Galang Island

Galang Island is part of the Riau Islands province of Indonesia, included in the Barelang island group near Batam. It is widely known for hosting a Vietnamese refugee camp from 1979 into the 1990s.

On the island visitors can see remaining structures and memorials related to the former refugee camp, along with beaches and lowland coastal landscapes typical of the Riau archipelago. The island is connected to nearby islands in the Barelang chain by bridges and road links used by day visitors from Batam.

In 1979 international and Indonesian authorities established a refugee camp on Galang to house Vietnamese ‘boat people’; the camp operated through the 1980s and into the 1990s before closing and partly repurposing the site. Since then the island has been integrated into local development and tourism initiatives while preserving elements of the camp as a historical site.

Galang lies off the southeast coast of Batam within the Riau Islands province, forming part of the Barelang bridge network that connects several islands in the chain. It is visited primarily from Batam by road and bridge or by short local boat transfers.

• Refugee history: Serves as a historical site documenting the Southeast Asian refugee crisis; many visitors come to see the former camp remnants and memorials.

What to See #

• Galang refugee camp (1979-1996): Remains of a Vietnamese refugee camp established in 1979 and used through the 1990s, where some structures and memorials remain and are interpreted for visitors.