Quy Nhon

(Covered market) Chợ Đầm

One of the larger and more diversified outdoor markets in Quy Nhơn. In the north centre of city. Fruits and vegetables, freshly cut (and unrefrigerated) beef and chicken. Shellfish. Live chickens and fish. Fireworks products. Incense. Many roving vendors on the surrounding side streets cook bánh xèo on portable charcoal grills. Open from the early morning to evening.

Central Market

Large market in the centre. Consists of a large area partially covered by tarpaulins in the space between Tôn Đức Thắng and Lương Định Của streets, plus vendors — mainly women — spilling out from the covered market area onto both sides of Tôn Đức Thắng street selling fresh fruits and vegetables from blankets. Mangoes, dragonfruit, pineapples, cherimoya, pomelo, coconuts, etc. Unrefrigerated cow meat, pork, fish, crabs. Fresh flowers. Mornings are peak times, but some vendors work all day.

Chùa Hiển Nam

Medium-sized Buddhist temple a 4-min walk from Coopmart just west of Nguyễn Tất Thành Street.

daily from morning to evening

Chùa Long Khánh

Large and very important Buddhist temple in Quy Nhơn city and Bình Định province. The temple was first constructed in the early 1700s, but nothing of the original structure remains. The current main building was erected in 1956, and the Buddha statue and lotus pond were completed in 1972. The 1.7 m (5.6 ft) high, 700 kg (1,500 lb) bell was believed to have been cast in 1805. Inside is a statue of Avalokiteśvara, the embodiment of infinite compassion of all Buddhas, who uses his thousand arms to reach out to help the suffering masses. To the side of the temple is a 17 m (56 ft) bluestone statue of Amitābha (Vietnamese: A-di-đà), the celestial Buddha, resting upon a 5 m (16 ft) lotus base. Entrance is free every day from early morning until late evening.

Chùa Minh Tịnh

Large and active Mahayana Buddhist pagoda complex in the city centre a 10-minute walk west of Coopmart. Founded in 1917 outside the city, it was moved in the 1960s to its current location to make room for the expansion of the airport during the Vietnam-American war. The well-maintained temple, which is surrounded by spacious and peaceful grounds with many colourful statues, is an active and working centre of spiritual studies, community outreach, and charity activities. Visitors are welcome daily from morning to evening.

Chùa Phổ Minh

Impressive and little-visited Buddhist temple of 800 m² (8,600 ft²) set on tranquil riverside grounds of 1,800 m² (19,000 ft²). Work began on the site in 2011. Soon after, five workers were gravely injured in a major accident when the concrete and steel of the third floor collapsed. Construction was suspended, but with the prayers of the monks and the enthusiastic support of the injured workers, the community overcame its grief and the temple was finished in 2013.

Chùa Trúc Lâm

Well-maintained six-storey Buddhist temple in the northern end of the city centre. Open to visitors daily from morning to evening.

Chùa Tâm Ấn Tự

Active Mahayana Buddhist temple on a tranquil 2,000 m² (21,000 ft²) site. A small hut on the grounds began serving as a spiritual home for monks in the 1920s but was destroyed during war activities in the 1940s. The temple was restarted under new spiritual advisers in 1955, and the structure was built out very, very slowly. After 40 years of glacial progress, construction on the current temple picked up pace in the 1990s and was finished in 1995. The well-maintained temple boasts a 150-kg (330-lb) bell. Open to visitors daily from morning to evening.

Chùa Tịnh xá Ngọc Nhơn

Buddhist temple in the northwest of the city. Nestled amidst the trees and set back against the mountain, the temple's 2,500 m² (27,000 ft²) grounds are a surprisingly peaceful contrast to the bustle of the heavily trafficked street outside. It was built in 1959 and was restored from 1995 to 1999. Open to visitors daily from morning to evening.

Coopmart

Opened in 2003, Coopmart is the only supermarket in the city. Offers household products, clothes, and both fresh and packaged food. Compared to Coopmart stores in larger Vietnamese cities, the Quy Nhơn branch has noticeably fewer fresh food products and significantly slower check-out lines. The store serves as the flagship of a local-style shopping centre which covers the entire square block and features a smartphone store, local-clothes vendors, KFC, a Bánh Mì Đất sandwich shop, and a small amusement park and entertainment centre. Public toilets are available for 2,000 dong per use at the back of the entertainment centre behind the water-ship ride.

