If you have been to the famous coastal cities of Vietnam and want to seek a new and splendid place for your next trip, you can try once to Quy Nhon.
I’ve been to Quy Nhon several times in recent years. Every time coming back, I find Quy Nhon more developed than before, but currently, it still retains the charm of beautiful nature with delicious food, the sincerity and enthusiasm of local people. Quy Nhon has been starting to attract tourists for the past few years, so if you have time, you should quickly visit Quy Nhon when it still holds its wild beauty.
Here are some pictures of Quy Nhon, if you are interested in its scenery, you can find the very comprehensive information for your Quy Nhon trip below.
This article is for all those who want to discover Quy Nhon on your own. I will try to provide the most detailed information possible so that you can easily schedule yourself. Let’s start!
Contents
- 1. THINGS TO KNOW IN GENERAL ABOUT QUY NHON
- 2. WHAT TO EXPLORE IN QUY NHON
- 3. WHERE TO STAY IN QUY NHON
- 4. WHICH TO EAT IN QUY NHON
- 5. LOCAL TRANSPORTATION IN QUY NHON
- 6. WHERE TO SHOP IN QUY NHON
1. THINGS TO KNOW IN GENERAL ABOUT QUY NHON
1.1. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF QUY NHON
Quy Nhon (Quy Nhơn) is a coastal city in Binh Dinh province (Bình Định) which belongs to the central area of Vietnam. It is located 1,082 km south of Hanoi (Hà Nội), 643 km north of Ho Chi Minh City (TP. Hồ Chí Minh), and 323 km south of Da Nang (Đà Nẵng).
This is a tourist map of Quy Nhon that can help you imagine the location of the main destinations in Quy Nhon. I will review all of them in section 2 below.
1.2. WEATHER IN QUY NHON
Quy Nhon has 2 distinct seasons: dry season from February to August, rainy season from September to January next year. The average temperature is about 25 to 35 degrees C.
The most ideal time for you to travel to Quy Nhon is the period from February to August because it is sunny, rarely has storms. However, the rainy season here is not much affected by storms and floods.
Please note that if you intend to go in February or March, it’s already hot enough to go swimming, but the water is a little bit cold in the early morning or late afternoon. The local people also tell me that sometimes the sea is choppy in these months so you can hardly go to the islands by boat. But you don’t need to worry too much, my last journey in early March is totally great.
In addition, you should AVOID the following occasions:
- Vietnamese public holidays: Vietnam Lunar New Year holiday (the calendar date changes each year, but it usually lasts about 1 week, falls in January or February), April 30, May 1, Sep 2, and the weekend immediately before or after these days (if have).
- The peak tourist season from late May to early August when the students are entitled to summer holidays and a lot of families go on vacation.
It will be extremely crowded, most hotels are fully booked due to a large number of local tourists, and the price of tickets, rooms, services are often much more expensive.
2. WHAT TO EXPLORE IN QUY NHON
I divide tourist places in Quy Nhon into 5 areas including City Center, North Area, East Area, South Area and West Area.
In the scope of this post, I can not go into too much detail about each place. I will try to condense what stands out about each one. You can check more detailed information in my other post about Top Quy Nhon beautiful attractions which I list must-see places you should not miss.
2.1. TRAVEL PLACES IN QUY NHON CITY CENTER
Quy Nhon city center is small but peaceful. It’s easy to move around the city center due to the well-planned road system. The street is clean, with many trees lined up on both sides of the road.
- Quy Nhon beach
The beach is long, with a gently curved shape, clean water and soft sand. In the afternoon, you can stroll to the beach to explore the local life. Quy Nhon is quite quiet during the day but every late afternoon, there are many people walking around on the beach, playing sports, swimming, or just gathering to talk and enjoy the view. You could easily find a beach bar, get a cold beer with some snacks, and watching the golden sun slowly descend into the sea.
- Thap Doi Twin Towers (Tháp Đôi)
This place is located right on Tran Hung Dao Street (Trần Hưng Đạo), in the heart of city center so it is very convenient to drop by. On the sultry sunny days of the coastal city, your first impression upon arrival will be the lush green space of grass and trees surrounding the towers. Here you can admire a beautiful and unique construction of ancient Champa architecture art.
- Ghenh Rang tourist area (Ghềnh Ráng)
Ghenh Rang area is located on Han Mac Tu street, about 3 km south of the city center. This site’s landscape exudes a gentle beauty with the wonderful blend of blue sky, white clouds, green plants, colorful flowers and deep sea lying next to majestic rocky mountains.
Ghenh Rang is very famous with Han Mac Tu Tomb and Queen Beach.
