Beautiful, relaxing destinations in Binh Dinh Hon Kho, Eo Gio, Ky Co, Cu Lao Xanh, Mui Vi Rong in the central province of Binh Dinh are the new, attracting destinations with beautiful, pristine nature. Hon Kho Island   Hon Kho is a small island located in front of Nhon Hai Commune peninsula city of Quy Nhon, shielding a village.  The island is rocky, with receding small shrubs. It has mountain cliffs, beautiful small sandy beaches, pristine, blue water. No one lives there. Around the island are small rocks, places for those who love fishing, and being quiet alone with immense sea air. It has a mini beach with white sand beach, clear blue sea, small waves. Guests can also climb cliffs of every shape to the northeast. In the “tail” of Island Hon Kho is a pristine coral reef with small fish. Because of the shallow water near the island, you will have a chance to discover the underworld with colorful coral reefs without diving or snorkeling. Vi Rong Cape    Mui Vi Rong (Vi Rong Cape or Dragon Fin Cape) is one of the top best capes in Vietnam. It is a rock rapid heading to the ocean with a cave pass through the sea, which looks like a dragon’s mouth.  You can visit here and enjoy the imposing beauty of nature. Stand on the cape, watch multi-shaped stones and cliffs and a very wonderful view of ocean, an unforgettable memory. Seen from distance, the scene suggests a dragon’s mouth throwing out dazzling white water; hence the name Vi Rong Cape (Dragon Fin Cape) is given to this rock. According to the myth, the ancient Dragon Fin Cape is a block, shaped like fish fin, called “Dragon Fin stone” by the local. In Tang Dynasty, Cao Bien - a geographet specializing in finding land spirits to curse, came to find this Dragon Cope. Cao Bien put spell onit.  When the cape was cut off, the dragon fins fell off and the dragon bloodshed became the small red rocks mixed into the sand below. The color is considered ink given by God. In the past, students came here to take the rocks home to make ink for their teachers. If you look closely, you can still find these red rocks in the beach sand. When the sun sets, the entire scenery of beach rocks as Bai Ban, Da Dung, and Vi Rong - Tan Phung Cape looks like a gigantic dragon flying towards the ocean. Eo Gio   Coming to Quy Nhon, visiting Eo Gio to hear the wind whispering through mountain walls, caves and harmonize with waves crashing onto the shore is a must. You can also admire rock cliffs shaped as if they are trying to hold the ocean and to view albatrosses hovering in the sky. Eo Gio is an arc-shaped strait in Hung Luong Hamlet, Nhon Ly peninsula commune, Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province. People call it Eo Gio (Wind’s waist) as seen from above, Eo Gio looks like a funnel with two rock ranges holding a sea corner. In the past, it wasn’t easy for visitors coming to Eo Gio as they needed to take a motorbike to Ham Tu Wharf then cross over to Thi Nai Lagoon for the numerous deserted sand dunes. However, now tourists just make a 20-kilometer motorbike trip over Thi Nai Bridge to Nhon Ly Commune. The route to Eo Gio is also stunning and primitive. On the bridge, tourists can take a panoramic view of Thi Nai Lagoon and the peaceful Quy Nhon City. Along the street are deserted white sand dunes which are littered with polar tree lines. Eo Gio is beautiful in its own way with its rock cliffs in varied shapes running to the sea. The mountain holds the sea, the sea plays around the mountain, waves crash onto the shore with the sound of love songs, and in the distance the sea is studded with boats and birds twittering in the sky. Seen from above, Eo Gio looks wild and primitive. As one of the most famous destinations in Quy Nhon, Eo Gio still has untouched beauty. Trekking over the rock cliffs, tourists will hear a natural music show of winds through stone slits in harmony with the sounds of waves and birds.  Then walking along the rock beach, you will discover many small caves and stalactites. Amidthe rocks is a stream that looks like a strip of silk falling over rock. Ham Ho    Ham Ho or ‘Yelling Cellar’ is a downstream part of the Kut River. Visitors will be surprised by the exotic spectacle of two riversides with rolling stones, some upright like a wall, some piled up in heaps, and some sharp as an upright sword. Groves of trees ease the rugged looks of undulating cliffs. There are wonderful rocks which people love most as Flying Fish Stone, Gates of Life and Death, Chess Stone… The name originated from a unique phenomenon that occurs here in the dry season. In a drought year when people wanted rain, there were many strange sounds such as people screaming and praying at this bend of the river. The local people began to call this place Ham Ho, or ‘Yelling Cellar’.  