Cau Hai Lagoon is a primitive part of Vietnam and the peace and tranquility that surrounds the entire area will leave you breathless and mesmerized from the moment you arrive. Upon first glance, you will see nothing but massive tree trunks towering out of the water of the Cau Hai Lagoon. However, once you adjust your eyes and capture the entire view, you will see mountains in the background looming over the rest of the surrounding area.
The Cau Hai Lagoon is part of many lagoons that stretch all along the coast of Hue. The Tam Giang Lagoon is another one of those lagoons. The Cau Hai Lagoon, and the rest of the lagoons, are the largest freshwater lagoons within Southeast Asia. Each one of these lagoons receives water that flows down from the mountains near the Laos border.
This is a major fishing area in Vietnam, and you will never find a day when the locals are not tending to the nets within the Cau Hai Lagoon. They are simply following the same path their ancestors took many years ago in this intriguing area that is equally between Da Nang and Hue. Some people prefer to swing their nets off the wooden poles to scoop up their fish each day, while others catch fish inside fenced off areas shaped like rectangles. These rectangular areas look kind of like rice paddies, which you will see throughout the country as well.
The haul that each person gets every day doesn’t appear to be a lot to someone looking around for a few minutes. However, once you see that there are thousands of people fishing each day, and they use hundreds of nets, you will quickly realize that their haul of fish is quite large. Not too large though, because this area needs to be sustainable to continue to feed the locals for many generations in the future!
Cau Hai Lagoon can be found near the tiny town of Vinh Hien. This super small town may be charming in its own way, but most travelers like yourself will not give it a second glance since your sights will be on the Cau Hai Lagoon. If you have a little time after admiring the lagoon, spend a few minutes in this town and try to appreciate its rare beauty.
If you are looking to see the Cau Hai Lagoon from a different vantage point, you must venture over to the Thanh Duyen Temple. You will find this temple on Tuy Van Mount, which is a hill quite near the Tu Hien Inlet. This inlet also leads to the South China Sea, so the views you will see will be even more incredible than you could ever imagine.
When you are at the temple, you will quickly see which section was constructed back in the 17th century, as well as which ones were added by the Emperors from the Nguyen Dynasty. You must make sure your entire body is covered when you arrive at this temple, because it shows respect to the Buddha and the famous monks from the region. This is the normal attire for every temple in this country, so you will want to be prepared with a shawl to cover your arms if you are wearing short sleeves. It is best to keep these religious sites in mind as you are getting dressed every morning, so you do not miss out on any amazing opportunities by being dressed inappropriately.
Not too far from Cau Hai Lagoon, you will find Vinh An Beach. This beach has forty kilometers of uninterrupted sandy shoreline and that is it. There are no resorts, or other touristy destinations, along this shoreline, so you can easily enjoy the sand between your toes as you walk along. This is the perfect time to reflect on this area, as well as what you saw and heard during your time there, while contemplating the future at the same time.
Getting to Cau Hai Lagoon is as easy as renting a car and driving out there yourself. However, you can also rent a motorbike or take the bus. Obviously, when you take the bus, you will be restricted to the times where the bus can drop you off, as well as pick you up. Therefore, you may not be able to see as much of this area as you would like before you need to return to where you are staying in Vietnam.
You will love every minute of your journey to Cau Hai Lagoon, so make sure it is on your list of things to do when you take the time to visit the country of Vietnam. We know that there are so many different attractions to choose from in this country, but this is one that definitely must be considered before you leave.