Visit the island that banned plastic bags in 2009
They check at the boat
Cu Lao Cham, eight islets about 15 km offshore, reached by speedboat from Cua Dai. About 2,400 people live there.
Why it's unique
Cu Lao Cham was recognised as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 2009, and in the same year it banned visitors from bringing plastic bags onto the islands.
That is more than a decade before single-use plastic bans became ordinary, and it was the first place in Vietnam where one actually held. The ban is enforced at the boat, not by signage, and roughly 2,400 people live under it.
The distinctive thing is the enforcement and the date, not the beaches, which are pleasant but are not the reason to write this down.
Before you go
They will make you leave plastic bags at the pier. That is the point of the trip rather than an inconvenience to plan around, so pack accordingly.
The crossing is by speedboat and is genuinely rough from about October to March, when trips are often cancelled outright on the morning. Do not build a tight itinerary around it in winter.
Day tours concentrate on Bai Chong, which gets crowded. The quieter beaches need a walk, and almost nobody does it.