Daily from 08:00–20:00 with no lunch break

Doi Cham Towers

Tháp Đôi / Twin Towers

The Tháp Đôi are the most accessible Cham towers in the country. The Hindu Cham people started construction on the two 20-metre (65 ft) towers in the 11th century after establishing Vijaya as the capital of their empire and the port city of Quy Nhơn as its economic engine. Three towers were planned, but for unknown reasons, only two exist, and the site became known to the Vietnamese as Tháp Đôi ("The Twin Towers"). Unusually for Cham architecture, the Twin Towers eschew the traditional multi-storey square construction in favour of a large rectangular base topped by a carved pyramid structure. The towers were built from brick in the typical Cham style in which pieces were tiled closely together and then baked into a solid block, with the unusual addition of crushed stone for support. The outer structure and external sculptures were made from sandstone. The art and architecture share many characteristics with Angkor sites in present-day Cambodia thanks to the frequent exchange — in both peace and war — between Champa and the Khmer kingdom. This later Cham period is particularly characterized by the intricate and ornate animal statues and carvings which the Cham adopted after moving their capital to Bình Định. The holy bird Garuda rests on top of the vegetation-covered roofs, protecting the towers from evil forces, while below are detailed carvings of giant lotus bases, elephants, lions, monkeys and humans dancing. The towers were restored in the 1980s and 1990s with help from a Polish archaeological team, and the area around them has been developed into a small park, with trees and grass surrounding the archaeological site and shielding it from the traffic outside (ironically, one of the only noisy stretches of road anywhere in the city is Trần Hưng Đạo street directly in front of the towers). The neighbourhood just to the north of the towers is a pleasant and quiet residential area on the banks of the river, with a few local cafes and restaurants. Unlike the Cham tow

Daily 08:00–11:00 and 13:00–18:00·20,000 dong

ExploraScience

Part of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) complex, established to further science and research in Vietnam. ExploraScience hosts several exhibitions on Astronomy, Space exploration etc. suitable for children and adults alike.

Sat-Sun 08:30–17:00·Admission 120,000, purchased on-site only. Tickets are sold 30 minutues prior to opening. Visitors are advised to come early as there is a guided tour started upon opening hours, and there might be multiple tours for schoolchildren running concurrently

Fish market

Outdoor fish market. Vendors — mainly women — sit on low plastic chairs selling freshly-caught fish, shellfish, snails, crabs, lobsters, and oysters from blankets spread on both sides of the street. Usually open in the early morning and late afternoon, but the vendors set their own hours and come and go based on their supply of fish.

Indoor/outdoor market

Largest covered food market in the centre of Quy Nhơn. Next to the Minh Tịnh temple and a 10-minute walk west from the Coopmart. The market encompasses a cavernous indoor space housed in a proper building in the area bounded by Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Võ Lai, Hàm Nghi and Vũ Bão, as well as an outdoor area on Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and nearby streets where vendors sell from blankets laid out on the pavement. Fruits, vegetables, unrefrigerated meats and fishes, tofu, beans. In addition to the usual food products, the market also boasts a large section of vendors selling uncooked noodles, including the provincial specialties of string-noodles and double noodles.

Municipal People's Government Offices

Imposing and stern complex of several multi-storey buildings housing the city-government offices built in classic communist architectural style. The largest of the buildings towers over the surrounding neighbourhood and is visible from the beach. Its stern architecture is the butt of many popular jokes among the less reverent locals. The complex is lit bright at night with white and red lights. As of 2023, inquiries for visiting the building must be made prior, and it is unclear whether they are granted.

Quy Nhơn Cathedral

Nhà thờ chính tòa Quy Nhơn

First built as a local parish in 1892, the church underwent a massive expansion in the 1930s when it became the seat of the regional Catholic Diocese. The 47-m (155-ft) spire houses a 1,800-kg (2-ton) bell donated in 1962 in Catholic outreach efforts by the predominantly Polish congregation of St. Pancratius Church of Chicago. During the war years in the 1960s, the Quy Nhơn Cathedral served as a refuge for displaced locals, and as a place of worship for American soldiers.

