The coastal city of Quy Nhon in central Vietnam has been named among the world’s top 10 winter sun destinations for 2018.
The Guardian has stumbled upon what locals and adventurous travelers have known for a while now. Quy Nhon is known as one of Vietnam’s less popular hidden paradises, with its pristine beaches, distinctive local cuisine and unique historical vestiges with origins stretching back to the Cham civilization of the 11th century.
The Guardian's list was compiled by its writers to give readers suggestions to “[shake] off the winter blues with the promise of sun, sea and palm-fringed sands”.
Other destinations on the list included Rincón de Guayabitos in Mexico; Hiriketiya Bay in Sri Lanka; Keurboomstrand in South Africa; Rosario Islands in Colombia; Grande-Anse beach in Guadeloupe, a region of France; Kirra on Australia’s Gold Coast; Bang Saen in Thailand; Tanjung Rhu in Malaysia; and Velas in India.
As one of Vietnam’s most tranquil and laid-back beach towns, Quy Nhon is considered the perfect place for a quiet escape from a cold winter, according to the UK newspaper. The juxtaposition of Christmas and balmy beaches may seem absurd to some, but the combination comes highly recommended by The Guardian.
Quy Nhon is the capital city of Binh Dinh province, located between the popular tourist hotspots Nha Trang and Hoi An. Because of its relative position to those favored destinations, it often gets overlooked, leaving the number of tourists there relatively low. Most of the tourists enjoying the beaches of Quy Nhon are locals.
Vietnam has been on a roll lately in terms of tourism. Earlier this year, the United Nations World Tourism Organization named Vietnam the 7th-fastest growing travel destination in the world, according to the Hanoi Times. Vietnam also experienced an increase of foreign visitors of 24.6% in 2016 compared to 2015, while UK travel website Rough Rides announced in September that its readers called Vietnam one of the 20 most beautiful countries in the world.
[Photo via The Guardian]
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