Pulau Bidong is one square kilometre in area and is located off the coast of Terengganu, Malaysia in the South China Sea. Pulau Bidong is accessible from the coastal town of Marang.

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Before asking where is Pulau Bidong, let us check out the tale listed below. In the 1970s, thousands of the Vietnamese fled Vietnam to get away from the communist Vietnam. Some them purchased a risk-free passage to leave their homeland. They travelled in watercraft of any kind and size. The watercrafts are always overcrowded with men, women, youngsters and infants, hundreds and countless them.

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With the help of the wind and waves specifically throughout the northeast monsoon, they will typically arrive after weeks or months of sailing on the sea. Not all of the boats reached their destination safely. Pirates are the major anxiety for the majority of the watercraft individuals. Rape, rob, beat, and murder are a headache aside from thirst, sea sickness, and hunger. Along with these, with the awful problem on the boat, there are died people day-to-day in their terrible trip. The body will then be thrown into the open sea. Some, they didn’t get there on the boat they originally took instead just holding a piece of wood or sitting in a large food preparation pot … their poor little boat sunk in the solid and harsh waves while in the trip.

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Approximated 1 million Vietnamese, who left their homeland in the 1970s, nearly 255,000 of them arrived at the coasts of Malaysia, and the majority of them were put on Bidong Island. Why Bing? Nobody understands. The Bidong Island chain makes up six islands. Largest island (regarding 260 ha in dimension), Bing was one of the breathtaking and spontaneous islands in those days. With the huge number of boat people landing on the island, in August 1978, the federal government ‘borrowed’ this island from the federal state government of Terengganu and gazetted Bing as a refugee camp. Nonetheless, the aid provided by the government and numerous non-government corporation such as United Nations of High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) has begun before that. Pulau Bidong, after being gazetted as Pulau Bidong refugee camp was under the guidance and management of UNHCR. No visitors were allowed on or around the Bidong Island.

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Bidong Island was the short-lived house for the refugees before they are resettled to their nation. Time considered resettlement process differed from each. Some took a couple of months and some few years. While waiting for the news, UNHCR had organized professional training, languages courses, and kindergarten and so on for the refugees as a prep work for them to face the challenges of life when they are relocated in other nations. Those who are declined in the resettlement procedure will be moved to Sungai Besi Refugee Camp. When the last batch of the refugees left the island in 1991, Bidong Island was officially handed back to the Terengganu state federal government but stays restricted to the general public up until 1999.

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Regardless how true it is a 3D2N Pulau Bidong tour with accommodation in hotels or resort in the landmass, or an outing is available currently from Kuala Terengganu to the island. To offer a chance to have a look on this island before continuing to snorkelling or diving in the nearby water. A directed trip is a good idea despite the fact that you could just hire a boat from Merang to the island yourself. There are numerous catches in the type of deserted wells dug by the refugees for fresh water. It remains a quite special part in the heart for lots of Vietnamese and Malaysian. And, although Pulau Bidong is not familiar to the younger generation today, it will certainly fit in the Malaysia’s contemporary history.