“A breathtaking cluster of granite islands ... set in aquamarine seas,” is how Lonely Planet describes the Cham Islands, located some 15km directly offshore from Hoi An. Until a few years ago the Cham islands in central Vietnam were a military zone and “off-limits to tourism,” explains Iain Stewart in The Telegraph. But “times have changed” and the islands are now accessible by boat trips (April to September only) from Hoi An. “During the main Vietnamese holiday season (July and August) local tour groups can swamp the golden beaches, but after they've departed (around 2pm) normal service (peace) resumes.” The islands are officially protected as a marine park, notes Lonely Planet, and their “rich underwater environment features 135 species of soft and hard coral, and varied macrolife.”