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Notes on Quy Nhon – the pleasant provincial city by the sea

May 23, 2018 By James Clark 8 Comments

Notes on Quy Nhon - trip report

Quy Nhon is a coastal city in central Vietnam, roughly halfway between Nha Trang and Da Nang. It’s not big on the international travel radar, but it’s starting to get more attention. There is a burgeoning backpacker scene south of the city, as development in the aforementioned cities has pushed out budget travellers.

For my trip, I was more interested to visit the actual city rather than the surrounding resorts and beach spots. Quy Nhon is less than an hour away by flight from Saigon, so I went up for a couple of days to check it out.

There are several flights a day from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from the three major airlines, so flights are cheap. Bamboo Airways is a proposed new airline that is looking to fly to regional cities like Quy Nhon, so it might soon have flights from other regional cities, and internationally (ie China). I guess this is the point in the article where I tell you to get here before it is overrun.

I took a flight with Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City. I arrived at the airport which has a shiny-new domestic terminal. It was the easiest and least stressful airport I’ve been to in Vietnam. There are taxi stands outside with clearly marked prices, and reasonably priced at that. And there is an airport bus waiting for each flight. I opted for the airport bus which was 50,000 VND for the 45 minute ride.

Taxi Stands

Whenever I land in a new city I make a point to not bury my head in my phone while sitting in the bus/taxi. I like to take note of the surrounding landscape in case there is something I should visit. I spotted a Cham tower on a distant hill, and just admiring the central Vietnamese countryside after being in the flat south was worth it.

The bus terminates in the city centre, and according to Google Maps it was a 30 minute walk to my hotel. I only had a carry-on bag so I opted to walk through the city.

I took an immediate liking to Quy Nhon. From the bus stop I walked down the main thoroughfare (Nguyen Tat Thanh), which has a park in the middle of it that runs all the way to the beach. If only every pedestrian footpath looked like this.

Nguyen Tat Thanh park

Nguyen Tat Thanh was the name of Ho Chi Minh before he changed his name. It turns out that Nguyen Tat Thanh’s father worked in Quy Nhon, and this was the last place he saw his father before going overseas. At the end of the park on the seafront is a giant monument commemorating the two men.

Nguyen Sin Sach - Nguyen Tat Thanh

I got a hotel near the beach, and after checking in my first order of business was to find a cafe with a beach view. Quy Nhon has a population of about 300,000 people, and so far there are very few chains here. Apart from a Jollibee restaurant and didn’t see any chains or convenience stores. The noticeable absence is Highlands Coffee, which is the biggest coffee chain from Vietnam. Instead there are lots of garden cafes here, and an iced coffee is half the price I’m used to paying in Saigon (in District 1 at least).

Beach cafe

I wasn’t in a hurry to go to a beach resort because the city has a proper beach on its doorstep.

Quy Nhon Beach

The walk along Quy Nhơn Bay has an unbroken pedestrian promenade.

Beach promenade

Unfortunately the occasional motorbike still ride on this walkway. It would be a great improvement if they were banned, or if there already is a ban that it was enforced.

Beach tree

There are Cham Temples across Central Vietnam, and the Thap Doi (Twin Towers) in Quy Nhon are a good example if you haven’t seen the more famous ones.

Cham Temples

There’s a lot of construction happening on the beachfront, and I will be watching this to see how the city manages it. I don’t mind the city developments (it’s a city after all). It’s the coastal developments that are a concern for over development. Here is a list of current and proposed projects in Quy Nhon.

An Duong Vuong construction

How long will the little red plastic seats remain a fixture of Quy Nhon street life?

Street food and construction

One thing that the city has in its favour is that there’s a park that lines the seafront, which acts as a buffer for future development.

Beach park

In Saigon I discovered the world of Vietnamese Modernism, which is a architectural style that was popular in Southern Vietnam in the 1960’s. Mel Schenck is the leading expert on Vietnamese Modernism, and I came to appreciate the style through his Vietnamese Modernist blog.

Quy Nhon is filled with more intact modernist buildings than I have seen anywhere else in Vietnam.

Agribank

If you are a modernist fan you must come to Quy Nhon for a modernist festival.

