Lý Sơn District

Lý Sơn ( listen), previously known as Cù Lao Ré, is a district in Quảng Ngãi Province, off the South Central Coast of Vietnam.

Geography and geology

The district covers approximately 9.97 km² of land, on two off-shore volcanic islands in the East Sea, and a few islets. The main island, Lý Sơn (Cù Lao Ré) has three prominent craters, the largest of which is Mount Thoi Loi (Thới Lới). Hydrothermal waters on Lý Sơn provide heat for the local power plant. The secondary island is known as Little Island (Cù Lao Bờ Bãi) and is also well populated.

History

Remains of the pre-200 C.E. Sa Huỳnh culture have been found on the islands. The Cham used Ly Son as a transhipment base. Xó La well, one of the wells used to provide fresh water for ships, still remains right on the shore of the main island and is still in use. In the 17th century the Nguyễn lords started a colony on the islands from An Vĩnh, Bình Sơn District, in Quảng Ngãi, as part of the activities of the Hoàng Sa Company's development of the Paracel Islands. During the United States involvement in Vietnam, Lý Sơn was the site of a U.S. Navy radar installation. The radar site was used to track shipping along the Vietnamese coast.