Ke Ga Lighthouse 2026: A Century-Old Eye on the Sea

🏖️ This article is part of the Phan Thiet – Mui Ne Travel Guide cluster · Updated 08/2026.

Ke Ga Lighthouse: A Century-Old Eye on the Sea

The pride of 19th-century French engineering meets the raw, untamed granite coastline of Binh Thuan.

Photo: MH Travel

Some lights are built to illuminate a room. Others are built to keep watch over an entire ocean. The smell of wet stone, salt stinging your nose, and waves crashing against the rocks are the first things that greeted me as the boat bobbed its way to Ke Ga island. Standing tall on that wild, untouched island is a towering lighthouse, gray with age — an "eye on the sea" that hasn't slept in over a century.

A Layer of History & 19th-Century Engineering

Ke Ga (in Tan Thanh commune, Ham Thuan Nam, Binh Thuan) once haunted Western merchant ships in the late 19th century, thanks to the many treacherous reefs off this stretch of coast. To solve the navigation hazard, in 1897 French colonial authorities commissioned architect Chnavat (Chanavat) to design and build a lighthouse here.

Ke Ga Lighthouse officially began operating in 1900 and is recognized as Vietnam's oldest and tallest lighthouse. Its octagonal structure rises 35 meters (65 meters measured from sea level), built entirely from precisely cut blocks of granite. Remarkably, these stone blocks were shipped over from France and fitted together so tightly they've needed almost no binding material to survive thousands of storms.

Step inside the tower and you'll be met with an impressive 184-step steel spiral staircase. Slightly rusted but remarkably solid, the iron steps wind their way up like a spiral leading straight into the sky.

The Everyday Rhythm & Boat Rides Across the Waves

"The sea's calm today, so the boat only takes 10 minutes — back in the day we'd paddle round basket boats out here, scared half to death!" laughs Uncle Bay, a seasoned boatman at Ben Bac pier. This small island has no permanent residents — only the lighthouse keepers stationed here year-round. For fishermen of Ham Thuan Nam, the beam that sweeps 22 nautical miles is the one light they can count on during a rough night at sea.

Getting to the island is much easier today. Visitors can rent a round-trip boat for 40,000–100,000 VND per person. Depending on the wind season, boats depart from Ben Nam (June to November) or Ben Bac (December to May). Putting on a life vest and riding the bow of the boat through whitecap waves as the massive rock formations come into view is a genuinely cinematic experience.

"Standing at the top of Ke Ga Lighthouse, wind hitting you from every side. Looking down, giant granite slabs jut out like a pod of sea turtles facing out to the ocean. In that moment you really feel how small a person is against nature."
— From a review by travel blogger Nguyen Hoang

A Detailed Itinerary for Exploring Ke Ga Lighthouse

Local Flavors & Insider Tips

Ke Ga isn't just about stunning scenery — it's also home to coral reefs and marine life. Keep these four tips in mind when visiting:

1. Grilling on the rocks: Don't expect a fancy restaurant on the island. Bring some dew-dried squid or Phan Thiet fish cake from the mainland instead. Build a small fire in a wind-sheltered rock nook, grill the squid until it sizzles, and dip it in chili sauce out on the open water — that's the real "delicacy" here.
2. The path beneath the sea: On the full moon each lunar month, when the tide recedes fully, a long sandbar appears connecting the mainland to the island. You can roll up your pants and walk across, or ride a jet ski over it.
3. What to wear: Never wear heels or slippery flip-flops. The granite here is jagged, sharp, and often covered in slick moss. A good pair of trekking or athletic shoes with grip is a lifesaver.
4. Cost of visiting: Climbing the lighthouse is currently almost free (or a small 10,000–20,000 VND cleaning fee), but if you want to camp overnight, ask permission from the border-guard lighthouse keepers and pay an overnight fee of around 50,000 VND per person.