Historic Vietnamese Settlement of Bidong Island

Abstract

The American-led war in the 1960s in Indo-China had led to a mass exodus of migrants into Malaysia especially coastal areas at Terengganu State in the early 1970s. Bidong Island was known to be a destination for Vietnamese migrants in Terengganu. The position of Bidong Island is located 45 km off the coast of Terengganu in the South China Sea. Bidong Island is accessible from the coastal town of Merang in Setiu district. Vietnamese refugees or locally known as “Orang Hanyut Vietnam” or “boat people” have left many historical legacies that became a historical heritage in Bidong Island such as; foundation of school structures, houses, temples, cemeteries and water tanks are still visible till this day. There are also few monuments and memorial sites that enclose the names of refugee boats. These relics have become a treasure trove of Vietnamese refugees who build an interesting and distinctive heritage eco-tourism identity compared to their surrounding islands. To realize its historical heritage of the Vietnamese settlement on Bidong Island, several stakeholders such as the Kuala Terengganu District and the Kuala Nerus District and Land Office, Terengganu State Museum Board and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu all play an important role in transforming Bidong Island into a heritage island in the waters South China Sea.