Off the beaten track in Quy Nhon, Central Vietnam’s next big thing, for a laid-back beach holiday
- With clean beaches, quaint fishing villages and emerald green paddy fields, Quy Nhon offers a quiet respite for travellers – but development is coming
- This part of Central Vietnam boasts historic sites, amazing seafood, and views of distant mountains
I had been warned that once I found it, I would never want to leave. But as my motorbike taxi sped along a road that traces the rise and fall of rolling hills overlooking the shimmering azure waters of the South China Sea, the fading sun casting dramatic shadows, finding the beach I’d been told about the previous day by a Vietnamese friend was proving harder than anticipated.
I had arrived in the Central Vietnamese city of Quy Nhon the previous day after a six-hour bus journey south from Hoi An. For the past few months, I had been hearing about it increasingly from friends who live in the country, who predict it to be Vietnam’s next big coastal destination.
In the evening, the area springs to life as young Vietnamese enjoy the sea breeze and families take an evening stroll. The city remains tourist-free for now and has a low-key, relaxed vibe.
The coasts to the north and south of the city are peppered with small fishing villages, and Quy Nhon is famous for its seafood. Restaurants on the promenade serve prawns, squid, lobster, crab and the catch of the day, cooked in fragrant herbs and spices, in rice and noodle dishes, crispy pancakes, and spring rolls.