Visiting Poet Han Mac Tu tomb is not only for poetry lovers, many tourists also go there to enjoy a peaceful and serene space. Poet Han Mac Tu’s grave is located on Thi Nhan hill, with open space and facing the sea as his wishes when he was alive.
Hoang Hau Beach (Bãi tắm Hoàng Hậu), meaning Queen Beach, is also known as Egg Stone Beach (Bãi Đá Trứng). It has many egg-like stones, which look very special.
- Vung Chua mountain (Núi Vũng Chua)
If you want to go to a place where you can see the whole city at dawn, Vung Chua mountain is a great choice.
Drive along Highway 1D, to the intersection of the highway with the road to Quy Hoa, you will have a spectacular feeling when following the road winding along the mountainside. Or if you want to exercise and have a new experience, you can go hiking. Following the zigzag pass road, you will conquer Vung Chua mountain.
- Quy Hoa Beach
Previously, when Quy Nhon tourism was not much developed, taxi drivers often took passengers here to swim and eat seafood. But recently, very few tourists have come to Quy Hoa beach because there are more attractive beaches now. If you have time to visit here, you’ll find it still retains its pristine nature.
- Long Khanh Pagoda (Chùa Long Khánh)
Long Khanh Pagoda with over 300 years of history is located at 141 Tran Cao Van Street, Quy Nhon City. Visiting the pagoda, you can admire the 2-meter-high bronze statue of Shakyamuni, the 17-meter-high blue stone Buddha Amitabha statue located on a lotus platform, and many other ancient artifacts. This is considered one of the major Buddhist centers of Binh Dinh province.
2.2. TRAVEL PLACES IN EAST AREA OF QUY NHON
Thi Nai Bridge is one of Vietnam’s longest cross-sea bridges, which connecting Quy Nhon city to Phuong Mai Peninsula. Since this bridge’s inauguration, it has helped Phuong Mai peninsula and Nhon Hoi economic zone to have significant development. If you want to move between East area and City Center, you will have to go through this bridge.
When you come here at sunrise or sunset, you will see the sunshine behind the mountains far away, and below the bridge, the fishermen throwing the net on Thi Nai Lagoon (Đầm Thị Nại). The scene at that time is very beautiful and poetic, which makes me feel so peaceful.
With the development of tourism on the East area in recent years, roads to travel between tourist sites have been built quite well. If you want to explore by yourself, you can easily drive a motorbike or car to the following spots.
The roads is quite beautiful with casuarina trees and white sand beaches on both sides of the road. Destinations in East Area are considered the most beautiful places in Binh Dinh province. You can spend a whole day visiting this area.
- Windy Strait (Eo Gió)
Eo Gio is a natural strait in Nhon Ly commune, about 20km from the city center. This is the place where you definitely have to visit when you come to Quy Nhon.
Just like its name, Eo Gio is a strait close to the sea with strong winds blowing all year round. Looking down from above, this place is like a charming painting with sky, clouds, sea, mountain trails and rocky beach. You should follow the highest path for a panoramic view or enjoy sitting on the rocks, relaxing your whole body and feeling the smell of the sea.
- Ky Co Island (Kỳ Co)
Ky Co island is very beautiful, especially in the summer with blue and clear water, smooth and white sand, calm waves splashing on the long seashore.
You can find many nice corners to take photos, immerse yourself in the sea, try the parachutes and banana boats, or just lie down on the sand and sunbathe for beautiful brown skin. Beach is clean and well organized.
You can see more photos and very detailed instructions on how to get to Ky Co island, also other notes you should know at HERE.
- Hon Seo and Hon Dua island (Hòn Sẹo / Hòn Dứa)
The service of renting boat in Ky Co island is often accompanied by going to Hon Seo Island for visitors to watch corals. After moving by boat from Ky Co to Hon Seo, you will transfer to a floating raft on the sea. You only need to prepare swimwear. Diving masks and life jacket are already available. You should also bring a waterproof bag to carry your phone, wallet and valuable things because there is no locker here.
- Ngoc Hoa monastery (Tịnh xá Ngọc Hòa)
Located right next to Eo Gio, Ngoc Hoa Monastery is currently hosting the highest double Buddha statue in Vietnam. This double statue is about 30m high including the base with two single statues turned their backs to each other, one facing the south, the other facing the north.
The statue is completely covered with gold paint, helping to cope with the harsh weather, also create a splendid look. People here believe that the double Buddha statue will give this land a prosperous and peaceful future.
- Phuoc Sa Tu pagoda
If you have time, you also can visit Phuoc Sa Tu pagoda nearby, located at the middle of a mountain. There is a large statue of Bodhisattva of Compassion or Goddess of Mercy (Quan Thế Âm Bồ Tát) facing the sea.
