Qui Nhon

Travel Guide

Hotel Deals of the Day

best price guarantee

Vietnam's Binh Dinh is a narrow province set between Gia Lai province on the highlands and the South China Sea. If you are planning on heading into the Central Highlands, this is an ideal place to head west with Route 19 heading west to Pleiku from Binh Dinh's provincial capital of Qui Nhon.

Qui Nhon (also spelt Quy Nhon) is a medium-sized town that counts fishing as its mainstay and not surprisingly, the seafood here is excellent. Approaching Qui Nhon from the south on Highway 1A, it looks like a beautiful, quaint little beachside town. From the north, the approach is congested with honking cars, belching fumes past and endless line of ugly storefronts. The truth of Qui Nhon is, not surprisingly, in between. The surrounds can be beautiful, but the town is set up more as a commercial centre than a tourist destination.

In the eleventh century it was a thriving Cham port and in the fifteenth century it became Emperor Le Thanh Ton's ruling base. The area inland of Qui Nhon was the site of heavy fighting during the Vietnam War and Qui Nhon's proximity and port facilities made it an important base for the American troops. However, nothing except for a half-buried tank remain to indicate that anything really happened.

Plans to create more of a tourist infrastructure were underway as of our visit. All the places on the prime beachfront strip along An Duong Vuong St have been demolished to make way for upscale development -- including Barabara's Backpackers, though Barbara's Kiwi Connection on Xuan Dieu remains open for business.

If you choose to make a stop here, there are some Cham Towers within easy reach, and a day trip to the watery town of Song Cau to the south makes sense. The local food is decent, though the only western food available is at Barbara's. It's the de facto centre of things for Western tourists, and even if you're not staying there, it makes sense to stop in for a bite, some conversation, and to get some information.

Easily reached by plane, train and bus, it's surprising that more people don't choose to spend more than the absolute minimum in the province -- it straddles the coastal highway, with Quang Ngai to the north and Tuy Hoa, then Nha Trang to the south, and this is one of the easiest points to veer off into the Central Highlands.

If you've got the time and a disposition for seafood, then you could do a lot worse then spending a day or two here.

Text and/or map last updated on 21st August, 2009.

Jump to a different destination in Vietnam

Get orientated with a map of Qui Nhon, Vietnam

Qui Nhon reviews

Backchat from the Travelfish community

Cham towers, pretty beaches,great seafood.

If you are an adventurer, looking for a place away from the typical tours, you have found the right place. Qui Nhon has one of the biggest bridges in Vietnam that leads to an amazing desert with huge vacant buildings and highways. An amazing place to explore on two wheels. It also is overlooked by a cross which is a hours hike from Queens Beach. This small mountain offers views of the city, desert and bay. And if you jump in a taxi you can get to some amazing beaches. Your hotel could arrange a ride as well. Try the beachfront seafood around Barbras. Its great! I know because I live here!
- Sights & activities
- History & culture
- Scenery & environment
- Eat & drink
- Traveller's scene
- Romance
- Value for money
- I'll be back (or not)
By fattire0 (dabbler)
Written on 6th April, 2011 after a visit to Qui Nhon in April, 2011

Have your say

You need to be logged in to add a review.

Username: Password:

Not a member? you can join here.
Review title

Snappiness encouraged ;-)

When did you visit here?

This gives your review a bit of context - especially if you were last in Chiang Mai in 1932.

Your review

(Remotely sensible, non-ranting comments are much appreciated. If you don't like somewhere, please explain why -- it's all far more helpful for others that way.) Serial ranters, loons and spammers will be banished!
And please, no self-promotional URLs -- that's what your signature field is for.

So how does it rate?

On a scale of one to ten (with 10 being outstanding and 1 being bloody awful) how would you rate here under the following criteria?

Note: Ratings are OUT OF TEN -- not five!
Please note comments are edited for clarity, typos and style before they appear. Ranting tirades, spam and anything else that really belongs somewhere else won't make the cut. If you want to rant, go to Thorntree.

Please login and refresh this screen before writing your review -- thanks!