Ly Son, Vietnam
Encyclopedia
Lý Sơn previously known as Cù Lao Ré, Canton Island, and Poulo Canton, is an island and also a district
in Quang Ngai province
, off the South Central Coast
of Vietnam
.
, and a few islets. The main island, Lý Sơn (Cù Lao Ré) has three prominent craters
, the largest of which is Mount Thoi Loi (Thới Lới). Hydrothermal waters on Lý Sơn provide heat for the local power plant. The secondary island is known as Little Island (Cù Lao Bờ Bãi) and is also well populated.
have been found on the islands. The Cham
used Ly Son as a transhipment base. Xó La well, one of the wells used to provide fresh water for ships, still remains right on the shore of the main island and is still in use. In the 17th Century the Nguyễn Lords started a colony on the islands from An Vĩnh, Bình Sơn District, in Quảng Ngãi, as part of the activities of the Hoàng Sa Company's development of the Paracel Islands
. During the United States involvement in Vietnam
, Ly Son was the site of a U.S. Navy radar
installation. The radar site was used to track shipping along the Vietnam
ese coast.
, although coastal sand mining to support its extensive cultivation has led to significant erosion. In the 21st Century Lý Sơn began to develop its tourist industry.
. Whale skeletons are worshiped and huge funerals are held when a stranded whale is found because they are believed to protect fishers while they are at sea.
The district government is located in An Vĩnh.
Districts of Vietnam
||The provinces of Vietnam are divided into counties , provincial cities , and county-level towns .The centrally-controlled municipalities are subdivided into rural counties , county-level towns , and urban districts , which then subdivided into wards ....
in Quang Ngai province
Quang Ngai Province
Quảng Ngãi is a province in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam, on the coast of South China Sea. It is located 883 km south of Hanoi and 838 km north of Ho Chi Minh City.-History:...
, off the South Central Coast
Nam Trung Bo
Nam Trung Bộ is one of the regions of Vietnam. It consists of the independent municipality of Đà Nẵng and seven other provinces. The two southern provinces Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận are sometimes seen as part of the Southeast region.The region has traditionally been one of the main gateways to...
of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Geography and geology
The district covers approximately 9.97 km² of land, on two off-shore volcanic islands in the South China SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, and a few islets. The main island, Lý Sơn (Cù Lao Ré) has three prominent craters
Volcanic crater
A volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form within which occurs a vent from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta. A crater can be of large dimensions, and sometimes of great depth...
, the largest of which is Mount Thoi Loi (Thới Lới). Hydrothermal waters on Lý Sơn provide heat for the local power plant. The secondary island is known as Little Island (Cù Lao Bờ Bãi) and is also well populated.
History
Remains of the pre-200 C.E. Sa Huynh cultureSa Huynh culture
The Sa Huỳnh culture was a culture in central and southern Vietnam that flourished between 1000 BC and 200 AD. Archaeological sites from the culture have been discovered from the Mekong Delta to just south of the Tonkin region. The Sa Huynh people were most likely the predecessors of the Cham...
have been found on the islands. The Cham
Champa
The kingdom of Champa was an Indianized kingdom that controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.The Cham people are remnants...
used Ly Son as a transhipment base. Xó La well, one of the wells used to provide fresh water for ships, still remains right on the shore of the main island and is still in use. In the 17th Century the Nguyễn Lords started a colony on the islands from An Vĩnh, Bình Sơn District, in Quảng Ngãi, as part of the activities of the Hoàng Sa Company's development of the Paracel Islands
Paracel Islands
The Paracel Islands, also called Xisha Islands in Chinese and Hoàng Sa Islands in Vietnamese, is a group of islands under the administration of Hainan Province, The People's Republic of China. Vietnam and the Republic of China also claim sovereignty of these islands...
. During the United States involvement in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Ly Son was the site of a U.S. Navy radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
installation. The radar site was used to track shipping along the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese coast.
Economy
The economy was founded on, and remains, primarily based on seafood extraction. However, Ly Son is known throughout Vietnam for its production of a special variety of garlicGarlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, although coastal sand mining to support its extensive cultivation has led to significant erosion. In the 21st Century Lý Sơn began to develop its tourist industry.
Culture
As in other parts of coastal Vietnam whales are important in local mythology and religion. Around one hundred whale skeletons are kept in temples, the largest and most important of which is in Tan Temple in An Hai Commune. According to a local legend, the 200 year old skeleton are the remains of Nam Hai Dong Dinh Dai Vuong (the king of whales), the most powerful whale in the East SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. Whale skeletons are worshiped and huge funerals are held when a stranded whale is found because they are believed to protect fishers while they are at sea.
Administrative Divisions
There are three communes in Lý Sơn District:- An Vĩnh and An Hải on the main island
- An Bình on Bờ Bãi Island in the north
The district government is located in An Vĩnh.
External links
- "Ly Son Distric Portal" with articles, images, video, news,... to introduction about Ly Son Distric (Island - Cu Lao Re)
- "Ly Son People Portal" with articles, images, video, news,... to introduction, connection, trading promotion, tourism, ly son garlic.
- "Ly Son garlic Portal" introduction, trading promotion ly son garlic.
- "Ly Son people blog" introduction, news, gallery, video about Ly Son.