Nhon Ly people often come here not only to pray and wish the best for themselves and their families but also to enjoy the panoramic view of the beautiful fishing village from above.
- Hon Kho island (Hòn Khô)
This island is small and deserted. There are few people live here so it is still wild but not as beautiful as Ky Co island. The sea in this island is also very clear with light waves, but the beach is small, not as long as Ky Co.
To get to Hon Kho, you follow the direction to Phuong Mai peninsula, passing Nhon Hoi Economic Zone, drive along Mai Huong Bay to the fishing village of Nhon Hai commune, then rent a boat for about VND 150,000 per person ($6.5) to go to the island in only 5m. Or you can book a tour to visit Hon Kho with Ky Co and Eo Gio. There are many tours that combine these places on a journey.
Around the middle of the lunar month, there are days of ebb tide to reveal an underwater path which you can walk on it to see the ocean on both sides. However, there is not always a chance to see this road, so ask a local in advance, he will check it for you. The best time to get here and take photos is before 2PM because it is not backlighted due to the mountain’s shadow. If you want to have lunch here, you can try seafood at the restaurant opposite Hon Kho, or at the floating raft house on the sea.
- Phuong Mai Sand Dune (Đồi cát Phương Mai)
This is a large white sand dune, located near the Nhon Ly beach, with a height of nearly 100m. Looking down from the top of the sand dune, there is a clear blue lake, as same as White Sand Dunes of Mui Ne (named Bau Trang).
Phuong Mai sand dune is not as high and monumental as sand dunes in Mui Ne or Quang Binh, but if you have never visited any same place in Vietnam, you should come here to experience the feel like you are walking through the desert.
You can try sandboarding with wood boards to slide down the sand dune at a high speed. The panoramic landscape when you stand at the top of sand hill, especially in sunset, is beautiful.
- FLC Zoo Safari Quy Nhơn
If you stay at FLC Hotel & Resort, you can drop by to visit Safari when you have free time. The scene is beautiful and poetic but I don’t appreciate this place much due to few animals.
Equivalent to quality, the fare is reasonable, only VND 80,000 for adults ($3.5), VND 60,000 for children ($2.5). And you will receive a 20% discount if staying at FLC.
- Trung Luong Camping Site (Trung Lương)
This destination is extremely attractive to local tourists on weekends. It has a large space, natural scenery, restaurant, outdoor BBQ area, beautiful private beach with light waves and overnight camping area near the sea.
Entrance fee is VND 40,000 per person (nearly $2). Tent renting fee for 2 people is VND 300,000 ($13) per night. You should come here by Highway 19B which is new and nice to go, avoid the road DT 639 which is worsen. If you drive yourself, you must hold your driver’s license and vehicle documents. The local police check them strictly.
- Linh Phong Pagoda (Phật pháp Linh Phong) or Ong Nui Pagoda (Chùa Ông Núi)
This complex has a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, Linh Phong Pagoda, Phap Luan Square, and a monastery. Shakyamuni Buddha statue is 69 m high (higher than Goddess of Mercy – Quan The Am Bo Tat statue at Linh Ung Pagoda in Da Nang) and placed on the mountain about 120m above the sea. This statue is known as the largest Buddha statue in Southeast Asia.
This destination is in Cat Tien commune, near Trung Luong camping site, if you go to Trung Luong, you will go through this place.
2.3. TRAVEL PLACES IN NORTH AREA OF QUY NHON
These two spots are on the highway from the airport to the city, so it will be more convenient if you drop by in the day you come or leave Quy Nhon.
- Long Song church (Nhà thờ Lòng Sông)
Follow Tran Hung Dao Street, go to Tuy Phuoc town (Tuy Phước) about 15km from the city, you will arrive at Long Song Church. Existing for over 150 years, the church was built using Gothic architecture with “pencil” towers and the elegant arched gate. The main parts of the church architecture are almost intact, each wooden staircase, door frame is sculpted meticulously and beautifully.
- Banh It Towers (Tháp Bánh Ít)
Banh It Tower is located on a gentle hill just about 100m from sea level, about 20km north of Quy Nhon city center. Banh It Towers has the same architecture as the Thap Doi Twin Towers but the campus of the whole area is bigger. Banh It tower complex consists of 4 towers located on a hill. The main tower is located in the center with the largest size, surrounded by 3 small towers. The height of the main tower is up to 20 meters with a curved dome, elaborate and meticulous decorative details.
- Thien Hung Pagoda (Chùa Thiên Hưng)
Thien Hung Pagoda is one of the most famous temples in Binh Dinh with beautiful scenery. In addition to the famous Long Khanh pagoda in Quy Nhon city center, Thien Hung pagoda is mentioned by many people because of its unique architecture and peace of mind. It is located in An Nhon town, about 25 km north of Quy Nhon city center. The pagoda has an extremely large campus, with many trees, lake, lotus pond, gardens.
