Quy Nhon

After we left Halong Bay and Hanoi, we headed to Quy Nhon (it is pronouced Way Num). We made the decision to go there based solely on the recommendation from our Halong Bay tour guide. We have found that locals and other travelers typically have the best advice on where to go and what to see.

Quy Nhon is a coastal town in central Vietnam and not a destination on the radar of very many tourists at this point. In coming years that will probably change. When we boarded our flight from Hanoi to Quy Nhon, I looked around and we appeared to be the only non Vietnamese people on the flight.

Our time in Quy Nhon was spent mostly relaxing, catching up on home school, and playing at a children’s museum that we found. We did find time to go to a couple beautiful beaches–too bad the conditions weren’t right for snorkeling and swimming–and a few of the old Cham temples.

We all enjoyed having a week of mostly down time. Jess found a place where he could get an hour long massage for $3.50. It was run completely by people with visual impairments and Jess was happy to patronize their establishment.

The food in Quy Nhon was delicious. We especially loved a little restaurant that was always crowded with locals called Peppa’s Kitchen. It served Korean food and we all agreed (except Jane) that it was some of the best food we have had on our trip.

The pho in this town was great as well. The street food was pretty good too. Ashley found a Bahn mi (Vietnamese wheat roll sandwich) stand that would make her an avacado and tomato sandwich with chili sauce. Jane found a stand that sold deep-fried cheese on a sick. We all loved walking a few blocks in the mornings to visit the fruit market and eat mangoes, bananas, pineapple, and passion fruit for breakfast. In fact the only thing that wasn’t a hit with the whole group was a local specialty of fatty pork, rice noodles, mint and basil with a bowl of fermented shrimp paste to dip it in (although Jess thought it was quite good even if it was a strong fish taste).

On our last day in the area, we taxied around to a couple of local historic temples. They were pretty in their own right, but the sun and clouds made for some very beautiful photos.

On an average day spent in town you might see one other gringo, but you would be greeted by dozens of Vietnamese (especially children) with a wave and an English “hello”.

The vendors and the taxi drivers gave you straight prices, no negotiating necessary.

All in all, it was a relaxing and fun stay in Quy Nhon. After a week in the city, we boarded a night train and tried to get some sleep on the six-hour ride to our next stop, Hoi An.