Vietnam’s Easternmost Points: Mui Doi or Somewhere Else?
Among trekkers and road trippers, whenever people mention Cuc Dong, Vietnam’s easternmost point, they usually think of Mui Doi, a landmark in Khanh Hoa Province. However, there is still debate around where Vietnam’s easternmost point actually is. So what other place is considered a contender, and which location is the most accurate? Let To Ong walk you through it in the article below.
Criteria for Recognizing Vietnam’s Easternmost Point
Based on geographic coordinates, Vietnam’s easternmost point should be the place that extends farthest from the mainland toward the East Sea, meaning the farthest east in longitude. Based on sunrise, it is the point that receives the earliest dawn under Vietnam’s time zone. These two factors can be determined through measurement, GPS, sunrise timing, and similar methods.
Which Places Are Debated as the Easternmost Point?
There are two main viewpoints in the debate over Vietnam’s easternmost point. In the past, it was considered to be Mui Dai Lanh in Phu Yen Province. Later, many people argued that Mui Doi in Khanh Hoa Province is the accurate location. Before 2012, some people in the backpacking community knew about and visited Mui Doi, used GPS to identify its coordinates, and marked it with a triangular summit marker placed at Mui Doi.
Information About the Easternmost Point in Phu Yen
For a long time, at Mui Dien near Dai Lanh Lighthouse, the General Department of Land Administration, now the General Department of Land Management, built a granite sign engraved with the words “Easternmost point – Where the first sunrise is welcomed on Vietnam’s mainland.” Many people have visited Mui Dien for travel and check-ins. This is also the basis for Phu Yen’s claim that Mui Dien is the easternmost point on the mainland.
Mui Doi: Vietnam’s Easternmost Point
There has not been any official document formally recognizing the exact location of the easternmost point, but in theory, based on the criteria used to determine it, the most accurate location is Mui Doi, on the Hon Gom Peninsula in Van Ninh District, Khanh Hoa Province. This is also considered through the following factors:
Coordinates of Mui Dien and Mui Doi
When comparing the coordinates of Mui Dien and Mui Doi, Mui Doi lies farther east. Specifically:
- People have taken Google Maps screenshots and drawn a vertical line. Even by eye, it is easy to see that Mui Doi is positioned slightly farther east than Mui Dien.
- The coordinates of Mui Doi in the national heritage records stored at the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are 109o27’55” east longitude, while Mui Dien is at 109o27’06” east longitude. This means the actual data shows that Mui Doi lies farther east than Mui Dien, making it the easternmost point on Vietnam’s mainland.
Public Information
In addition, unlike the information supporting Phu Yen’s claim, Vietnam’s geography textbooks and several television programs and travel websites recognize Mui Doi as the easternmost point. Specifically:
- The Grade 12 Geography textbook states: “The easternmost point is in Van Thanh Commune, Van Ninh District, Khanh Hoa Province” (third reprint, 2011).
- On August 25, 2013, VTV aired the program “Road to Mount Olympia.” In the final round, a question asked: “In which provinces are the four eastern, western, southern, and northern extreme points of our country located?” The contestant answered “Khanh Hoa, Dien Bien, Ca Mau, Ha Giang,” corresponding to the four points, and the answer was accepted as correct.
- On January 7, 2017, VTV aired the television program “Discover Vietnam” with the title “Mui Doi – The Easternmost Point of Vietnam.”
- In the “Destinations” section on the website of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the place name “Mui Doi – Hon Dau” can be found with the description: “Mui Doi – Hon Dau lies on the Hon Gom Peninsula of Van Phong Bay in Van Thanh Commune, Van Ninh District, Khanh Hoa Province… Mui Doi is also the easternmost point and the place that welcomes the earliest sunrise of a new day on the S-shaped land.”
Real Experience from Backpackers
According to some backpackers who have explored both locations, sunrise at Mui Doi comes earlier. However, there is also a hypothesis that because the Earth’s axis is tilted 23.5 degrees relative to the Sun’s axis, there may be times when Mui Dien receives sunrise before Mui Doi, since the light density at any given point changes over the annual cycle.
At the end of 2017, Khanh Hoa Province officially marked the easternmost point on the mainland with an equilateral triangular stone marker. On all three sides, it is engraved with the words “Mui Doi – Hon Doi (Hon Dau), the easternmost point on the mainland, coordinates 12˚39’0″ north latitude – 109˚28’0″ east longitude.”
The Beauty of Hiking Cuc Dong
With Mui Doi identified as the easternmost point on the mainland, many people have come here. Cuc Dong is a journey that follows the sun and returns to the call of the sea. Hiking Cuc Dong is not only a source of pride because you have conquered a special coordinate with sacred meaning for the country, but also a moment of awe before the endless beauty of sea and sky in a brilliant sunrise.
On the Cuc Dong tour, you walk from Dam Mon to Mui Doi, crossing large coastal sand dunes that feel like conquering a small arid desert, then passing through strange forests growing on sand. After that, the scenery becomes livelier, with deep blue beaches, crystal-clear water, and white sand dotted with rocks in all kinds of unusual shapes.
Is Conquering Vietnam’s Easternmost Point Difficult?
Classified as Mountain Hiking, To Ong has designed a Cuc Dong tour itinerary that is manageable and not too difficult, while still offering many worthwhile experiences. You camp beside a poetic beach, climb up steep slopes and descend again, use a rope ladder to reach the rock holding the marker for the mainland’s easternmost point, the place with the farthest east longitude. And of course, you watch the dawn rise, changing the color of the sea and painting the space red.
In addition, with a full-service package, you can feel at ease about a safe trip, with transportation, pick-up and drop-off, and meals covered. The tour guides know the terrain well, have plenty of experience, and are enthusiastic. Your companions are people from all over Vietnam, each carrying their own memorable stories.
Final Thoughts
In the eastern sky of Vietnam, the endless song of the waves will guide you along coastal trails, like a traveler conquering a promised land. There, you will find vast sea and sky, seagulls tilting their wings as they glide, and the sun lighting the ocean every day. And then come emotions that burst open in happiness. Do you want to go there? Hike Vietnam’s Cuc Dong with To Ong and add another vivid page to your travel story.