A place you should visit here is the 12-storey bell tower decorated elaborately. The pagoda is also hosting the 5th Buddhist relics, given to Vietnam by Myanmar Buddhist Church. For those who follow Buddhism, the relics will bring peace, the elimination of evil karma and develop charity for those who have the opportunity to admire the relics.
People in Quy Nhon are very religious and devout to Buddhism. Therefore, pagodas have a special place in the heart of people here. On the full moon day or the first day of the lunar calendar, normal food shops are often sluggish or even close because the local people are vegetarian these days.
2.4. TRAVEL PLACES IN SOUTH AREA OF QUY NHON
- Bai Xep beach, Bai Dai beach, Bai Bang beach, Bai Rang beach
These are other pristine beaches located in the south of Quy Nhon, along the road running to Phu Yen province. They are extremely wild and have few tourists, very suitable if you want to avoid crowded places, but the service is also quite limited.
Among them, Bai Xep beach is the most famous place. There are amazing resorts and homestays which you can spend all day long at their pristine beach, such as Anantara resort, Avani resort, Casa Marina resort or Life’s a beach homestay, Haven homestay. You can find more info on my other blog Best Accommodations in Quy Nhon According to Your Budget.
If you want to stay in city center to enjoy local city vibes, it’s ok to arrive here in the daytime because it’s only about 15km from the center.
- Cu Lao Xanh, meaning Green island (Cù Lao Xanh)
Cu Lao Xanh, 20km from Quy Nhon, is called Green island because it is full of green, from the coconut swinging in the wind, the young tropical almond trees along the shore, to the sea and the cloud. Cu Lao Xanh is an ideal campground for young people with famous local specialties of flying fish roe and moon snails.
2.5. TRAVEL PLACES IN WEST AREA OF QUY NHON
- Quang Trung museum (Bảo tàng Quang Trung)
About 45km northwest of Quy Nhon, Quang Trung museum is a place to store artifacts about the victories of King Quang Trung, a Vietnamese hero in the 15th century. Tickets are VND 15,000 per person.
There are Tay Son traditional martial arts performances with ticket price VND 15,000 per person for groups of 20 guests or more, and VND 300,000 per show for groups of under 20 people. You also can see many valuable objects and documents related to King Quang Trung here.
- Ham Ho tourist spot (Hầm Hô)
From Quy Nhon Museum, you go back to National Road 19, drive about 4 km to get to Ham Ho. There are activities such as boat trip, kayaking, swan boat, swimming in stream, fishing. Tickets are VND 30,000 per adult and VND 10,000 per child.
Going through the ticket gate, there are 3 ways to get to the center of the tourist spot. The first way is to walk along the road for about 900m. The second way is to take a transit car for VND 100,000 per trip of 12 people, taking about 5 minutes. The third way is to take a boat for VND 40,000 per turn, taking 30 minutes, but if the group is less than 4 people, they will charge VND 160,000 per boat.
I chose the boat and found it quite interesting. In the middle of the noon, the boat wriggles on the stream with the cool forest canopy above, the clear water below, sometimes there were water spiders, dragonflies appeared and fish swam on the sides of the boat. A child sat on the boat with me kept saying that it was like sailing in the Amazon forest. At the end of the wharf, you could stay at the rest shelters or swim in the stream.
You should not eat at Hoa Loc Vung Restaurant (Hoa Lộc Vừng) in the tourist spot because it is expensive but not delicious. If you want to have lunch in this area, you should go out of Ham Ho to Hieu Ngoc restaurant (Hiếu Ngọc) nearby for a better and cheaper meal.
3. WHERE TO STAY IN QUY NHON
There are a lot of choices to stay in Quy Nhon depending on your needs and budget, from luxury resorts ($90 – $1300/night), hotels ($20 – $90/night) to motels and homestays ($6 – $20/night).
You can check the below-suggested list to have an overview. For more details of location, price and review of each resort, hotel and homestay, you can find out at my other blog post: Best Accommodations in Quy Nhon According to Your Budget.
3.1. LUXURY RESORTS IN QUY NHON
All resorts here are located far from the city center, with isolated location and private beach. You can take a long swim in the pellucid water and enjoy the privacy of their own beaches.
You can better visualize the location of resorts and the distance from city center as well as Phu Cat airport to resorts in the following map:
- Anantara Quy Nhon Villas (5-star)
Anantara is a good choice for you with beautiful sea and great infinity pool. Located in Bai Dai, Ghenh Rang, not too far from the city center but enough to separate from the noisy and bustling city life, Anantara is peacefully leaning against the mountains and facing the ocean. As one of the resorts of Anantara Group, Anantara Quy Nhon Villas expresses the distinctive spirit of this group, which is the clear expression of nature’s characteristics, bringing guests closer to the local culture.
