Quy Nhon – hee bune diaries

As part of our journey with the Vietage train, we have booked 2 nights at the Anantara Villas in Quy Nhon. Each of the just 26 villas has ocean view and private pools. The resort has a unique “quiet luxury” vibe that never becomes pretentious. It is located very close to the nice beach, Bai Xep, and though the restaurant serves absolutely amazing food there are also options for local dining by the beach or by the other small fishing villages near by.

Even though the resort is small (which we like), it offers its own spa, a gym, a restaurant and large public pool and pool bar by the beach. Also, which the girls likes the most about it, haha, it has small electrical cars to drive you around the resort area.

The Quy Nhon area is still up-and-coming and mainly popular amongst local tourist (yet), which is understandable as it offers a very authentic and beautiful landscape. We loved how the city has “siesta” during the hot mid-day-hours, and the area hasn’t been “bombarded” with massive giant resorts. It just felt low key and nice. And, as mentioned before, a perfect combination to the more Busy Da Nag/ Hoi An area or just as a stop over for some down time. The best time to go is between January-March before it gets too hot (or too wet ;-)).

Around Quy Nhon you will find several Cham Towers as the Cham people ruhed this area for more than 500 years. They are not difficult to spot when driving through this area as they are usually on top of a hill. The two most famous Cham towers here are Thap Banh It and Thap Doi.

The two twin Cham Towers was built from the 10th to 15th century. But undergoing a long history with many wars in Vietnam, the towers were ruined. The authorities then in the 90’ties decided to restore the Twin Cham Towers as it plays an important part in showing the Cham’s culture and architecture.

Legend has it that Champa towers normally consist of 3 towers and so do the Duong Long Cham Towers that we went to see. These towers dates back to the 12th century and are the tallest of its kind in South Asia (the central tower is 39 meters). The towers were build as tempels for hindu worship of Deties, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The construction is influenced by Khmer architecture and consist of bricks only (no mortar), which makes the question of how the towers still a standing present time a mystery. Do be careful, as many bees live in these towers, so be sure to maintain a safe distance.

We also went to see the oldest pagoda in the area outside of the city, where young munks live (orphans) and we ended the day with a visit to a local restaurant that served Ban Xeo. Ban Xeo – Vietnamese pancake – is a savory and cripsy dish, where you role a trin omelet with either squid, shrimps or beef together with Bean sprouts, cucumber, mango, salat inside a wet rice paper roll. It is one of the our favourite things to eat in Vietnam and the ones they make in Quy Nhon are just so delicious. Ban Xeo is made in other variations as well, but Quy Nhon claims to have the original version.

But culture and food aside, as most people come to Quy Nhon for the serenity of the coastal area in this region. There are also a number of small islands off the coast of Quy Nhon. Some are so small that you can only sail and snorkel around them. The most famous ones are Ky Co Island and Kho Island. We heard that Kho Island is a good place to see coral reefs and that Hon Kho has a turtle conservation center. If we come back some day, it is surely something we would want to go explore.