Around 25km from Quy Nhơn town, Kỳ Co beach is well known for its beautiful natural landscape. VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — With wild landscapes, clear and turquoise water at beaches and abundant cultural sites, the central province of Bình Định has become a rising star on central Việt Nam’s tourism map, said the vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Speaking at a conference to promote Bình Định tourism organised late last week in HCM City, Lâm Hải Giang said the event aims to promote tourism in Bình Định to attract more local and international tourists.

Tourism is one of the five pillars of the province’s socio-economic growth in the 2021-2025 period, he said.

The province aims to make tourism a spearhead economic sector with a goal of 8 million visitors by 2025, with tourism revenue contributing 20 per cent to the province’s GRDP.

Bình Định and HCM City have in recent years cooperated in tourism development with the former participating in a number of tourism events organised by HCM City, including the HCM City Tourism Festival, HCM City International Travel Expo, and the Southern Food Festival.

The conference was organised by the Bình Định Department of Tourism and HCM City Department of Tourism to strengthen cooperation in investment, especially in tourism development, between the two localities, according to Giang.

Last year, Bình Định received more than 4 million visitors and revenue of more than VNĐ13.1 trillion (nearly US$556 million).

“Maldives of Vietnam”

The Sydney Morning Herald called Quy Nhơn the “Maldives of Vietnam” with long, sandy beaches and crystal-clear water.

The town is considered one of the three tourism hotspots in the central region along with Đà Nẵng and Nha Trang.

It is blessed with a 42-kilometre coastline, diverse topography comprising mountains, forests, salt marshes, plains, lagoons, lakes, rivers, peninsulas and islands.

Travel magazine Lonely Planet also put Quy Nhơn on the list of top must-try experiences and must-visit places in Việt Nam.

Eo Gió (Windy Pass) and Kỳ Co beach are the most famous attractions in Quy Nhơn.

Eo Gió in Nhơn Lý Commune, 20km from the town, is situated between two tall rocky cliffs that drop straight into the clear waters of the sea below, giving it a beautiful crescent shape.

Kỳ Co beach is situated on Nhơn Lý Island, 25km away and a 20-minute boat ride from Quy Nhơn. On one side of Kỳ Co beach is the calm turquoise sea, and the other is magnificent rocky mountains.

The best time to visit Quy Nhơn is from January to August, when the weather is warm most of the time.

The fastest way to get there from Hà Nội and HCM City is by flight (only a one hour flight from Hà Nội and a one hour flight from HCM City). — VNS