- Avani Quy Nhon Resort & Spa (5-star)
This is one of the best resorts in Quy Nhon and suitable for those who like peaceful beauty. Avani is located 10km from the city center, in a quite isolated area with a private beach. It has more than 60 rooms with unique designs in the ancient Cham Pa style. In particular, you can enjoy beautiful sea view from the balcony in each room. The resort also offers free yoga and tachi classes for guests.
- FLC Quy Nhon (5-star)
Belonging to FLC Group, FLC Quy Nhon is a 5-star resort with a total area of nearly 1,000 hectares. This is the largest entertainment complex in Quy Nhon, including FLC Luxury Resort, FLC Luxury Hotel, FLC Zoo Safari Park, 36-hole link golf course, international conference center, spiritual area, restaurants, bars, spa, outdoor sports area, tennis courts, swimming pools… Inspired by the image of powerful dragons, the resort is built to simulate a dragon lying on the white sand.
- Crown Retreat Quy Nhon Resort (4-star)
Crown Retreat Quy Nhon Resort is a 4-star resort with 50 bungalows designed in Asian style. Crown’s grounds are as beautiful as a country painting with green space of plants, winding hill roads, undulating thatched roofs next to the long white beach. Standing from the resort, you can also see a huge Buddha statue of Ong Nui Pagoda. This resort is quite separate from the rest of the area, so it’s a perfect place to get marooned for a few days.
- Casa Marina Resort (4-star)
Casa Marina has both hotel rooms and villas with hill view, pool view and sea view. The resort campus is planted with many trees, bringing a very pleasant feeling of closeness to nature. Casa Marina is located next to the Bai Xep fishing village, making me both relax and feel close to the local life without being noisy. You only need to walk a few steps to reach this fishing village, the food here is very delicious, fresh and reasonably priced.
The above resorts are all very nice and private, however, if you want to explore the life of indigenous people, you should stay at the hotels in the city center that I will introduce in the next section.
3.2. STAY IN QUY NHON CITY CENTER
It’s convenient to stay in the city center to visit places in different directions, observe the lives of local people, and there are also many restaurants and coffee shops around the hotels. You can easily choose from cheap to high-end hotels, which are being built a lot, especially along Quy Nhon beach.
To avoid this post being too long, I have written a separate post to review more details about each hotel and homestay, please check HERE.
3.2.1. Hotels in Quy Nhon city center
- Anya Premier Hotel Quy Nhon (5-star) and Anya Hotel Quy Nhon (4-star)
Anya hotel chain in Quy Nhon includes Anya Hotel which opened last year, and Anya Premier Hotel which opened this year. Both hotels have a contemporary, luxurious design style and equipped with modern amenities. Anya Premier is more deluxe and has a better location right on the coastal road, opposite Quy Nhon park. The Anya Hotel is also nearby but located on a city road.
Here are some other notable hotels located in the city center that you can refer to:
3.2.2. Homestays in Quy Nhon city center
Currently, homestays in Quy Nhon are mushrooming due to the increased number of tourists in recent years. Staying at homestay is an interesting experience, and also saves your bucks if you spend most of the day hanging out. Here are some of my recommended homestays with nice decoration, good service and central location, very convenient for travel.
- The Fancy House
- Qinn Homestay
- Oh Quy Nhon Homestay
- Oh Family Quy Nhon Homestay
3.3. STAY IN SOUTH QUY NHON
Bai Xep is a fishing village located about 15km south of Quy Nhon city center. This is a hundred years old fishing village that was once evaluated by Business Insider as one of the mysterious gems of Asia.
If you have time wandering in the village, you will have the opportunity to explore the winding paths leading to houses painted in various colors with lots of green trees, beautiful small flower baskets, and bougainvillea trellises, that create a peaceful and romantic space.
This area is attracting a lot of tourists, especially foreigners due to its secluded beauty. You can refer to some of the following accommodations:
- Life’s A Beach
- Haven Vietnam
4. WHICH TO EAT IN QUY NHON
4.1. SEAFOOD IN QUY NHON
Quy Nhon has all kinds of seafood like other coastal areas in Vietnam such as shrimp, crab, squid, fish, clam, oysters, etc.
However, there are two special types that few other places have, Giant Isopod or Sea Bug (Bọ biển) and Huynh De Crab (Cua Huỳnh Đế). I have already tasted both of them, so I want to introduce them to you.
