Vung Boi, the sleeping "fairy"
Leaving the center of Quy Nhon city about 30km north to Phu Cat district, you will set foot on Vung Boi beach. This place is truly a haven for those who love the sea, because the beach here still retains its wild beauty, not yet disturbed by tourism business activities.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
To reach this deserted beach, from Quy Nhon city, you follow provincial road 640 to De Gi fishing port. From here, you continue to take a boat around the mountain to reach Vung Boi beach. If you are a mountain climber, you can go by road to Vung Boi beach by climbing Hon Lan mountain.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
From De Gi port, you will board a canoe to experience the feeling of drifting on the sea. The trip is short, taking more than 20 minutes, but it is enough for you to glide through the foot of the mountain, where there are rocky outcrops with many strange shapes welcoming the white waves crashing on the shore. On those rocky outcrops, there are occasionally a few fishermen sitting precariously fishing like Jiang Ziya fishing and waiting for the right time.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
Feeling like you are lost in a completely separate world, you can freely splash around in the clear blue water, dive to see the coral reefs, schools of fish swimming in the clear blue water that can see through to the bottom. Your summer beach experience will also become more memorable with trekking activities in the golden sand dunes of Vinh Loi right next to the coast. Different from the sand dunes of Phan Thiet or Ninh Chu, on top of the sand dunes here there are many undulating rocky outcrops. From this high peak, you can take in the panoramic view of Vung Boi, as beautiful as a landscape painting.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
Vung Boi currently has almost no residents so the atmosphere is very peaceful. Coming here, after enjoying swimming in the cool, clear water, don't forget to kayak around the rocks. The most interesting thing is diving to catch snails, catch fish, then grill the fish, enjoy right on the spot. Note that you should inform the canoe owner in advance so they can prepare everything for you.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
"If you don't want to eat raw fish, don't stop by De Gi."
This is a common saying of many people from De Gi, Phu Cat. Located near Vung Boi, this place used to be an important sea town during the Nguyen lords' time, it is famous for its specialty, mai fish salad. Locals also say: "Going without trying mai fish salad / Why bother coming to De Gi!".
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
The mai fish are caught by De Gi fishermen early in the morning, so they are still fresh and curved. When making fish salad, the hardest part is still removing the bones. People use scissors to cut off the head, remove the bones, leaving a few bones about 1/3 of the fish, then refrigerate them with ice to keep the fish fresh. One part that makes the unforgettable taste of mai fish salad is the soy sauce. In addition, there are raw vegetables to eat with the fish salad, all of which are from the garden such as lettuce, perilla, dill... And indispensable are green bananas, green mangoes or thinly sliced star fruit to remove the fishy smell, adding a pleasant sour taste.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
To eat fish salad, you must pour a lot of soy sauce on it to be delicious. Dip and slurp, then you can fully absorb the rich flavor of this famous fish salad dish of De Gi coastal area.
Lo Dieu, the "sister" of Eo Gio
When mentioning the seascapes in Binh Dinh, everyone thinks of Quy Nhon beach, Ky Co, Eo Gio. However, few people know that Binh Dinh also has rocky beaches and reefs with wild and charming beauty like "fairies" that have not yet been awakened. Lo Dieu reef in Lo Dieu village, Hoai My commune, Hoai Nhon district is one of them.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
To reach the cliff, one must go through Lo Dieu mountain. The asphalt road through the mountain has just been completed, with steep cliffs on both sides. Looking forward, one can only see the asphalt road stretching as far as the eye can see. Just after passing a hairpin bend, looking to the right, one can see the endless green forest.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
Lo Dieu Rock appears before our eyes, wild and majestic. Looking down from above, Lo Dieu beach forms a soft curve, winding along the sparkling golden sand, its back leaning against the towering cliff.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
On sunny days, the sea water becomes clear blue, the sand is smooth and the poetic scenery here will bring visitors wonderful moments of relaxation when they immerse themselves in the immense sea and sky.
Photo: Aloha Nguyen
MORE INFORMATION
+ Itinerary: Currently emerging as an attractive tourist city in the Central Coast, Quy Nhon welcomes visitors from major cities. There are many flights of Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Jetstar Pacific to Quy Nhon from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City... Quy Nhon is also located on the North-South railway axis, so it is very convenient for visitors to come here by train.
+ Cuisine: Must-try specialties when you travel to the coastal city of Quy Nhon:
- Phuong Teo fish noodle soup: Fish cakes are made entirely from fresh fish with many spices. The noodles are made from rice flour mixed with wheat flour, when cooked they have a unique chewy texture and clear color. The broth is mainly cooked from fish bones and fish heads, creating a light sweetness, leaving the eater with an unforgettable feeling. You can visit Phuong Teo fish noodle soup at 211 Nguyen Hue and 415 Nguyen Hue to enjoy this dish.
- Miss Nam's Jumping Shrimp Pancake: Coming to Quy Nhon, if you want to enjoy the unique flavor of martial arts cuisine, please visit Miss Nam's pancake shop at the foot of My Cang bridge, Phuoc Son commune, Tuy Phuoc district. From Quy Nhon, by motorbike or car, it is less than 30 km, following the road through Tuy Phuoc town and then turning towards Phuoc Son. The shop is small, has no sign, and is located right on the roadside, but customers are always coming and going.
- Banh hoi chao long Quan Man (76A Tran Phu): Banh hoi and chao long are two different dishes but when combined together create an interesting dish. Banh hoi is a variation of fresh vermicelli. The porridge is cooked quite thinly, using blood simmered with broth from bones and pig intestines. The porridge is both sweet and fragrant, eaten with a plate of skillfully prepared pig intestines, making this dish exceptionally special.
- Ut Loi Seafood (20 Vo Dinh Tu): Only open from afternoon to evening. This restaurant is only frequented by locals, so all the food is fresh, the owner is cheerful and enthusiastic, and the prices are cheap.
- My Hanh shrimp and crab vermicelli (32 Ngo Duc De): The ingredients of the famous Phu My shrimp and crab vermicelli in Quy Nhon are shrimp and crab from Tra O lagoon to have the sweet and fragrant taste. The vermicelli in this dish must be fresh vermicelli pressed from a machine, boiled in rice water, squeezed through clear water before being put into the bowl. Around Quy Nhon city, there are no less than 10 Phu My shrimp and crab vermicelli shops so diners can enjoy them freely. The price of a large bowl is 18,000 VND, a small bowl is 16,000 VND for both shrimp and crab vermicelli.
- Street food: In Quy Nhon, there are streets that specialize in selling food to everyone. Ngo Van So area is the most famous food area in Quy Nhon with countless delicious and cheap snack shops. Ngoc Han Cong Chua street is a newly emerged food street with noodle shops and snail shops that are also worth trying.
+ Accommodation: Quy Nhon is a tourist city so the accommodation service is quite good, with a system of motels (about 500,000 VND/night) to 4-5 star hotels such as Hoang Anh Gia Lai - Quy Nhon, FLC resort, Muong Thanh, Saigon Quy Nhon, Hai Au (price from over 2 million VND/night)... If you like to experience new feelings, you can try the homestay type with quite good service (price from over 700,000 VND to 1 million VND/night).
+ Transportation: From Quy Nhon, you can ride a motorbike along the coastal road on Provincial Road 640, stretching over 90 km to the North, and then arrive at Vung Boi, De Gi, and then Lo Dieu rock reef. Located in the middle of this route, Vung Boi beach belongs to Phu Cat district, about 30 km from Quy Nhon city center.
+ Service: To rent a tourist canoe to explore Vung Boi sea, you can contact Mr. Toan in advance at phone number: 0122.770.4129.
