Qui Islet (Con Qui)

Qui Islet is an islet with a total area of 65 hectares located on Tien Giang River and between two communes, Tan Thach Commune and Thoi Son Commune, which belong to Chau Thanh District, Ben Tre Province. It is 22 kilometers (river) apart from the centre of Ben Tre town.

On Qui Islet, there are many fruit orchards, such as: sapodilla, longan, grapefruit and so on. While wandering around Tien River, tourists can make a stopover on Qui Islet, taste some delicious and aromatic fruits, some river fishes and prawns. Qui Islet is the smallest islet and was discovered in the beginning of 1960s. In 1955, Pham Cao Thang was the first person who set feet on this islet. He reclaimed the bare land, built houses and turned the islet into a livable dwelling. He planted many mangrove apple trees to prevent the soil from being drifted.

Qui Islet is like a fruit orchard on Tien Giang River

Every year, the amount of sediment accretes more and more, which results in the expansion of Qui Islet. Thus, there are more households has migrated to Qui Islet and resided here. They exploit the soil to plant fruits trees and grow crops for living.

Qui Islet is a new land. Hence it still remains the pristine features

Qui Islet still remains the pristine beauty because it is a new land. On the Islet, you can easily see purple white mangrove apple’s flowers swaying in the wind and fluttering gently on the river surface, or the lush greenness of coconut trees flourishing along the river bank, or simple leaf houses looming among the orchards laden with fruits, or the country ladies wearing “ao ba ba” (traditional women shirt in the South Vietnam) paddling or driving the motorboats towards floating markets to trade goods.

The simple leaf houses surrounded by the vast orchards laden with fruits

The country ladies paddling or driving her motorboats, which are full of goods, towards floating markets

Inside the cool and spacious compartments, which are mostly “thuy ta” (houses on the river), of Que Dua restaurant for tourism, tourists can comfortably rest and observe those purple flowers of hyacinths floating and blooming brilliantly.

Cruise ship on the Mekong river

The places for eating are built by bamboo trees and leaves but they are fully equipped. Tourists can taste many bucolic but distinctive specialties, such as: “cá bông lau nấu canh chua bần với rau muống đồng” (catfish, mangrove apple fruit with water spinach sour soup); “cá điêu hồng hấp nấm mối với bông bí” (red tilapia steamed with mushrooms and pumpkin flowers); braised “cá rô” (climbing perch), “cá kèo” (mudskipper) or “cá lóc”(snakehead).

Tourists can try fruits which are freshly picked while sipping hot honey tea (garden honey) and listening to melodious “đờn ca tài tử” (a musical art in the South Vietnam). The art of “Don ca tai tu” music and song has been an indispensable part as long as the length of Ben Tre existence. The art has been growing and increasing the charm of the Mekong Delta.