The island district of Ly Son, 30km off the coast of Quang Ngai Province, will open a night market for tourists on the island in May.

An overview of a corner of Ly Son district. (VNS Photo Cong Thanh)

Vice chairwoman of the district’s People’s Committee, Pham Thi Huong told Vietnam News that the night market will be located in front of Muong Thanh Ly Son Hotel in An Vinh Commune.

Huong said the market, which will run from 6 pm until 10:30 pm daily, will host 40 pavilions selling souvenirs, dried seafood and specialties of the island as well as an entertainment centre.

She said a lack of night entertainment and shopping service has hampered tourist attraction.

Last year, Ly Son Island and An Binh islet hosted more than 200,000 tourists.

The island has 18 hotels, guesthouses and homestays providing accommodation for 1,000 tourists at present.

The islanders of Ly Son offer local cuisine and garlic and onion farming experiences for tourists during a sea trip from Sa Ky port in summer.

Islanders harvest onions on Ly Son island, off the coast of Quang Ngai Province. (VNS Photo Cong Thanh)

Ly Son and a vast coastal area of Bình Son District are being considered as a site for a Global Geo-Park for approval by UNESCO.

It has been well-known as the ‘King of Garlic’ in Vietnam with 21,000 inhabitants, most of whom make their living from farming garlic and spring onions and fishing.

The islands and a vast coastal area of Binh Son District may receive Global Geo-Park recognition from UNESCO.

According to archaeologists, Ly Son Island is a dormant volcano. The terrain of the island was created from eruptions 25 to 30 million years ago, leaving landscapes with rocks, caves, cliffs, rock arches and a lake.

Thoi Loi Mountain is seen on Ly Son Island. (VNS Photo Cong Thanh)

The island has abundant relics related to the Sa Huynh, Champa and Dai Viet cultures that existed on the island for thousands of years.

Islanders still preserve the annual Hoang Sa festival to pay tributes to local men who enlisted in the Hoang Sa flotilla hundreds of years ago.

The flotilla was set up under the Nguyễn dynasty to patrol the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos and salvage goods from the many wrecks, catch fish and maintain a Vietnamese presence over the area.

The festival, which includes a requiem for those who had died on the sea patrol missions, a procession of four supernatural creatures and the release of lanterns, has been recognised as the National Intangible Heritage./.

VNF/VNS