Most of the fresh seafood Quy Nhon is caught year-round and can be cultured. However, Giant Isopod can only be caught hundreds of meters deep in the ocean for about 3 months a year. It is a nutritious dish that cannot be ignored when you come to Quy Nhon.
Huynh De Crab is recognized by Quy Nhon fishermen as the king of crab species. It is pink-red in color with square-shaped apricots, short legs, very tasty and high in protein.
You can check very detailed information regarding these 2 unique seafood dishes also other BEST distinctive dishes of Quy Nhon, Vietnam that you should try.
4.1.1. Seafood restaurants in Quy Nhon city center
Driving along the Xuan Dieu beach road, there will be many restaurants for you to choose. There are also a number of roads with many delicious and cheap seafood restaurants like Vu Dinh Tu street, Le Duc Tho street, Binh Ha street… Here are some addresses you can refer to:
- 114 Restaurant: 114 Xuan Dieu street, Quy Nhon
- Bich My Restaurant: 156 Xuan Dieu street, Quy Nhon
- C.ine Restaurant: 94 Xuan Dieu street, Quy Nhon
- Huong Viet Restaurant: 122 Xuan Dieu street, Quy Nhon
- Tau Hoa Hoa Restaurant: 3/8 Phan Chu Trinh street, Quy Nhon
- Cay Dua Kitchen Restaurant: 124 Phan Chu Trinh street, Quy Nhon
- Cay Dua Restaurant: 33A Nguyen Hue street, Quy Nhon
- Nghia Ghe Restaurant: 19 Vo Dinh Tu street, Quy Nhon
4.1.2. Seafood restaurants in East area of Quy Nhon
If you stay in East area or you just have a day trip to Ky Co island, Eo Gio (Windy Strait), Trung Luong Camping site… there are many seafood restaurants for you to choose. These places are located in Nhon Ly fishing village, so seafood here is very fresh because it is caught daily.
- Leng Keng Restaurant
- Hoang Dat Restaurant
- Hoang Thao Restaurant
- Bien Nho Restaurant
- Huong Duong Restaurant
All of these ones are located near Eo Gio (Windy Strait), you just need to go there and will find many seafood restaurants. If you stay in FLC Resort, some of them will pick you up if you call them to order, such as Huong Duong, Hoang Dat or Hoang Thao restaurants.
4.2. LOCAL SPECIALTIES IN QUY NHON
4.2.1. Fish cake rice noodle soup (Bún chả cá)
Fish cake is a famous specialty of Quy Nhon coastal city, made from fresh fish. The soup is cooked only from fish bones but not pork bones, served with rice noodles, local special chili sauce and raw vegetables include lettuce, sliced banana blossom, mung bean sprouts, cilantro.
You can try this dish at Ngoc Lien restaurant (379 Nguyen Hue street) or Phuong Teo restaurant (211 or 415 Nguyen Hue street).
4.2.2. Jumping shrimp pancake (Bánh xèo tôm nhảy)
This kind of pancake has wrapper made from rice flour with a bit of turmeric powder and coconut milk to create color and greasy taste, which is cooked in small molds. The stuffing is made from the small, fresh shrimps that still jumping into the air.
You wrap a piece of rice paper stuffed with jumping shrimp pancake, slightly spicy sprout vegetable, sliced sour mango and some other raw vegetables, then dip the roll in the chili garlic fish sauce. It’s delicious, crispy, sweet-and-sour.
You can try this dish at these restaurants: Gia Vy (19 Dien Hong street), Mr. Hung (24 Dien Hong street), or Mrs. Nam (at the foot of My Cang bridge).
4.2.3. Jellyfish hot pot (Sứa nước lèo)
This dish is rarely mentioned on the internet but very tasty. You put in your bowl pieces of sliced raw jellyfish (or you can dip them quickly in the hotpot if you are afraid of raw food), a few rice noodles, green onions, fried onions, peanuts, then pour the boiling hot pot soup cooked with shrimp, pork, eggs in your bowl, and enjoy it.
I ate this dish at Bich My restaurant located at 156 Xuan Dieu street, a coastal road. It is a middle-class restaurant so the food is quite cheap. This dish costs VND 220,000 ($10) for 2 or 3 people. After eating the whole pot, I kept asking for more soup and rice noodles without any extra charge.
You also can find this delicious hot dish on menu of many seafood restaurants here. Your belly will certainly be full and warm.
4.2.4. Banh Hoi & Long Heo, fine rice noodles & pig’s intestines
Banh Hoi & Long Heo is a popular breakfast dish in Quy Nhon. You will be served with a plate of Banh Hoi (fine rice noodles), a plate of Long Heo (pig’s intestines), raw vegetables, a bowl of sweet and sour garlic chili sauce, and a bowl of hot rice porridge.
