Bidong Island

Bidong

Native name: Pulau Bidong ڤولاو بيدوڠ Pula Bidong
Landscape of Bidong Island
Bidong Show map of Peninsular Malaysia Bidong Show map of Malaysia Bidong Show map of South China Sea
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	5°37′N 103°4′E / 5.617°N 103.067°E / 5.617; 103.067
Administration
Malaysia
State	Terengganu

Bidong Island (Malay: Pulau Bidong, Terengganuan Pula Bidong) is an island in Kuala Nerus District, Terengganu, Malaysia in the South China Sea. Bidong Island is accessible from the coastal town of Merang in Setiu district. From 1978 until 2005 Bidong Island was a refugee camp with a population reaching at its peak as many as 40,000 Vietnamese refugees. A total of about 250,000 refugees were residents of the camp during the period of its operation. Most stayed on Bidong a few months or longer and were resettled abroad in third countries, especially the United States.