This part of the Kut River is only 1km, but is a lush green all year long with cool streaming waters. Along the riverbanks is a dense forest mixed with high cliffs, dotted by a number of marble outcroppings with varied strange shapes.  There are several stone places that are of particular interest to visitors, such as Chess Stone, Flying Fish Stone, and the Gates of Life and Death, which are also known as the Giant’s Feet. Ham Ho is also famous because it draws a considerable number of fish, especially in the flood season. The local people say that this time of year is the Contest of Fishes organized by the Dragon King (the God that governs lakes, rivers and the ocean). The fish that wins the contest will turn into a dragon, and so Ham Ho is also named Vu Mon.  In addition, fish that come to Ham Ho always swim against the river’s flow and get pushed into the air like flying fish, so that this particular part of the river is also called The Flying Fish. Thi Nai Lagoon    Situated in the northeast of Quy Nhon, Thi Nai is the largest lagoon in Binh Dinh, extending 10km in length and four kilometers in width. It has many kinds of fish. On an islet in the middle of the lagoon is a mount that resembles a temple. Local fishermen have built a pagoda on the mount to worship the god of water.  In early mornings and late evenings the lagoon is covered with a mist that makes it resemble a fairy place.  Ky Co    Ky Co Island has recently been suggested by experienced tour guides as a must-see destination for travelers who want to indulge in serenity. The tranquil island is 25 kilometers north off Quy Nhon city, so tourists can make a one-day visit. There is no house on Ky Co except for several thatched huts of a local company. If tourists do not bring along food, they will leave the island hungry as there is no shop or eatery on the island. Therefore, to prepare for lunch, tourists traveling to the island by boat arranged by local fishermen can ask the latter to take them to a market in Nhon Ly to buy essential items at very low prices. Nhon Ly is home to untouched beaches with smooth sand and surrounded by high cliffs. Visitors can see schools of fish around when they swim in the crystal seawater. They can trek on the island but steep terrain may discourage many from exploring the island. While swimming in the cool seawater, visitors will be captivated by rocks with magnificent shapes and green hills from afar. After a sea bath, they can take a bath with fresh water at bathrooms built on the island by tourist companies at a cost of VND2,000 per person. Admiring the charm and tranquility of Ky Co, many visitors collect garbage and bring it back to mainland in an effort to keep the island clean. Cu Lao Xanh (Green Islet)    Cu Lao Xanh means Green Islet, located in Nhon Chau commune, Quy Nhon city. It is considered a charming pearl on the sea, with amazing green sea water. The island has a total area of over 450 ha, in which mountains and forest cover 75 percent of the area. Despite some difficulties, Cu Lao Xanh has many advantages for growth thanks to sea resources and potential for sea economic development and eco-tourism. The residents on Cu Lao Xanh are scattered, mainly elders and kids, so you will have chance to experience the life of a deserted island. You can join fishing with local people and set up a BBQ party on the beach. There is a lighthouse on the island, which was built in 1890. It is one of the 30 largest lighthouses in Viet Nam.  Yen Island   The picturesque island, which is also called Phuong Mai Peninsula, is famous for its cliffs and caves where birds build nests used in the much-prized health-giving birds’ nest soup. You see the caves, ten thousand years old, and stone cliffs rising vertically from the waves. The floors of the caves are large but strewn with rocks, making it the perfect place for swallows to make their nests. Once inside the caves you will be overawed by the size of the interior. The bird nests are everywhere, strung about in chains. The mothers feed their hungry young and fan them with their wings, while the little ones chirp loudly. The sounds of the birds, the dripping of water and the waves below are wondrous to hear. Ba Mountains   Situated South of Dam Thuy Pond in Phu Cat District, Ba Mountain(also called Pho Chinh Mountains) is considered one of the most magnificent mountains in Binh Dinh.  