Banh Hoi (fine rice noodles) is made from rice flour, sprinkled with a little oil and sliced chives. Long Heo (pig’s intestines) is boiled and has a sweet, greasy taste. Porridge is cooked with pig intestine’s broth simmering with minced lean meat.
Diners pick up a piece of Banh Hoi, a few pieces of Long Heo, add some herbs, then dip in the sauce and enjoy them. To fully enjoy this dish, you should eat hot porridge at the same time.
- Mrs Nam Restaurant: 41 Nguyen Chanh street, Quy Nhon
- Hong Thanh Restaurant: 22 Phan Boi Chau street, Quy Nhon
- Man restaurant: 76 Tran Phu street, Quy Nhon
- Dien Hong restaurant: 145 Dien Hong street, Quy Nhon
4.2.5. Chicken with sticky rice
Chicken can be cooked in many ways such as grilled, fried with fish sauce, boiled or steamed, depending on the preferences of customers. The sticky rice is cooked sophisticatedly so that the outside is crispy but the inside is soft.
You can try this dish in some places:
- Sau Cao Restaurant: 59 Pham Thi Dao street, Ghenh Rang ward, Quy Nhon
- Dieu Tri – Hoang Gia Restaurant: Nguyen Hue street, Ghenh Rang ward, Quy Nhon
- On Highway 1D (often called Quy Nhon – Song Cau road), connecting Song Cau town (Phu Yen) and Quy Nhon city (Binh Dinh), there is a road that is only about a kilometer but many chicken restaurants located here. This place is only 5km south of Quy Nhon city. Almost any restaurant here has sea view.
4.2.6. Snail dishes
Snail shops on the sidewalks are very popular in Quy Nhon. We, local people, normally call them “snail shop” or invite each other “let go to eat snail”. But actually, in addition to snails, you can enjoy a variety of seafood cooked in many ways, especially at a very affordable cost.
Do not miss the opportunity to enjoy these dishes and you will find yourself very close to the local life in Quy Nhon.
- Ms. Xi shop (Cô Xí): 40 Dao Duy Tu street, Quy Nhon
This is one of the oldest and most famous snail shops in Quy Nhon. The snail dishes here are very delicious and have a distinct flavor. The menu is extremely varied: mixed snails, fried snails with lemongrass and chilli, steamed snails, steamed clams, fried snails with coconut, snails grilled with green onions, seafood porridge…
- Snail street shops on Ngoc Han Cong Chua street, Quy Nhon
Ngoc Han Cong Chua is known as the snail road in Quy Nhon. The eateries here are always crowded, especially in the evening. Ms. Bong shop (Cô Bông) at no. 30, or Hao shop (Ốc Hảo) at no. 24 are popular places.
4.3. VIETNAMESE FAMILY-STYLE RESTAURANTS IN QUY NHON
The daily meals of Vietnamese people usually include steamed rice with dishes such as meat, seafood, vegetables, soup, and fish sauce for dipping. If you want to enjoy a meal like a local, you can visit the following places. Let order a bowl of sweet and hot white cooked rice with some delicious dishes and enjoy your meal.
- Com Nha 1989 Restaurant: 43 Mai Xuan Thuong street, Quy Nhon
- Com Mau Restaurant: 179A Phan Boi Chau street, Quy Nhon
- Que Huong Restaurant: 185 Le Hong Phong street, Quy Nhon
4.4. COFFEE SHOPS IN QUY NHON
Coffee shops are sprouting up everywhere here, from coastal ones, sea-view ones to those hidden in small streets. You can easily enjoy an iced black or hot brown, depending on your preference, or leisurely taste the specialties here such as a cold coconut, or a glass of creamy sweet avocado ice cream.
You can visit the following shops depending on your schedule:
- Surf bar: Xuan Dieu coastal road, Quy Nhon city.
- Adiuvat Coffee Roasters: 57A Nguyen Hue street, Quy Nhon city
- Marina The Garden Coffee: 188 Nguyen Thi Dinh street, Quy Nhon city
- Marina Royal: 138 Do Doc Bao street, Quy Nhon city
- Le début: 125 Tang Bat Ho street, Quy Nhon city
- Vybelle Tea House: 1A Tran Thi Ky street, Quy Nhon city
- Green Cafe: 43 Le Thanh Ton street, Quy Nhon city
- Little Hong Kong in Quy Nhon: 2 Nguyen Nhac street, Quy Nhon city
- Coffee shop in Trung Luong Camping Site
- Coffee Pumbaa: Suoi Tien Tourist Area
You can check detailed info of each above coffee shop at my blog post about Top 10 Coffee Shops in Quy Nhon Vietnam.
