Quy Nhon is famous for its many picturesque landscapes and unique cuisine from the salty sea, and this tranquil land is also affectionately known as "Xu Nau" (the Nẫu region). Spending two weeks living like a local in Quy Nhon, travel blogger Lo Huu Duc Anh explored this region in his own unique way. Through Duc Anh's lens, the beauty of Quy Nhon appears incredibly gentle, pure, and simple.

Travel blogger Lỗ Hữu Đức Anh spent two weeks experiencing Quy Nhơn last July. This trip was particularly special. Before arriving, Đức Anh thought Quy Nhơn was just a transit point or a place to combine with another destination because there were few places to explore there.

It wasn't until he received an invitation from his friend Thinh to come here and explore new places together that Duc Anh began to discover this land of martial arts and literary traditions.

While casually searching for information on Instagram, he came across posts by an account named Benz offering new perspectives on Quy Nhon after being stranded there for about four months due to the pandemic. This motivated him to visit Quy Nhon as soon as possible.

Duc Anh excitedly recounted: “Looking at those pictures reminded me of my time in South Korea. I no longer felt tired, even though my travel schedule was quite busy. I packed up all my excitement and rushed to the airport to make it on time.”

When Duc Anh decided to experience life like a local in Quy Nhon, his definition of travel changed. At 18, he enjoyed the thrill of driving across Vietnam, trying to visit as many places as possible. Now, he prefers the feeling of slowly and thoroughly exploring each place, rather than rushing past like a gust of wind.

Upon arriving in this area, Duc Anh was quite surprised and didn't expect Quy Nhon to be so developed. As someone who loves to travel, he knows that every place, to a greater or lesser extent, has its own unique characteristics. And even though he was visiting Quy Nhon, his perspective was very different from everyone else's.

When asked by Travellive about the difference between experiencing Quy Nhon as a tourist and as a local, Lo Huu Duc Anh smiled and said: “It’s very different. If I were a tourist, I would just be looking around (not all tourists do that), but if you travel with the mindset of an experiencer, you’ll know where to go when you arrive in a certain area. You won’t be following someone else’s itinerary; you’ll be creating your own destinations.”

During his two weeks in Quy Nhon, Duc Anh's most memorable experiences were enjoying the simple meals that Thinh's parents cooked for him, and after each day of exploring Quy Nhon, he just wanted to go home to eat instead of lingering at some restaurant. He also enjoyed staying with the locals and exploring Quy Nhon together in a local way, rather than just visiting popular tourist spots.

"Even now, back in Hanoi, when I think back, I still have the lingering taste of that sour soup made with giang leaves, a favorite dish of both me and Mr. Thinh," Duc Anh recounted.

According to Duc Anh, the dishes in Quy Nhon have a rather sweet and spicy flavor. Northerners trying these dishes for the first time might find them unfamiliar, as the flavors in the North tend to be a bit richer.

Like other places in Central Vietnam, the people of Quy Nhon are very refined in their culinary tastes, as each dish has its own dipping sauce or fermented fish paste. Duc Anh absolutely loves and highly recommends that anyone visiting this region should try boiled pork with fermented mackerel fish sauce. Or, on these hot summer days, a bowl of sour giang leaf soup is simply a "delicacy of the human world."

Instead of going to the crowded, popular spots that are trending on social media, Duc Anh spent hours in museums in Binh Dinh, admiring the stones carved with Champa motifs, or the masks used in traditional Vietnamese opera…

During his time wandering around Quy Nhon, Duc Anh visited quite a few places, some of which he went to on a whim. For him, it's difficult to choose his favorite because every place is beautiful. Besides that, none of the places didn't live up to his expectations because each place he visited was chosen based on his personal preferences.

The weather in Quy Nhon during July was quite hot and humid. Due to carelessness, he fell ill for several days.

One morning in Quy Nhon, after enjoying banh hoi chao long (a famous Quy Nhon breakfast dish), Duc Anh drove to the Binh Dinh General Museum, located right in the city center. Unlike before, when he would quickly set up his tripod to take pictures, this time he slowly stood and read the information about the exhibits on display.

After visiting the museum and talking with Mr. Thinh, in addition to providing information of high historical and cultural value, Duc Anh believes that historical museums should also pay attention to aesthetic factors, because it is undeniable that the "check-in" element will attract more tourists to visit the museum.

People often say that Central Vietnam is barren land, but Duc Anh disagrees. He says, "I think they just haven't found the right way to remove the dirt from the surface of their gem. If you look closely, the sea in Central Vietnam is very beautiful. More beautiful than anywhere else in the other two regions. There is a lot of potential for development here."

During Duc Anh's trip to Quy Nhon, there were many interesting things. Even the relatives of the friend who invited him to Quy Nhon were curious and said, "Huh, son? I don't see anything beautiful in Quy Nhon; the North is more beautiful." And the driver who took Duc Anh there was always amazed by the places he visited.

“The questions they asked were: Why set up a water stand in front of the gas station? Why go under the bridge? Why go to the water pumping station? They even asked why we went to the leprosy village? Why go to those places instead of Ky Co, Cu Lao Xanh, or Hon Kho… That’s because they didn’t see the gem they had,” he confided.

Duc Anh once shared that he learned to decline unsuitable trips, which he considered the first step in learning self-love and also to avoid negative posts about his travels.

“It’s like choosing clothes; you can’t just wear something someone else looks good in and force yourself to wear it too. Choosing a destination is the same; you see a place where people take beautiful photos and you want to go there, or you see a crowded place and you want to join the throng to check in like everyone else. But are you really satisfied with a trip that’s like chasing after other people’s shadows? I’m not. Before each trip, I always ask myself what the purpose of this trip is,” Duc Anh confided.

If it's a trip to post on his personal blog called Floating Soul, he has to prepare many things, from the itinerary to the concept, in the most detailed way possible. But if it's just for sightseeing or a change of scenery, Duc Anh doesn't prepare much, sometimes not even bringing a camera.

He confided, "It sounds a bit complicated and cumbersome, but why do we need to prepare so much for a trip? Unplanned trips are the most enriching experiences."

But whether each trip brings a positive or negative experience is yet to be seen. Traveling is supposed to be a moment of enjoyment for oneself, yet we don't even have time to check the weather, to find out what's available at the destination during that season, or to find a place that suits our purpose. Instead, we only find directions after seeing a few pictures online, and then upon returning, we write negative reviews criticizing the destination and the person who posted the article. For Duc Anh, that's a lack of responsibility towards oneself.

As a travel blogger, Duc Anh is someone who travels frequently and introduces people to the places he visits. However, none of his articles have been titled saying that a particular place must be visited before a certain age. According to him, people travel for fun and experiences, not to "meet KPIs."

"We can't predict the weather, but we can choose our destinations, so let's find suitable places for a positive and memorable experience," Duc Anh shared.