Quy Nhon is a mid-sized city in central Vietnam that is worth adding to your itinerary if you’d like to go somewhere that is not yet hugely on the radar of international tourists.
The city itself is lovely to explore, not spoiled with the typical tourist trappings you’ll see elsewhere. Better yet, you can head down to some small fisherman’s villages south of Quy Nhon where you can enjoy some laidback beach vibes.
I should mention that I wrote a different version of this guide back in 2019, when I mainly stayed in a fishing village called Nhon Hai on the peninsula east of Quy Nhon. Sadly, there is now a huge resort under construction just on the other side of the mountain from Nhon Hai; when completed, MerryLand Quy Nhon will feature a marina, 18-hole golf course, and a European-style Canal District. This means the days of this particular area being chill and authentic are numbered.
I’ll pre-empt the impending changes and say that if you’re a budget or independent traveller, you should now probably stay in the city or head south if you’re looking for that local fishing village aesthetic.
Quy Nhon in a coconutshell
You can stay in the city itself, but I recommend staying south at the Life’s A Beach hotel or its sister hostel in the village of Bai Xep. You can book transport to/from Quy Nhon on 12Go. There aren’t hundreds of things to do like in other cities, but you can visit various Champa archeological ruins and go to beaches like Ky Co, the Eo Gio Cape, or the village Nhon Hai. Life’s a Beach hostel also organizes small-scale fishing trips and boat trips and have kayaks for rent. There isn’t a lot of international tourism here! Either enjoy your stay at the beach, or take the chance to walk around a non-touristy Vietnam city.
Where’s Quy Nhon?
Quy Nhon is a small city in the center of Vietnam, located roughly halfway between Hoi An and Nha Trang. It’s still a bit unknown; most backpackers that I mentioned Quy Nhon to gave me a quizzical look, though I nevertheless met a fair number of travellers once I arrived. The only person I spoke to who was also going there was an in-the-know expat living in Vietnam whom I met at a train station.
The city of Quy Nhon itself is not so noteworthy in terms of typical ‘things to do’, though it does offer the chance to explore some local markets and streets for a taste of Vietnamese city life. More interesting than the city are the nice beaches that are within a 30-minute or so radius of it.
Although it’s slightly off the beaten track, once you get to Quy Nhon (pronounced like Kwee N-yawn), you’ll find plenty of accommodation options and a small number of backpackers and travellers.
The beaches of Quy Nhon
Most beaches in Quy Nhon are not majorly developed, mostly having a relaxed hammock-ey beach hostel vibe.
I went to four different beaches in- or near Quy Nhon. Let me tell you about them in order of personal preference:
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Bai Xep beach
Bai Xep is about 20 minutes south of the city, where some enterprising Vietnamese turned it into the go-to spot. The Life’s A Beach Hostel grew from one to a whopping four locations.Each location of Life’s A Beach Hostel caters to a slightly different crowd, so pay attention to which one you book! I stayed in two of the locations myself.
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Life’s A Beach Backpackers
It has basic dorms inside bamboo huts and a lively bar. It’s perfect if you’re in your 20s and open to some mild- to medium-intensity partying. -
The other Life’s A Beach location
The age range is a bit broader here; there are some younger but also some grey-haired travelers. The atmosphere is social with often family-style dinners.
It’s next to a small fisherman’s hamlet with a few basic shops and Vietnamese eateries, making it a bit less isolated than Life’s A Beach Backpackers.
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Ky Co beach
This is not a beach you can stay the night at, but it’s one you can visit as a nice little day trip. Ky Co gained some infamy among locals for being the ‘most beautiful beach in Vietnam’. -
Quy Nhon City Beach
As far as city beaches go, Quy Nhon has quite a good one. It’s kept spotlessly clean and the city itself is typically Vietnamese, still mostly free of the rampant development seen in other beach resort cities like Nha Trang. -
Nhon Hai beach
This is easily my favourite beach near Qui Nhon. Nhon Hai beach is in a cute fishing village, where I loved my stay at Nhon Hai Beach Hostel a few years ago — a simple place where you’ll fall asleep and wake up to the sounds of the sea.
Things to do near Quy Nhon
The area around Quy Nhon doesn’t have limitless sightseeing potential, but there are a few things you can check out.
Firstly, there are various Champa towers around the area. The Champa are indigenous people, following mainly the Hindu religion, who settled in large parts of Vietnam from the 11th century. The archaeological sites are very small, though of course of genuine historical significance and some are in quite scenic locations. The most important site is Vijaya, which served as the Cham capital for over 500 years. The excellent blog Vietnam Coracle has detailed information on all the Cham sites.
You can also go sandboarding near Nhon Ly beach. I didn’t get a chance to do this during my stay, but I’ve heard the experience is similar to the sandboarding in Mui Ne in southern Vietnam, which I did a few years ago.
Finally, Life’s A Beach hostel organizes afternoon boat trips where you’ll catch some fish and have a BBQ on a secluded beach.
Getting around in Quy Nhon
It’s possible to get around by taxi or moped, most conveniently by using the Grab app to hail them. But I always like having my own transportation, as it gives the most freedom and flexibility to get around. I rented my moped (scooter) at Rong Homestay in Qui Nhon city. It’s a guesthouse that also rents out a dozen or so scooters. The rate is about 100,000 dong a day. Expect to leave your ID card or some deposit for the rental.
Getting to Quy Nhon City
There are several ways of getting to Qui Nhon, from where you can take local transportation to the beaches:
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Train
Quy Nhon is served by Dieu Tri train station on the main line, around 10km west of Quy Nhon. All reunification express trains stop at Dieu Tri. -
Bus
Some buses go from Da Nang or Nha Trang and these are probably your best bet if you’re travelling Vietnam north-to-south or vice versa. -
Plane
I used a flight to get out of Qui Nhon, as I was backtracking to Hanoi at the end of my Vietnam trip. Vietnam Airlines runs several domestic flights from Qui Nhon to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
