Quan Lan Island

Quan Lan lies out in Bai Tu Long, the bay east of Ha Long, and it has what Ha Long does not: long open sand beaches with almost nothing built on them, at Minh Chau and Son Hao. The island was a trading port in the medieval period, part of the Van Don commercial complex that handled sea trade with China and beyond, and a temple and communal house from the eighteenth century survive in the village. Its festival in the sixth lunar month is a boat race between two teams that is understood as a ritual rather than a sport, commemorating a naval action, and it fills the island for several days.

What you actually see

• Long empty sand beaches - at Minh Chau and Son Hao.
• A medieval trading port - part of the Van Don complex.
• An eighteenth century temple and dinh - in the village.
• A ritual boat race - in the sixth lunar month.

When to go

April to September; the sea and the boats are unreliable outside that. Two days.

Honest expectations

Boats are cancelled by weather and being stuck is possible. Accommodation is simple guesthouses. Development is arriving fast and some of the beaches now have building on them. There is little shade.

Nearby

Co To island is further out; Van Don and Ha Long are on the mainland.