Island · Van Ninh
Diep Son Island
Đảo Điệp Sơn
Điệp Sơn is a cluster of islands in Vân Phong Bay, in the north of Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam, off the town of Vạn Giã. VnExpress counts six islands above water and two submerged, naming Hòn Bịp, Hòn Giữa (also Hòn Quạ) and Hòn Đuốc (also Phật Nằm)[1]; the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese describes it as three islands, Hòn Bịp, Hòn Giữa and Hòn Đuốc[3]. Wikidata places Hòn Bịp, the main island, at 12.718333, 109.302222 with an elevation of 118 m[2].
The cluster is known for a natural sand path between the islands that is exposed at low tide and covered at high tide. Its reported length varies: about 400 m[1], about 500 m[4] and about 1 km[3]. Hòn Bịp holds a fishing village of 96 households and over 400 people according to VnExpress in 2022[1], or 92 households according to a 2020 account[3]. The islands belonged to Vạn Thạnh commune of Vạn Ninh district[1][7] and since 1 July 2025 to Đại Lãnh commune[8].
The islands
Điệp Sơn lies in the part of Vân Phong Bay off Vạn Giã, about 60 km north of Nha Trang by National Highway 1[1][5]. VnExpress in September 2022 counted six islands above water and two submerged, the named ones being Phật Nằm (Hòn Đuốc), Hòn Giữa (Hòn Quạ) and Hòn Bịp[1]; a November 2020 account on the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese portal and a January 2016 report in Zing describe three islands[3][4]. Vietnam Coracle identifies Diep Son Island with Hòn Bịp, the largest of the three[5]. The Vietnamese Wikipedia article on the bay names Hòn Bịp among the bay's islands[6].
Wikidata gives Hòn Bịp the coordinates 12.718333, 109.302222, an elevation of 118 m and the GeoNames identifier 1582155[2]. The crossing from Vạn Giã takes 10 to 15 minutes by speedboat[1][3] or 30 to 45 minutes by wooden boat[3].
The sand path
A ridge of sand links the islands and is exposed only at low water. VnExpress gives its length as 400 m and states that at the highest tide the water over it reaches waist height[1]. Zing in 2016 gave a length of about 500 m, a width of 8 m near the island narrowing to 2 to 3 m further out, and a depth of about 1 m below the surface at high tide, with the path appearing at about 06:00 each day as the tide fell[4]. The 2020 account gives about 1 km in length and nearly 2 m in width, visible from about 04:00 to 06:00 at low tide and otherwise about knee-deep[3]. The three sources disagree on the length; the differences may reflect different tide levels and end points, but no survey figure was found.
The village
The fishing village on Hòn Bịp had 96 households and over 400 people in 2022[1]; the 2020 account gives 92 households[3]. Electricity was limited: three hours a day in 2016[4] and from 18:00 to 21:30 daily in 2020[3]. Zing in 2016 recorded a fisherman's daily catch as worth about 40,000 to 50,000 VND[4].
Administration
The islands belonged to Vạn Thạnh commune of Vạn Ninh district[1], one of 12 communes of a district of 550 km² and 134,820 people in 2017 that was dissolved on 16 June 2025[7]. Resolution 1667/NQ-UBTVQH15 of that date, in force from the day it was passed, merged Vạn Thạnh, Vạn Thọ and Đại Lãnh into a new commune named Đại Lãnh, which began operating on 1 July 2025[8]. Zing's 2016 report spelled the commune 'Vạn Thành'[4].
Questions and answers
How long is the Diep Son sand path?
How many people live on Diep Son?
The village on Hòn Bịp had 96 households and over 400 people in 2022[1].
Sources
Every figure in this article is cited to one of these pages, listed in order of first use, with the date it was read.
See also
- Van Phong BayBay
- Hon LonIsland
- Hon OngIsland
- Mui DoiCape
- Binh Ba IslandIsland
- Binh Hung IslandIsland