Modernist houses

Another reason I prefer staying in towns (over a resort) is to try the local food.

Street vendors

Being a fishing city, fish is going to feature prominently. Bun Cha Ca (fish noodle soup) is popular here.

Bun Cha Ca

There are many seafood and snail restaurants and street stalls here. Snails are not the best solo traveller meal as you need lots of friends so you can order multiple plates. I contented myself with admiring the arrangement of snails.

Snails

I went to Banh Xeo Gia Vy 2, which has a smaller version of the banh xeo that you see in the south. I ordered one not knowing how big it was, then immediately ordered another.

Banh Xeo Gia Vy 2

Continuing my Southeast Asia railway research I also visited the train station. Quy Nhon is one of the few spur lines from the main north-south line. There is a service once a day from Saigon, though it’s not a useful service if you are going all the way through. It leaves at 14:35, arriving in Saigon at 3.24 in the AM. That is the stupidest time to arrive in a city.

Like in Hanoi and Saigon there are several spots in the city where the train passes through a narrow urban passageway. If you want to get photos the train arrives at 11.35.

Railway crossing

So that was my brief side trip to Quy Nhon. I would like to come back, probably flying here, then getting the train to Da Nang. If you are doing the length of Vietnam then I would recommend stopping here on the way.

Quy Nhon is the capital of Binh Dinh Province. See all the provinces of Vietnam that I have visited.

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: notes on, quy nhon, vietnam

Comments

  1. Aster Ceniza says

    May 23, 2018 at 8:15 am

    Your notes are well articulated and very informative. It will serve as a good reference for anyone who wishes to visit the places your featured. Supposedly my friend and I planned for an Asean backpacking adventure, in which Vietnam/Saigon was one of the itinerary from Feb 12 to March 5, 2018. Everything was set, but not pushed through due to a major family problem.. For now, i will keep tracking your posts that may be of great help when travel opportunities come in the future…

    More power to Nomadic Notes.

    Aster

    Reply
  2. Ryan Biddulph says

    May 23, 2018 at 8:17 am

    Awesome James. This beach has that Central Vietnam feel I saw in Hoi An, a bit down the coast. Love that region of the world. Thanks for sharing!

    Ryan

    Reply
  3. john O'BRIEN says

    May 23, 2018 at 8:33 am

    Hi James, wow that looks great. Is that beach as nice as it seems? Reminds me a little of HuaHin in Thailand. Can you suggest some budget accommodation nearby the beach or so? Where did you stay e.g.?
    Thanks for the informative article.Best, John.

    Reply
    • James Clark says

      May 23, 2018 at 8:48 am

      Hi John, yes the beach is nice, though there is clearer waters outside the city thus the resorts and backpacker hotspots elsewhere. There is a hotel area at the southern end of the Quy Nhon city beach. I stayed here https://www.nomadicnotes.com/ngoc-anh-hotel-quy-nhon-vietnam/ – perfectly functional for $11USD per night.

      Reply
      • john O'BRIEN says

        May 23, 2018 at 10:15 am

        cheers James, now that’s a budget hotel! sounds great.Hard to argue with that price.

        Reply
  4. clach says

    May 23, 2018 at 9:08 am

    I was in Quy Nhon 4 nights (and 1 in Bai Xep) last March and I really liked it, despite the beach was unfortunately really dirty. You must head over to Bai Xep for the beach.
    Cool cafes in Quy Nhon: Obama, Books cafè and John and Paul’s INn (the last one double as a live music bar at night and a hostel too)

    Reply
  5. Shubham Varshney says

    May 23, 2018 at 6:35 pm

    Seems a good city to visit, I am planning to visit this city soon and must include this city in my itinerary. Thanks for sharing this post.

    Reply
  6. Pierre Gosselin says

    May 26, 2018 at 11:59 am

    Every time I go to Vietnam, I stop in Quy Nhon. Love the place, and love to see the local on the beach at sunrise and also at sunset. Hope it does not turn into another Nha Trang.

    Dong Hoi is another nice place to visit. Even more quiet.

    Reply

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James Clark from Nomadic Notes

Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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