Qui Nhon a.k.a Quy Nhơn is an important fishing and trading town in the South Central region of Vietnam.
Understand: Qui Nhon is a lively and pleasant town virtually half way bewteen the popular towns of Nha Trang and Hoi An. The town is known for its beautiful surroundings, Cham temples, and nearby beaches. Whilst tourism is increasing in Qui Nhom, this tends to be local tourism, and for the majority of travellers it remains relatively off the beaten track. The town is perfect for those who want to break up a journey bewteen Nha Trang and Hoi An, being about 4 hours from each.
Orientation: Being a coastal town, the sea promenade is the easist way to orientate yourself. The town itself is quite spread out. The bus station is to the South West of town, just a bit too far to walk to most of the hotels. Highway 1 passes just outside the town.
Circular fishing boats on Qui Nhon Beach
Get in
By plane: Phu Cat Airport (UIH), built on the grounds of an old American airbase in 1966, is located north of the city and serves only domestic destinations. There are daily early morning flights to Saigon and 3 flights a week to Hanoi on Vietnam airlines.
By bus: A number of minibus companies ply the route from Nha Trang, and from Da Nang in the North. The sleeper buses such as Sinh Cafe DO NOT stop in Qui Nhon. Occasionaly minibuses will come and go direct from Hoi An, but most of the time you will need to connect via xe ôm to the main Highway.
Prices from Nha Trang are approximately 80,000 dong. Journey time 4-5 hours. This route can be quite dangerous, so make sure you take a bus during daylight. The scenery along the way is spectacular.
Get around
Motorbike: Lots of xe ôm drivers around, you will probably get accosted at the bus station, but they tend to be much less annoying than in most other cities.
By taxi: A number of white and green taxis can be found around the bus station area. More expensive than xe ôm, but useful if you are in a group.
By bicycle: Qui Nhom is fantastic for cycling. The main promenade runs directly next to the beach and has very little traffic. Bicycles are also great for exploring the nearby temples and beaches, which are too far to walk to.
On Foot: The beach is great for a stroll, but other places are a bit far apart.
See
- Cham Temples - The are some good examples of Cham architecture surrounding Qui Nhon. There are a pair just outside the town iteself, whilst the larger site is 25km away, with the temples situated imposingly on a hill.
- Beaches - Qui Nhon beach itself may look pretty, with its circular fishing boats, but the water itsn't really for swimming, and there are lots of large ships around. The best beaches lie a few km away. Around the bay, there are beaches of the woah! variety. You will probably also be the only tourist around, and the local kids playing football give them a lively feel. These are best reached by bike.
- Qui Nhon Museum - Quaint little museum with a couple of interesting exhibits. Ok if you need to pass some time when it's raining.
Buy: There is a small mall, with a supermarket, should you need to stock up on supplies.
Eat: There are restaurants dotted all over town. With a number of good ones situated on the water front near Barbara's Backpackers.
Kiwi Connection: Situated on the sea shore inside Barbara's. They serve both Vietnamese and standard backpacker food.
Sleep: Life Wellness Resort - Bikes avaliable for rent.
C