Tượng Phật đôi

Towering above the ocean on the Phương Mai Peninsula, this 30-m (100-ft) golden Avalokiteśvara, the embodiment of infinite compassion of all Buddhas, is the tallest Buddha statue in Vietnam. Constructed in 2014, the base is designed to hold the ashes of 8,000 local families.

An Bình

Mid-sized vegetarian just north of the temple. Slightly more upscale setting than most vegetarian restaurants in the city, with tablecloths and flowers on each table. Open hours officially 07:00–21:00, although often closes for long breaks. One of several vegetarian restaurants near the Long Khánh Buddhist temple.

Vegetarian bánh xèo 10,000 dong. Plate of daily vegetable dishes with rice 18,000 dong

An Phú Thịnh Plaza

Multi-storey shopping centre in the east of the city. Low-budget semi-permanent shops offering domestic and imported (mainly from China) clothes, bags, household items. Some electronics.

Banh It Cham Towers

Tháp Bánh Ít / Silver Towers

This is one of the best large sites of Cham ruins still surviving, and certainly the most accessible and best restored in the countryside. A cluster of four towers built in the 10th–11th centuries on a hilltop overlooking the river. The Cham constructed the Bánh Ít site to fit in harmony with the environment, and while not as enormous as ancient sites in Angkor or Borobudur, the site even today is a beautiful medley of rolling countryside hills, river and towers. Although the site had nothing to do with silver, early French colonialists named Champa sites after minerals, and their name of "Silver Towers" stuck and is still used today by many foreign sources. The most common name used for the towers by the Vietnamese, Bánh Ít, is also the name of the local sweet cake specialty. Approaching from the east, the first tower is the 13-metre (42-foot) gate. Up the hill from the gate are the three larger towers. The biggest is 20 metres (65 feet) high, with intricate carvings of humans, birds, flowers, and the elephant god Ganesa and the monkey god Viyu in dancing pose. The architectural style is unique among Cham ruins for the vertical columns and grooved tiles, the use of sandstone for the roof edges, and false doors topped by soaring arches in the shape of spears. The site held many statues, but sadly, most of them were shipped off to Europe by French colonialists in the late 19th century. The most impressive of the artworks, an intricately-carved 11th-century statue of a three-eyed Shiva seated on a lotus, is held in the Musée Guimet in Paris, while copper statues of Genesha, Uma, and Brahma vanished into private French collectors' hands in the early 20th century. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, the undeveloped countryside around the main towers is full of small centuries-old ruins. Although only the four complete towers survive, the area had many more buildings, and poorly-funded archaeological surveys haven't had the resources to completely investigate the

Daily 07:00–11:00 and 13:30–17:00·Entry to the towers is 10,000 dong and parking 5,000 dong, but the site is little visited and it's possible you might enter and never see anyone or be asked for money

Beach Promenade Amusement Park

Tiny amusement park squeezed between the trees lining the beach. Semi-permanent rides include a small carousel and wee-sized autos. Squatting vendors offer Vietnamese snack food and painted presents for children. Very low-key atmosphere with beautiful views on the beach and ocean, although the small area can become crowded with local children during high season. The attractions are open to all kids from ages 2 to 92 but are probably most enjoyed by children 4 to 9.

Rides 10,000–20,000 dong

Beach promenade and city beach

The nicely-maintained beach promenade stretches almost without interruption for 5 km (3 mi) along the southeast coast of Quy Nhơn city. Bordered on both sides by layers of mountains receding into the hazy distance, the natural beauty of the city's waterfront setting has inspired poets for centuries. The contrast to more developed beach resorts such as Nha Trang is stark. Much of the Quy Nhơn beach is unused and empty even in peak tourist season. There are no commercial watersports, boat rides, surfing or tours. In the more central areas 1 km on either side of Nguyễn Tất Thành street, locals play football (soccer) and volleyball on the beach, Vietnamese tourists run (often fully clothed) into the water, and families enjoy picnics. The few vendors scattered along the promenade selling food and drinks to local tourists are low-key and don't aggressively tout their wares. In the central beach area, a few hotels and private individuals offer lounge chairs in the summer months. A tiny semi-permanent amusement park in a grassy area next to the beach offers carousel rides primarily for kids. With grainy sand a dark shade of yellow, slightly murky water, no international food options, no nightlife, a sleepy atmosphere, and a notable lack of tourist infrastructure in general, Quy Nhơn is far from a typical beach paradise... which is precisely the draw of this beautiful setting for those looking to escape the mass tourism of big resorts.

