The north by road: pepper, forest, Ganh Dau

This is the day for people who want to see how the north of the island looks away from the resorts, without getting on a boat. It is also our fallback when the sea cancels a south-island day: the route is inland and along sheltered coast, and it runs in rain. Most of the time is spent in the vehicle or on short walks; nothing on the route is strenuous.

The north is quieter than the south. The road from Cua Can to Ganh Dau runs through forest, with few houses and few fuel stations, and the fishing villages at the end are small. If you want sand, rides and shows, the Safari option or a separate day at the parks is the better use of your time.

The van runs south to north, so the south pays with an early start and Bai Dai guests join late and miss the pepper garden. Bai Dai guests who want the garden can ask for a Duong Dong pickup instead. The exact minute for your hotel comes the evening before.

The windows rest on published drive times: about 40 to 50 minutes from Duong Dong to An Thoi, and 25 to 30 km, or about 40 to 50 minutes, from Duong Dong to Ganh Dau by car. See pickup zones and times for hotels outside the zones.

Rach Vem is known as the starfish village because of the red starfish that collect in its shallow water in the dry season, roughly December to April, when the sea is shallow and clear enough to see them near shore. In rain or under heavy cloud you may see few or none; we cannot promise them.

• Do not lift starfish out of the water or use them as photo props. Handling can kill them, and visitors are asked not to take, carry off or dry them.
• Walk the shallows in reef shoes or sandals, not barefoot.
• The walkways are wooden and wet in places; hold children's hands.
• Seafood at the floating houses is priced per dish, about 150,000 to 300,000 VND a dish in a 2026 report, if you order beyond the included lunch.

A 2019 report described the access road as hard going in the rainy months. We check its state before wet-season departures and swap the order of stops if a section is flooded.

Vinpearl Safari opened at Ganh Dau in 2015 and now covers more than 380 ha. The safari zone is toured by a dedicated bus with animals roaming semi-wild; the open zoo is walked. With a 13:30 drop and a 16:00 pickup you have about two and a half hours, enough for the bus tour, the 14:00 show and part of the open zoo, not for the whole park. Buy the ticket yourself or ask us to add it to the quote at the published price.

This tour does not depend on the sea, so the weather rule is different from the boat trips. In rain the day runs, with the beach time shortened and more time at the pepper garden and Rach Vem. We cancel only if the authorities issue a storm warning for the island or a road on the route is flooded. Then you choose another date or a full refund of what you paid us. The rainy season is broadly May to October; July to September can bring heavy rain and strong wind.

See the pricing page for what a quote contains and how to book for the steps.