No place in the country that I have visited so far drives me to different states of excitement as quickly as the sea of Hon Do (Red Islet) at My Hiep Village in Thanh Hai Commune. There, I can snorkel for hours on the calm sea to watch schools of fish in various colors or struggle with the strong waves to see coral reefs of various shapes.

The coral reefs moving with the waves are more or less one meter deep in the seabed. A further distance from the shore is a world of more beautiful coral reefs, says Diep Nghia Hung, leader of a coral reef protection team at Hon Do.

Hung says no statistics show the exact kinds of coral reefs there but they are available in white, black, dark green, purple and other colors he does not remember, as the sea area of coral reefs under protection is up to 15 hectares.

When the tides are low and the sun is shining, Hung says visitors just step into the water to see the coral reefs. It was sunny the day I was there but the waves were so strong that I did not dare swim too far from shore, so I could see with my own eyes blankets of large coral reefs in white and purple as well as schools of fish.

Hung told me when I set foot on the shore that the sea at Hon Do was usually rough around this time of the year and reminded that the best time to go diving was from March till the end of summer when the sea surface ripples.

Actually, I did not have to wait until the summer because the waters about one kilometer from the area where I dove remain calm as they are protected by hills and mountains. I did some snorkeling there after a quick lunch of vegetables and a boiled and grilled fish specialty called nhai, whose bones are green and meat is sweet.

The lunch quickly drove away the disappointment over the rough sea area and excitement came back to me as soon as I began snorkeling on the calm sea. I took much pleasure in swimming after schools of small fish in different colors and looking for animals in the holes and under the reef both near and far from the shore.

Carved by waves, tides and winds for millions of years, the coral reefs are by themselves wonders. These coral reefs stay firm onshore, serving as dykes to protect Hon Do from strong waves and as a haven for sea lovers.

Hung says groups of 50-70 guests of Saigon Ninh Chu Hotel often board a boat to Hon Do and then use a basket boat to observe the coral reefs and go diving to see them from under the sea.

If you would like to experience the coral reefs at Hon Do, call Diep Nghia Hung at 0957 322 590, Saigon - Ninh Chu Hotel at 068 3876011 or 387 6004 or email: sales@saigonninhchuhotel.com.vn.

By Mong Binh in HCMC – The Saigon Times Daily