5. LOCAL TRANSPORTATION IN QUY NHON
If all things you’ve read above makes you want to grab your suitcase and fly to Quy Nhon right away, I’m here to help you choose a suitable vehicle. To get to Quy Nhon, you can choose airplane, train, coach, or motorbike.
Firstly, airplane is the best option if you want to save time. You can depart from many places directly to Quy Nhon. From airport, you can take a shuttle bus to go to city center, or a taxi to your hotel directly. But if you want to try other local vehicles, you can consider the next ones.
Secondly, you can take a train if you depart from Da Nang, Nha Trang, or Hue. But if you depart from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city, travel time is very long.
Thirdly, you can travel by coach/bus with a much cheaper fee than plane or train with the same travel time by train.
And finally, you also can go anywhere if you rent a motorcycle. It will bring much more interesting experience to you if you have time to explore by yourself.
When you stay in Quy Nhon, you can walk to the beach and nearby spots, but to visit places farther away, you can rent a motorbike or a car, take a taxi, an electric car or a bus.
Please take a look at my blog post about transportation when traveling to Quy Nhon with very detailed information about each vehicle type, travel time, cost, instructions for booking, etc.
6. WHERE TO SHOP IN QUY NHON
You can easily buy local specialties like fresh seafood, sweet foods, dried foods, fruits or stuffs like clothes, accessories… in the following places:
6.1. MARKETS IN QUY NHON
- Dam Market (Chợ Đầm)
Address: 124 Pham Hong Thai street, Quy Nhon city
Open hours: 5AM to 3PM
Dam Market is most crowded in the mornings, far from the city center but very popular. Coming here, you will delight in choosing all kinds of foods, especially fresh seafood. But you have to get used to “bargaining”, because this market is full of fresh and delicious products, so the prices here are higher than other markets in Quy Nhon.
Dam Market is also an early morning food market with many attractive dishes such as hot rib sticky rice, chicken sticky rice, fish porridge with very cheap price, only about half a dollar.
- Quy Nhon Night Market (Chợ Đêm Quy Nhơn)
Address: 86 Le Duan street, Quy Nhon city
Open hours: 6PM to 11PM
When night falls, this “Student Paradise” stands out on the corner of the street in the heart of the city. With only a few tens of thousands of VND, you can buy lovely shirts, cute pajamas, or bracelets, accessories…
At the end of Night Market, there are many kinds of snacks like grilled skewered meat, fruit shake, sugarcane juice… with very cheap price.
- Zone 2 Market (Chợ khu 2)
Address: 110 Nguyen Hue street, Quy Nhon city
Open hours: 3PM to 7PM
The market space is a bit small, but many tourists come to buy fresh seafood so the price here is extremely expensive, and it is difficult to bargain. There is also a full range of items, from fresh seafood to foods, in addition to many attractive food stalls with rice cakes, sweetened porridge, and snails.
- Zone 6 Market (Chợ khu 6)
Address: Vo Lai Street, Quy Nhon City
Open hours: 6AM to 5PM
Located right in the city center, not only Quy Nhon local people but tourists also love this “cheap market”. The biggest feature when it comes to Zone 6 Market is that the prices here are extremely cheap. So many things are sold at this market, from fresh food to dried seafood, confectionery, jams, to clothing stores full of “made in Vietnam” items.
6.2. SPECIALTY SHOPS IN QUY NHON
- Man Khoa dried seafood shop: 58 Vu Bao street, Quy Nhon city
- Thanh Liem specialty shop: 128 Chuong Duong street, Quy Nhon city
- Phuong Nghi specialty shop: 115-117-119 Tay Son street, Quy Nhon city
- Nhu Y specialty shop: 156 Nguyen Hue street, Quy Nhon City
- Phung Nga specialty shop: 61 Vu Bao street, Quy Nhon city
- You also can buy similar dry items at Quy Nhon airport but it may be a bit more expensive.
6.3. What you should note when shopping
- If you buy dry items, choose carefully those which have a clear brand name, address and expiration date.
- If you go to shopping in the local market where the prices are not pre-listed, the seller will say higher than the actual price. Remember to bargain and negotiate carefully before buying.
- Avoid buying in the early morning, you will find it difficult to bargain because people often think that the first person to buy goods in the day is very important. If you bargain too cheap, the shopkeeper will have an unfriendly attitude.
- If you travel by plane, learn carefully about the goods you can carry. Fresh seafood needs to be vacuumed or carefully packed to avoid being left behind on board.
And now, it comes to an end. Thank you so much for reading all the way here. I hope that this detailed guide will help you to have a great trip and memorable moments. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave your comment below, I will try to answer them as soon as possible.
