Discover the oldest lighthouse in Vietnam

MINH ANH

Located in the south central coastal province of Binh Thuan, about 180 km from Ho Chi Minh City, Ke Ga lighthouse is an ideal getaway for tourists.

Ke Ga lighthouse is located on Ke Ga Island, 300m offshore of the mainland, which belongs to Tan Thanh Commune, Ham Thuan Nam District, Binh Thuan Province. It is the tallest and oldest lighthouse in Southeast Asia. Currently, Ke Ga island and the lighthouse have become an attractive tourist destination in

The spiral staircase leads to the top of the lighthouse

the province. The lighthouse is also a unique architectural monument.

According to the maritime history in this area, in the late 19th century, Ke Ga Cape was considered an extremely critical position of the sea route from Phan Rang to Vung Tau. Many merchant ships passed by here and were wrecked due to unidentified coordinates and locations. To ensure the safety for transport ships of French troops and foreign merchant ships, the French built a big lighthouse on the island in 1897. It was completed in 1899 and was put into operation in 1900.

Rocks shape a chicken’s head on Ke Ga Island

Ke Ga lighthouse is 65m high with a 35m granite lamp tower. Granite blocks were shaped carefully to fit in each position. During construction, they placed the stones correctly in position using mortar. On the lighthouse, there is a big light of 2000W with an effective radius of 22 nautical miles or 40km, used to give signals to guide ships back and forth. Inside the tower is a spiral staircase made with steel with 183 steps leading to the top.

From the lighthouse top, visitors can see a vast expanse of sea and sky, as well as enjoy cool ocean winds. The most beautiful moment to visit the lighthouse is at sunset. People can see a fantastic sight with splendid colors. Sometimes they cannot distinguish the boundary of the sky and sea.

At the foot of the tower is a concrete road leading down to the bottom of the hill. Both sides of the road are shaded all year round by two rows of old Su trees planted by the French when the lighthouse began construction. Despite the impact of wind, waves and typhoons, Ke Ga lighthouse still stands without damage.

Ke Ga lighthouse has become a tourist attraction, not only about art and architecture but also a beautiful natural landscape.