot, beside national road 1.
• Blood cockles - the lagoon's most famous seafood.
• A boat race in the first lunar month - on the seventh day.

When to go

February to August. Half a day. The boat-racing festival falls on the seventh day of the first lunar month.

Before you go

The lagoon is under serious pressure: dykes built to enclose areas for aquaculture and growing pollution are damaging it, and aquaculture enclosures are visible across it. It is shallow, on average 1.2 to 1.4 metres deep and up to 3 metres in the rainy season.

Nearby

Gành Đá Đĩa is about 9 km north-north-east in a straight line; Tuy Hòa is about 22 km south-south-east and Quy Nhơn about 55 km north.

Key facts