“A likeable little seaport town” set on “a narrow stake of land harpooning the South China Sea,” says Rough Guides, Quy Nhon is a good place to get away from tourists -- “few come here, thanks in no small part to the fact that the local beach is both less dazzling than others along this coast, and a bit shallow for swimming.”
The harbor is sheltered by a bowl of green mountains, where “you can see faint dimples that were created by the 2,000 lb bombs dropped by B-52s during the Vietnam War in this strategically important area,” explains Travelblog. “The now calm waters are laced with fish nets, traps, squid shacks and round rattan boats piloted by small, sinewy, sun-darkened men” who “control their craft with a single wooden paddle held at the front of the pitch-sealed bamboo bowl … by using a series of complex, wrist twists they navigate across the water at will.”
“Make no mistake”: it’s only a matter of time before it crosses the toursim threshold, says TNT Magazine. “Queen Beach with its sweeping views of the coast, the Dam Market brimming with fresh produce and smiling locals, and Long Khanh Pagoda, at which a 17-metre tall Buddha and mosaic dragons with manes of broken glass greet you upon arrival, are lures on any itinerary.” And with “accessible with daily flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, not to mention a growing number of tourists discovering this gem on their way between Da Nang and Nha Trang, Quy Nhon is emerging on the map.”