Qui Nhon

Things to see and do

The Old Tank

On the beach, just south of the Lan Anh Hotel, is one of the very few pieces of war detritus in all of Vietnam that is actually still left in place. A tank, abandoned by fleeing South Vietnamese forces towards the end of the war, was left on the beach and has worked it's way so deep into the sand, ... read more
Phoung Mai Peninsula

One can hardly fail to notice the huge statue of Vietnamese hero Tran Hung Dao on the edge of a peninsula jutting out into the bay to the north as you look out to sea from Qui Nhon beach. It's meant to be viewed from a distance, not visited, but the curious will still want to get up close. It makes ... read more
The Binh Dinh Museum

There's a small museum in Qui Nhon, just south of the Saigon-Quynhon Hotel on Nguyen Hue, near the intersection with Le Loi. Museum-going in Vietnam is pretty hit or miss outside Hanoi or Saigon, but we found this one worth a look. To the right as you enter is a gallery dedicated to the local ... read more
Long Khanh and Tam An Pagoda

The town's main pagoda is easily accessible and worth a visit. There's a 17 metre tall Buddha here, and a pagoda with some interesting statuary. There's a giant brass drum, a huge bell, and a statue of a 'thousand handed, thousand-eyed goddess of mercy' on display as well. The neighbourhood is ... read more
Thap Doi

There are about fourteen, variously crumbling, Cham towers still standing upright in Binh Dinh province -- the only thing that makes Thap Doi (twin towers) different is that they are easy to visit from the city centre. They're good examples of the Cham architectural style, if you haven't seen it ... read more
Queen's Beach (Han Mac Tu Tomb), and Qui Hoa Beach, Leprosy Hospital

These two spots make sense to visit together. As you go down An Duong Vuong St south, just past the HAGL Resort, there's a sharp left turn marked by a gate. Admission to the Queen's Beach area is 5,000 dong, 2,000 more for a motorbike. There's a short climb up a paved road to the top of the ... read more
Nhon Hai Village

If you've got your own transport, or you can convince a guide to take you to this seldom- visited spot, Nhon Hai village offers and unique and worthwhile day-trip. It's a fishing village that up until two years ago was only accessible by boat. It's a bit like Hinh Mai, the fishing port at the base ... read more
Thap Banh It

Banh It was the highlight of what we found in the area. A series of four elegant Cham towers on a high hill just outside Binh Dinh. Very easy to visit en-route or with a guide from Qui Nhon. The four towers are what remains of a larger group -- the main tower is 22 metres high, and it looks ... read more
The Flood Plains

Once you pass Binh Dinh going north, Highway 1A is no fun at all. If you've got time for it in your schedule, we highly recommend taking a right pretty much anywhere. There are miles of wonderful country side, and as you get closer to the sea, you'll notice red and white cement posts with numbers ... read more
The Tran Hung Dao Museum

The Tran Hung Dao Museum is 48 km from Qui Nhon, just off Highway 19 which heads towards Pleiku. We can only recommend a visit if you happen to be passing by. And even then... The museum is on a well-tended set of grounds -- you'll be greeted by a larger-than-life statue of the man himself. The ... read more
Hoang De (Cha Ban)

This site derives its historical value from having been the seat of the Cham government from about 1000 to 1471 A.D. After a bloody battle, it was taken over and used by the ethnic Vietnamese from then on, though factions fought over it for control of the empire toward the end of the 18th century, ... read more