Rach Vem and the starfish shallows

A little fishing village on the north coast where orange starfish dot the sandy shallows and floating restaurants bob above the fish pens.

Area

North & national park

Start from

Duong Dong

Distance

about 25 km

Time needed

half a day

Best season

November – April for calm, clear water

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Taxi, hired car or scooter

Tickets & rules

None; small fees for floating restaurants or boat rides

Why go

Rạch Vẹm sits on a wide, shallow bay on the north coast, at the end of a road that cuts through the edge of the national park. The water here is calm and warm for much of the year, barely knee-deep for a long way out, and on the sandy bottom you can often see big orange-red starfish lying still like dropped toys.

Out in the bay, floating platforms of planks and plastic drums hold fish pens and simple restaurants, linked to the shore by a walkway or a short boat ride. You pick fish from the pens, it is cooked in a kitchen on the platform, and you eat watching the water move beneath the boards.

In the morning, before groups arrive, it is one of the most peaceful corners of the island: fishermen pushing off, the hills of the park behind, and only the sound of water slapping against hulls.

The story

Rạch Vẹm was for a long time simply a fishing hamlet: a few dozen families living along the shore, fishing the shallow bay and the deeper water beyond. The north coast faces the open gulf but is sheltered for much of the year by its shallow shelf and seagrass beds, which make good nurseries for fish, crabs and shellfish.

In the 2010s the village became famous almost overnight when photos of the starfish spread on social media. Visitors began to arrive in numbers, and many lifted the starfish out of the water for pictures. Starfish breathe and feed through their bodies, and even a few minutes in the air can injure or kill them; numbers in the easiest spots fell noticeably.

Since then, villagers, guides and local authorities have tried to change habits, with signs and gentle reminders to look but not touch. When you see a guide crouching in the water to photograph a starfish where it lies, rather than holding it up, that is progress.

The fish farms are a newer layer of the village economy. Groupers, snappers and other species are raised in pens, partly for restaurants on the island and partly for markets on the mainland. They have their own problems, from water quality to storms, and families watch the weather closely.

Getting there

From Duong Dong, drive north through Ganh Dau commune and the forested road towards the north coast; the trip takes about 40 to 50 minutes by car or scooter. Parts of the last section may be narrow or rough, especially after heavy rain.

Ride-hailing cars are rare in the area, so arrange a round trip or ask your driver to wait. It combines easily with Ganh Dau, a short drive to the west.

A suggested plan

1. 7:30Leave Duong Dong; breakfast on the way at a roadside noodle stall.
2. 8:30Wade the shallows to look for starfish, keeping your feet slow and careful.
3. 10:00Take a short boat ride to a floating platform and look into the fish pens.
4. 11:30Seafood lunch over the water: grilled fish, steamed clams, squid with pepper.
5. 13:30Drive west to Ganh Dau or a northern beach for a swim and, later, the sunset.

Where to stay

Most people visit on a day trip from Duong Dong or Long Beach. Resorts on the north coast and around Ganh Dau and Bãi Dài are much closer and make an early morning visit easy.

Good to know

• Wear water shoes; the sand hides shells and the odd sea urchin.
• Photograph starfish where they lie, under or at the surface of the water.
• Bring cash; cards are rarely accepted on the platforms.