Consider this post a roaring endorsement for visiting Quy Nhon on your next trip to Vietnam. The Astronomer and I booked our stay based purely on vibes, and it turned out to be ideal for pristine waters, vibrant regional cooking, and palpable local energy. Located halfway between popular beach destinations Nha Trang and Da Nang, Quy Nhon is a prominent vacation spot for Vietnamese people, but is still under the radar among international tourists. The beauty of Quy Nhon is in its balance, so let’s keep this letter of recommendation between us, okay?

The weather was sunny and steamy during our stay, but that didn’t stop me from strolling the wide streets and coastline in the mid-afternoon while locals were napping or relaxing in the shade. After lunch, I often sent The Astronomer and June back to the hotel in a cab so that I could meander the streets at a leisurely pace. Discovering these little figurines underneath a bonsai tree (hòn nam bộ) reminded me of my grandpa; he used to travel to Quy Nhon often while in the merchant marines.

Quy Nhon’s culinary scene is tremendous. While I recognized many of the dishes and dining formats, some nuances, including the use of local ingredients and the abundance of unique sauces, made eating here a novel and exciting experience. I barely scratched the surface of regional specialties during my five-night, six-day stay.

Here’s a rundown of the best dishes I ate in Quy Nhon (see IG stories for the geotag of all the locations mentioned in this post):

Coconut ice cream is as popular in Quy Nhon as it is in Saigon, and Kem Bo Ruby adds a pureed avocado twist. The coconut and avocado melded together seamlessly, creating a mellow, refreshing, and not too rich afternoon treat. I chatted with the shop’s owner (pictured above) and learned that she was the first purveyor to add fresh avocado to coconut ice cream in Quy Nhon. The combination has since been copied by a few folks around town.

Another sweet treat that I’m still thinking about is the ginger tofu at Tau Hu Co Vang. I stumbled into the shop late one afternoon and sat down for a cool bowlful served with pandan jellies and topped with toasted coconut. I didn’t know it at the time, but Tau Hu Co Vang has multiple locations throughout Vietnam and even an outpost in Houston, Texas.

The seafood in Quy Nhon is spectacular and usually served simply grilled or sauteed. At Thanh Kieu, a low-key restaurant that I learned about from a Vietnamese TikToker, the signature goi ca mai never meets the flame. The white sardines are filleted and topped with crushed peanuts and chilies; a squeeze of lime is added tableside. The sardines are served with rice papers and greens for wrapping, but I preferred to eat them straight as to not muddle the fish’s delicate flavors.

The grilled beef was a much better candidate for wrapping and dipping in the duo of house-made sauces. One of my favorite elements of Quy Nhon cuisine is the unique sauces that each restaurant serves. Some are thick and peanut-based, while others are more soy-forward. I couldn’t get enough of mixing, matching, and saucing until my heart’s content.

The oyster porridge with mushrooms and quail eggs was just the thing to round out our meal — pure comfort.

The two major tourist attractions in Quy Nhon — Ky Co Beach and Eo Gio — aren’t easily accessible, so we hired a local tour company to see both in one day.

The tour included a very generous lunch that was quite tasty (not pictured: hot pot). June adored the gently cooked squid, while I can never get enough porridge.

Dessert was a home-style frozen yogurt called sữa chua that was sweet and tangy.

We also signed up for an evening squid fishing expedition, a long-time dream of The Astronomer’s. June, an animal lover through and through, was displeased with this excursion.

Fortunately, we were fed dinner without having to rely on The Astronomer’s or my bounty. June was pleased that neither of us was successful at catching squid.

To make it up to June, we had dinner at a hoanh thanh stall.

She loves wonton soup, and these simple and satisfying bowls hit the spot.

We stopped into Hoa Lu for Quy Nhon-style fish noodle soup. I ordered mine with jelly fish for good measure.

While it is impossible to pick which regional specialty I loved the most, Quy Nhon-style banh xeo ranks very high on the list — and Gia Vy 2 was a very good place to eat them.

Unlike their Southern Vietnamese counterparts, the banh xeo in Quy Nhon are smaller, thicker, crispier, and turmeric-less. Common toppings include dsquid, shrimp, beef, and egg. Mixing different proteins didn’t seem like a common practice. I ordered our banh xeo without bean sprouts when I remembered to do so (IYKYK).

An order of shrimp egg rolls is never a bad idea, and these crispy babies went down easily.

Aunty #5 (Co Nam) runs a brisk soy milk business in Quy Nhon and is surrounded by many, many copycats on the same street. We counted up to four imitators.

The soy milk is served with lots of jellies and is highly slurpable through a wide straw.

The Astronomer and I chatted with an American couple with ties to Quy Nhon while dining at Ciel in Saigon. They recommended that we try Nem Cha Loi, a grilled beef specialist, while we were in town.

The restaurant’s meat cages were working overtime to keep up with demand.

Our spread included grilled beef and pork, along with all the fixings for wrapping. June especially loved the green mangoes.

A bowl of bun thit nuong for the table.

Nem chua (fermented pork sausage) was available atop every table for snacking. I ate mine with a clove of raw garlic, but could not handle the fresh chilies. I know my limits.

After failing to secure lunch at an oyster specialist one afternoon, we were lucky to find an eel specialist nearby. Together we feasted on eel prepared three different ways: sauteed with glass noodles…

…swimming in a noodle soup…

…and made into porridge.

Our daily routine while in Quy Nhon included heading to the beach before dinner daily. We encountered this gent selling coconut ice cream twice.

Ah, the sweet life in Quy Nhon.

I was so keen on banh xeo that I sought it out for two dinners. These blistered beauties were from Ngoc Lien.

Ngoc Lien’s appetizer sampler included banh beo, banh goi, banh duc, banh tai vac, banh uot, and banh hoi. The array of little banh arrived dusted in pork floss and fried shallots, and served with nuoc cham on the side.

Upon discovering that the straw parcels above our table at Ngoc Lien were tre (fermented pork seasoned with galangal, sesame, and spices), I couldn’t resist ordering some. The restaurant served it with green mangoes and a soy-based sauce — delectable.

The owner of Ngoc Lien.

We stayed at Le Mint hotel while in Quy Nhon, and the front desk folks recommended My Hanh for two regional noodle soups: bun tom and bun ram. The restaurant was within walking distance of the hotel.

The bun ram consisted of rice vermicelli noodles topped with a fried fish cake, roasted peanuts, and fresh herbs. A concentrated broth made from minced, locally caught fiddler crabs arrived in a separate bowl. Limes, chilies, and rice crackers were on hand for garnishing and crunch.

The bun tom consisted of pounded local shrimp served over rice noodles in a mild, sweet broth.

There are plenty of ways to caffeinate in Quy Nhon. This ca phe sua da with salted foam from a street stall called PK was one of my favorites.

Quy Nhon will be forever on my mind until I can return next.