Quy Nhon

Quy Nhon tourist map

5 must-visit attractions in Quy Nhon

Quy Nhon has long been known as a sea paradise in Vietnam with many beautiful beaches that will captivate anyone who comes here. Here are the top attractions in this coastal city.

The first place we would like to mention in the list is Ky Co. Sited in Nhon Ly Village; this is only a small and isolated beach. Ky Co Beach is quite shallow with gentle waves and gorgeous ocean curves cutting into the rocks. The water here is crystal clear, from above, it spreads a beautiful shade of turquoise color.

There are two ways to get to Ky Co. Local and private tourist agents offer high-speed motorboats, which take less than 20 minutes. Or, if you have your own bike, you can take the newly built road leading directly to the beach. The road is well-paved and, despite some serious up and downhill parts, you surely get a breath-taking view of the transparent sky reflected on the blue ocean. Overall, it is quite an enjoyable ride to add as your second option.

Eo Gio is a part of a huge mountain range, before tourism’s intervention, it is a risky and deserted destination. The name Eo Gio or Cua Gio (the Windy Gate) comes from its special location which connects two rock peaks. Sitting in between, Eo Gio is super windy.

In recent years, to ensure tourists’ safety as more and more people come to this site, the local authority built a staircase leading down to the bottom of the rock base. Although this somehow affects the original beauty of the attraction, it becomes more accessible for most people.

Right next to Eo Gio is a quaint and tranquil temple (Ngoc Hoa Temple) where you can take a seat under the shade of trees and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere after the adventure.

When you are in Quy Nhon, Thap Doi (Twin Towers) is one thing you should not miss. Thap Doi is also called Thap Hung Thanh, which was constructed in the Champa civilization at the end of the XII century. The architectural construction includes two separate towers: the northern tower stands 20-meter high and the other 18-meter. You will not only immerse in the nostalgic atmosphere but also admire the amazing works of the talented builders dating back hundreds of years ago.

As known as the Eggs Beach, the name Queen’s Beach is because this is the former Queen’s (Queen Nam Phuong who is the last empress of Vietnam) favorite beach. It is said that she went to this particular beach every time she visits Quy Nhon. Queen’s Beach is famous for its fine white sand line and countless colorful egg-shaped pebbles.

Only 3 km away from Quy Nhon city center, you can also see the grand design of rock formations and hollows apart from the beach itself. The area is also the resting place of Han Mac Tu – one of the famous poets in Vietnamese literature.

Bai Xep is 10 km away from downtown Quy Nhon and a part of the ecotourism complex run by a private company. Bai Xep does not only have a stunning coastline but also a great range of fruit gardens and palm trees making it feel like peaceful countryside rather than a bustling tourist attraction.

There are many cafes and restaurants with sea views and lots of bungalows facing the ocean which is one of the highlights of this beach.

5 must-try dishes in Quy Nhon

Being a coastal city itself so it is no surprise that most of the famous dishes in Quy Nhon revolve around seafood. The talented cooks seized on the fresh ingredients that the ocean offers to create delicious and savory dishes.

Banh Xeo (or Banh Xeo Tom Nhay) is for sure the most favorable dish in Quy Nhon. Banh Xeo is a crispy pancake topped with fresh baby shrimps, bean sprouts, and mung beans. They claim that this kind of shrimp brings up the flavor of the dish.

To cook perfectly crispy pancakes, the chefs often fry them on coal fire using little flat pans. Also, pancakes have to be fried in pork fat at super-high temperatures. What would strike you is how the lady chefs manage to make at least 8 pancakes at a time: their hands move so quickly yet professionally, distributing each ingredient into each pan, master the perfect timing as only a few seconds late, the pancake could come out burnt.

Banh Xeo is often accompanied by green veggies and herbs. This is a typical example of the Yin Yang principle in Vietnamese cooking as we use a lot of vegetables and pickles to balance out the greasy feeling.

To eat Banh Xeo as we do, you wrap it with some herbs in a sheet of rice paper and dip the roll in a small bowl of sweet and sour fish sauce.

It is interesting that here people actually eat Banh Xeo for breakfast, and even more surprising is that you would not feel heavy as you would imagine eating a fried dish to start a day.

Banh Xeo is definitely highly recommended as a must-try dish when in Quy Nhon.

Recommended restaurants to eat Banh Xeo:

1. Banh Xeo Tom Nhay Rau Mam (91 Dong Da Street): 50,000 VND
2. Ong Hung (24 Dien Hong Street): 48,000 VND

Although not originally from Quy Nhon, Banh Hoi Chao Long has become an irreplaceable dish for the locals. It is a combination of rice porridge and other side dishes. Banh Hoi is actually rice vermicelli but thinner and interwoven into fine sheets. Rice porridge is slow-cooked in rib broth and seasoned nicely. It is served with a plate of sliced lean pork and pork organs on a bed of Banh Hoi; a plate of bean sprouts and other vegetables and a small bowl of sweet and sour fish sauce on the side. The sauce could be a bit too sweet due to the Central part’s flavor palate and the pork organs could be a bit too weird for those who never tried it before. But it is always worth trying the local’s favorite dish when you visit a new land so let’s give it a try.

Some suggestions for you to enjoy Banh Hoi Chao Long:

1. Hong Thanh (22 Phan Boi Chau Street): 35,000 VND
2. Thanh Tam (145 Dien Hong Street): 35,000 VND

There are many soup recipes based on fish in Quy Nhon, but we would like to bring on Bun Ca (fish rice noodles soup). Bun Ca in Quy Nhon is recognizable for its homemade fish cakes. The fresh fish fillet is milled and added with local ingredients before being deep-fried. The broth has an arousing aroma of red and green onions and pickled bamboo shoots, so you can taste the subtle sourness of the broth combined with the natural sweetness steaming out from fish bones. Bun Ca is served with full topping and blanched vegetables in perfectly right portions, you will not be too full or left hungry.

With the same cooking recipe, fish is sometimes replaced by jellyfish, crab meat, or shrimp cakes. Or, in most places, you can order a special bowl of Bun Ca, which has all the mentioned kinds of protein.

Recommended addresses to eat Bun Ca:

1. Bun Ca Thuy (261 Tang Bat Ho Street): 30,000 VND
2. Ngoc Lien (379 Nguyen Hue Street): 35,000 VND

Another dish that you should not miss when you are in Quy Nhon is Banh Canh. It is also a soup-based dish, but the rice noodles used for Banh Canh are different, they are square-shaped and thicker. A bowl of Banh Canh will go with pork, pork bone, crab meat, shrimp cakes, and fish cakes.

Recommended restaurants to eat Banh Canh:

1.  O Hue (30 Truong Chinh Street): 25,000 VND
2.  Ba O (384 Bach Dang Street): 25,000 VND

Banh Beo is considered as a snack rather than a real meal. Although it could be found anywhere, Banh Beo in Quy Nhon exclusively tastes better than in other surrounding regions. Banh Beo is made by pouring white rice batter into tiny shallow bowls and then steaming them until the mixture becomes transparent. Once cooked, they are taken out and topped with fried red onions, green onion, and stir-fried minced pork. Before serving, the chef will dress a thick sauce on top and you can add extra sweet fish sauce while you eat if you would like to.

Recommended restaurants to eat Banh Beo:

1. Cay Man (742 Tran Hung Dao Street): 20,000 VND
2. Ba Xe (50/22C Nguyen Thai Hoc Street): 20,000 VND