Big C

The Quy Nhơn branch of Thailand's Big C hypermarket lies off Highway 1D close to the Metro bulk store and the bus station in a sparsely-populated area at the foot of the mountains. Offers household products, clothes, and dry foods. The huge building, opened to great fanfare in 2014 for its first-in-the-area green technology, is designed from glass and white aluminium to look like a massive QR barcode.

Bookafe

Very large higher-end cafe with both outdoor and indoor seating. Three minutes by foot southwest from the Coopmart. Extensive lighting in the evening makes it a popular spot for couples at night. Gelatto ice cream available. Somewhat confusingly, the cafe's name is spelled "Bookafe" on internet sites and Facebook, but the logo is designed as "Bookkafe", where the middle "k" is stylized to be both the "k" of "book" and the "K" of "Kafe".

Lassi 50,000 dong, coffee 35,000, yoghurt smoothies 50,000

Breakfast bánh xèo

Several vendors offer bánh xèo for breakfast in front of their homes on the small, tree-lined street of Trần Quang Diệu between Nguyễn Công Trứ and Tăng Bạt Hổ. They cook daily on most mornings from 07:00 to 10:00, or until they run out of ingredients.

3,000 dong per pancake

Buratino

One of the only restaurants in Quy Nhơn — if not the only restaurant — specializing in Western-style food such as pizza and pasta. The restaurant is often recommended by the bigger hotels to Western tourists looking for comfort food similar to home. But it's a small restaurant and Quy Nhơn is not an international city, so the food is suited to local tastes and ends up being more Vietnamese-style than Westerners expect.

Daily until 23:00·Dishes from 50,000–100,000 dong, combo meals 200,000–270,000 dong

Bánh Kem Ngọc Nga

The largest, most elaborate — and commensurately most expensive — bakery in Quy Nhơn. Intricately designed and decorated cakes, for example shaped as animals (frogs, dogs, bunnies, dragons) and human figures (Buddha, princesses). Cake flavors include green tea (matcha), tiramisu, and standard cream cakes. Also offers vegan (pure-veg) baked products. The bakery spans three adjacent stores, with one specializing in cakes, the second in cookies, sweet breads and chocolates, and the third in general baked products. Unusually for Quy Nhơn, the bakery has a website, and the site is even available in English.

Mid-size cakes 60,000–200,000 dong, larger and more elaborate cakes 200,000–400,000. Cookies and chocolates 5,000–15,000

Bánh Mì Đất

Local chain of three sandwich shops. Fixed-location stores but no seating. Offers more variety of options than the typical specialized street-side sandwich stall, as well as choice of warming the baguette.

One sandwich 10,000–15,000 dong

Bánh xèo market vendors

Numerous bánh xèo vendors rove the streets around the local market Chợ Đầm in the northern end of the city near the riverside. Very local.

1,000–2,000 dong per pancake

Bãi Xép beach and village

With deserted beaches, hilly islands close to shore, and round wooden fishing boats bobbing in the water, the tiny village of Bãi Xép 10 km (6 mi) south of the city centre has become a popular destination for international tourists looking for seaside tranquililty. It's part of the city, but the little hamlet is a world of development away from even sleepy Quy Nhơn's decided lack of buzz and feels more like a remote island than a suburb. The access road to the village is a tiny lane running down the hill from Highway 1D. At the bottom, the lane splits into two one-metre wide passages between the villagers' houses: the left leads to the cove used by the fishermen, while the right takes you to a secluded beach and two guesthouses run by and for foreigners. At the south end of the Bãi Xép cove past a fence is the only luxury hotel in the region, the Avani Beach Resort; it shares the same tranquil waters and postcard view of the nearby islands, but its end of the beach is private and off-limits to non-guests. Running over the mountains and high above the shore, the road between Quy Nhơn and Bãi Xép has jaw-dropping views, and there are many points along the highway where you can stop to take panoramic pictures of the city and the coast. North and south of Bãi Xép are many bays below the highway. The most popular are the bucolic hamlets of Bãi Bàng and Bãi Bầu, 5 km (3 mi) south of Bãi Xép, but there are dozens of little coves which you can explore between the jagged rocks along the entire stretch of coast.