Suggestion of 4-Day Itinerary from Binh Dinh to Phu Yen

Binh Dinh and Phu Yen have been two most attractive destinations of the South Central region over the past few years. About 100 km away from each other, both provinces have not been remarkably affected by the strong wave of tourism. Therefore, these attractions remain nearly “untouched”, offers services at reasonable prices, and draws the attention of tourists with the friendliness and hospitability of the local residents.

There are various amazing tourist attractions that you might consider for your summer cruise such as Eo Gio Strait, Ky Co beach, Trung Luong beach, Hon Kho Island,.. and Mon beach, Xep beach, Yen island,..in Binh Dinh and Phu Yen respectively.

If you choose Quy Nhon as the destination for your summer vacation, you can enjoy various tasteful dishes in the morning. You certainly have “Banh Hoi” ( a kind of soft and flat steamed rice cake, accompanied by with pig’s guts and various flavor herbs and spicy, sour and sweet sauce) sold on every street, or the local specialty, fish noodles on Nguyen Hue Street for your breakfast.

On the way from Quy Nhon to Phu Yen, you might visit Ghenh Rang - Tien Sa Egg stone beach (3 km southeast of Quy Nhon city) and Vung Chua Mountain. Ghenh Rang has been famous for the tomb of the talented and ill-fated poet, Han Mac Tu, Quy Hoa leprosy hospital, and 2 charming beaches, namely Quy Hoa and Hoang Hau. Standing at the peak of Vung Chua Mountain, you definitely observe the whole Quy Nhon city.

On the way to Quy Hoa, you should follow the route of National Highway 1D – Xuan Hai – Cu Mong – Binh Phu bridge to enjoy the amazing scenery along the road. Cu Mong Lagoon and Binh Phu Bridge are famous for seafood, the main supply of many kinds of seafood in Phu Yen. Following this route, you will cross Ong Cop bridge (on the left side on National Highway 1A), the longest wooden one in Vietnam.

Crossing Ong Cop Bridge, if you follow the shortcut, you will reach Ganh Da Dia (Da Dia reef), the most famous tourist attraction in Phu Yen with 10 km further. When visting this “unique” empty rock beach, you should drop by Ganh Den lighthouse, too. This amazing lighthouse is unintentionally ignored because of its “hiding” location.

Yen Island and Sun Island is next to each other. These two islands are “unspoiled”, even the local residents seldom drop by them. Noticeably, during days of the outgoing tide, tourists definitely walk to Yen Island. It must be “One-of-all-kind” experience in your life.

Give it a try! Moreover, Yen island, in particular, is famous for its majestic cliffs and caves where birds build the nests which is good for heath and women’ beauty. 

Over the past 2 years, Bai Xep (Xep beach) has been familiar to tourists thanks to the strong impression and effect of the childhood film named “Tôi thấy hoa vàng trên cỏ xanh” (Yellow flowers on the green grass). Being naturally favored the smooth white sand and pristine blue water, Bai Xep is definitely an ideal destination for bathing. If you want to explore the whole beauty of this amazing beach, you might return there in the morning of the next day, just 12 km from Tuy Hoa city.

Because you will travel many places, you should full your stomach with a dish of tasteful and fragrant grilled chicken rice on Le Thanh Tong Street. This dish grasps your attention by the white of soft rice, the golden-yellow of grilled chicken, the purple of pickling onions, and the fresh green of vegetables and herbs. If you do not fulfill your trip to Bai Xep, you might come back today.

Mui Dien (Dien cape - Dai Lanh Cape) is 30 km from Tuy Hoa city. It is considered as one of the most beautiful coastlines in the Southern region. Noticeably, it was the Easternmost point of our country. Bai Mon, which is at the foot of the Mui Dien Cape, is famous for its “untouched” beauty. It might take you a whole day to climb to the cape and visit Mon beach.

From Mui Dien, you just travel 6 km further to reach Vung Ro Bay with the signal: “Ho Chi Minh sea trail”. Get there, you should ask the local residents about the canoe hiring service from the Bay to Nua Island. It might fluctuate from 20$ - 25$ /person, which is attached to the coral observation. Geographically, Hon Nua is located between Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen.

- There are many hotels along Hung Vuong Street, in which rooms cost averagely  10$/day and large enough for 2, or even 3 people to share the room. You might consider 2 hotels, namely Anh Tuan and Nhiet Doi.

- The “must- try” food in Phu Yen is the tuna’s eyes and the tuna-related dishes. You might drop by a restaurant named Ba Tam on Le Duan street, next to the square ¼ to enjoy these tasteful dishes.

- In addition, goat's meat hot pot is worth mentioning because these goats are raised in the nomadic style on the immense pasture.

- In terms of seafood, you might drop by Bach Dang (at the foot of Hung Vuong bridge). One of the favorable adress is Chuc Xiu Restaurant.

- You can also enjoy grilled corns with lard and chopped green onions sold on streets. There are also other attractive dishes for you to try such as Banh Beo (Vietnamese savory steamed rice cake), rice noodles, and Banh Xeo (Vietnamese steamed rice cake with squids and shrimps.

On the way back, you should travel along National Highway 1A to save time as well as visit the rest of destinations. If you visit Phu Yen's famous beaches (Nom Beach, Tram Beach, Om Beach, Tu Nham Beach), the return distance will go up to 160 km.

It must be a big regret if you do not visit O Long Lagoon and a hundred-year-old Bang Lang Church, in which the first Vietnamese alphabet was preserved.

On the route from O Loan lagoon to Song Cau town, you can visit Tu Nham and Om beaches if you wish. These 2 beaches are very large and “unspoiled” with pristine blue (like other beaches in Phu Yen).

In the afternoon, you can buy seafood in Song Cau town to process in your own way. Or, you can enjoy seafood on boat houses of the local fishermen. Furthermore, if you want to treat yourself a big feast, you can stay at resorts in Bai Tram and Bai Nom. On the contrary, you can return Quy Nhon city if you need a break.

In the evening, let’s make a visit to Cham Tower on Tran Hung Dao street. Then, you might drop by Thi Nai Bridge to watch the sunset in the longest cross-bay bridge in Vietnam. 

Day 4: Quy Nhon – Thi Nai Bridge – Phương Mai Peninsula – Nhon Ly beach – Eo Gio (Wind Strait)

This 20 km-long route is easy to travel. There are main activities in these destinations, including playing sandboarding on Phuong Mai sand hill; wandering around Eo Gio; visiting Ky Co by canoe from Eo Gio that costs 8$ for a two-way ticket and 15$ for lunch.

Eo Gio Strait and Ky Co Beach are currently two most attractive destinations for young travelers to Binh Dinh. The plus point of these attractions is that they are very near each other, so tourists often make use of time to visit both places at the same time. After climbing the mountain to hold a panoramic view of Eo Gio, they will board a canoe to Ky Co beach to  see colorful coral reefs hiding under the pristine blue water and smooth white sand.

- If you want to stay at guest houses, you can rent a house on Chuong Duong Street. From this street, you just need to walk 2 minutes to get An Duong Vuong Street, the main sea road of the city.

- If you wish to stay in beautiful hotels with reasonable prices, you should give Ly Ky hotel a try because it is highly appreciated in Quy Nhon.

- Xuan Dieu Pedestrian Street offers a series of cheap seafood restaurants. Noticeably, you can drop by Sulf Bar after that.

- If you are a “snackaholic”, you should go along Tran Binh Trong and Phan Boi Chau streets as they offer various delicious and cheap smoothies.