Cam Ranh Bay: Cam Lap Promontory
Travel Adventures
Cam Ranh Bay: Cam Lap Promontory
Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
Filled by the calm, glistening waters of the East Sea, Cam Ranh Bay, just south of Nha Trang, is a splendid natural harbour surrounded by hills. From its southern shores, a finger of land points northwards into the bay: This is Cam Lap Promontory, one of those rare places that’ s easily accessible yet undeveloped and utterly beautiful. It’ s the kind of place you fall in love with, and one that, for the time being, really does deserve the overused epithet of‘ hidden gem’. Beaches don’ t get much better than this in Vietnam, and yet, if you visit on a weekday( avoiding weekends and national holidays), you will probably have the chalky, whitesand, boulder-studded beaches and mirror-flat, jade-blue sea all to yourself. This is my guide to one of my favourite corners of coastal Vietnam.
Easily accessible yet rarely visited by foreign travellers, Cam Lap Promontory has plenty of local charm
8 The MAG Vung Tau
THE LOCATION:
_________________________ Almost equidistant from Nha Trang( 75km to the north) and Phan Rang( 65km to the south), Cam Lap Promontory is a rugged horn of land projecting into Cam Ranh Bay. Accessed via a steep, narrow, paved lane leading north from the spectacular Nui Chua Coast Road, the promontory is made up of giant boulder piles which rise from the calm, blue waters of the bay. Despite all this rock, the entire peninsular is cloaked in foliage: eucalyptus plantations occupy the high-ground, giving way to shady groves of cashew and mango trees on the low-ground. The trees and boulders continue right to the waters’ edge, where the waves have slowly eroded the rocks into fine white sand.
The eastern side of the promontory boasts a series of gently
Cam Lap is a rocky promontory covered in fruit plantations that continue up to the white-sand beaches arcing bays with excellent white-sand beaches separated by giant boulders lying in the sand like unfinished sculptures; there’ s even some decent coral just offshore. The western side is more rugged, characterized by a handful of sheltered coves which provide natural harbours for small fishing fleets and remote settlements. Although the sand is not as dazzling on this side of the promontory, the water is exceptionally calm and blue, and there are a couple of wonderfully secluded bays. There are places to stay and eat on both sides of the peninsular. There’ s only