03:07, 13/07/2005

Doc Let Resort

Khanh Hoa is considered a rendezvous of the country’s most beautiful beaches, among which is the Doc Let Beach (Ninh Hai Village, Ninh Hoa District)...

Khanh Hoa is considered a rendezvous of the country’s most beautiful beaches, among which is the Doc Let Beach (Ninh Hai Village, Ninh Hoa District) that has been managed and controlled by Khanh Hoa Tourist Company since 1994.

The name Doc Let or Let Slope originated a long time ago. It is said that in the old days, there used to be a very high dune which was so challenging for travellers to surpass that they would use areca petioles to slide down.

Only climbing onto sand dune full of coconut palm leaves can help you understand the profound meaning of its name. Doc Let means a slope that you have to slide down after climbing onto such attractive sand dunes as the sand seems to hold your feet as if it didn’t want to leave you.

From Nha Trang City, following the National Road 1 for 49km northward to a junction, turn right and go about 14km, you can reach Doc Let Resort. From Doc Let Beach, we can come in view of Hon Khoi Peninsular and Hyundai Vinashin shipbuilding Joint Venture to the right operating day and night. In the distance are rolling mountain ranges hidden in the clouds.

Its special and typical feature is the view of a famous salt field, Hon Khoi, before reaching the beach. The shinny salt fields in the harvesting seasons creating great and peculiar feelings are part of the attractions of Doc Let. The project of the total beach area of 3.ha is under Khanh Hoa Tourist Company but up to now only 1.9ha has been exploited. The very white sand dunes tend to slide up to the pine tree dunes. The dunes themselves have witnessed so many romantic love stories in Cat Group, Ninh Phuoc Commune, Ninh Hoa District, Khanh Hoa Province, before becoming a strikingly beautiful beach located in Khanh Hoa attracting thousands of visitors.

Over the past 4 years, Doc Let has become an appealing tourist resort that travellers enjoy visiting before entering Nha Trang City and a relaxing place for the local people during weekends. Khanh Hoa Tourist Co. has invested VND7 billion in totals for the continuous 4 years to change a devastated beach into an inviting tourist attraction receiving up to some thousand visitors a day. The number reaches some ten thousand during holidays.

Doc Let Resort enjoys the lush coconut trees-covered coastline with the smooth and fine sand beach. 100-110m from the shore, the water level just comes up to your chests, gently sloping in the distance. It is not as deep as other beaches with slight ripples on the surface. The water is clear blue and clean as no rivers merge in this region. Nearly 50 tents for rent are put in harmony along the beach for 70,000VND/each and the chairs are rent for 5000/each. The beach is quite shallow stretching for nearly 100m from the shore with tiny waves so everyone can jump into the sea even they can’t swim. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, the Doc Let Resort Manager, is very attached to this place. Nearly 10 years ago, he himself grew the first line of coconut trees and then he moved to work in another place. Now, back as a manager, the trees he grew years ago are very fruitful and have covered the whole region.

Doc Let’s scenic attraction is based on its own favorable conditions without destroying the natural settings. Firstly, Doc Let Forest remains mostly its deserted attraction. After some fun playing in the water, one can come to skid down the sandy dune until feeling dog-tired, and then you can jump into the sea again… Coming to Doc Let, tourists can also enjoy strolling along the beach, leaving behind their footsteps on the sand, sunbathing and listening to the sound of waves tapping and the coconut palm leaves gently dropping down.

There are now nice 16 guest- houses constructed in the style of houses on stilts for tourists to stay overnight here. Each house is a private world. A small brick-paved path is hidden in a willow forest full of dead leaves with the birds’ singing to welcome the morning. Each house has a soil baked jar of fresh water with a coconut shell dipper hung on its mouth.

There are varieties of rooms for tourists to choose with the price ranging from 150,000 to 250,000VND/day. In the moonlight, travellers can go for a walk along the glistening white sandy beach watching fishermen netting fish, squids, crabs, clams… or trying working as fishermen. Joining in a tour, you can experience a camp fire night with joyful programs, thus all the members in the group can have fun together as an escape from all daily sorrows and tiredness. When the camp fire is about to come out, it is a good time to taste sweet clam porridge, the unforgettable speciality. Before going to bed, a sea bath is highly recommended to relieve the “heat’ of games and a bowl of hot porridge. These are really forgettable moments.

After some fun in the lake of ‘salt water’, tourists can take a rest in wind-swept huts tasting seafood, very fresh and much cheaper than in other beaches in the region. The price just ranges from 25,000 to 50,000VND/kg. You can enjoy a wide choice of your favourite seafood: lobsters, crabs, shellfishes… all of which are fresh and available in the water for tourists to ‘order’ and then they are taken out to be processed at once.

Salesmen don’t exchange the chosen foods. After a bargain, tourists are helped with the cooking and the food is served hot with all seasonings. After the meals, the place is tidied up for tourists’ rest. Tourists can relax in canvas-chairs, breathing the fresh sea air and listening to the sound of waves. Tourists can book the meals in the restaurant according their own tastes. After a swim, everything is ready at the price of 20,000 to 35,000VND/portion. Here you can hire sea bathing equipment such as: buoys, swimming suits, hammocks at VND5,000 to 20,000. Doc Let in tourists’ minds is the image of willows trying to creep on the sand and fishermen sitting mending their nets after their offshore working trips. You can go for a walk by yourself in the forest full of willows with your steps on the carpets of leaves breathing the perfume of trees and sea wind. Doc Let Beach is really new and strange to every visitor. This magnificent beach received great investment in 2002. The rocky path leading to Doc Let was asphalted from the beginning of the national path. The water and power supply can provide sufficient service to the nearly - 5ha area. The remaining 15ha has been put into the project of building an entertainment and amusement zone to satisfy increasing tourists. At present, Doc Let Resort can give service to nearly 10,000 people at the same time.

N.T