The whole area of Ba Mountains consists of more than 60 mounts with diverse height and shapes. Ba Mountains recall to many a magnetic and alluring nature picture interspersed with lush valleys and watered by numerous mountain streams.  The combination of all these elements makes the place an ideal location for eco-tourism and adventure travel. Some of the famous spots of Ba Mountains complex are Hang Rai Mount on the South East, Heo Mount on the North East and the highest one Chuong Mount (or Chung Son Mountain) with the height of 900m. Chuong Mount has a unique round shape, which is often visualized as a giant downward bell (In Vietnamese, “Chuong” means bell). Visitors coming here cannot leave without visiting Vong Phu Stones (Waiting for Husband). This natural masterpiece consists of a high stone standing side by side with a smaller one, identical to one adult next to her child. For hundred years, local people have spread to their descendants a sad legend of Vong Phu.  The stones embody a young wife and her son, both of whom waited for the husband for a very long time until they all became rocks. The stones have ever since symbolized Vietnamese women’s fidelity in love and family. Besides the natural-crafted mounts, Ba Mountains also housed numerous historical and cultural traces from Chiem Capital of Cham Kingdom, to Tay Son Revolution and also a crucial army base of Vietnam revolutionaries against French and American colonialists. A visit to Ba Mountain in Binh Dinh will thus offer tourists enriching experience and learning opportunity about Vietnam history and natural wonders.  Nhon Ly Dunes   This Sand Dunes are located next to the beach Nhon Ly on Phuong Mai Peninsula, 20km from Quy Nhon city center. Visitors can start to discover the sand dunes of nearly 100m elevation. On the journey to conquer, you’ll see the wild beauty with the sand seemingly transformed daily and hourly by sea breezes. Ghenh Rang   Ghenh Rang is located Southeast of Binh Dinh, 3km from Quy Nhon City center. It is known for a pristine beach, high mountains, and many rocks with interesting shapes. At the southwest are high mountains that reach the ocean, and from these mounts you can survey great distances of natural beauty: the Lion’s Head rock that leaps to reach the sea; the silent Waiting Statue; the Lying Elephant and Bear rocks that guard the beaches, and Chong Islet which seems to be light, but is stable in heavy storms. On the north east of Ghenh Rang is a blue ocean that covers the white sandbanks with cool water and a stunning view. This is one of the most beautiful beaches in Binh Dinh, and has greeted bathers in search of relaxation for many years. In 1927, Bao Dai, the last king of Vietnam, built a villa where his family could come and relax. He reserved the whole beach for just Queen Nam Phuong, his most beloved wife. It is because of this that the beach is now called Queen Beach.  From the view on the top of the mountain, the beach looks like a large turquoise field filled with jade and granite eggs. And so, apart from “Queen’s Beach”, the local people also call it “Egg Stone” beach. Champa Towers   From Quy Nhon city, travel within a radius of 40 km, tourists can visit most of thevCham towers here. Thirteen towers are arranged in 8 groups, Cham Towers in Binh Dinh Province have a unique architectural heritage. The first tower in the journey to explore is the Twin towers built during the late 12th century, one big and one small, standing close together as couples gravitate. About 300 m from the 1A roadis Banh It towers complex. The layout of the towers here is quite unique and typical of Cham architecture; standing at the door of each tower you can observe the other tower. Canh Tien Tower located alone 500 meters from National Highway 1A, has Binh Dinh style with spears sharp arch, and is simple, robust, with less decorative tower walls. Located on a hill of Tay Binh commune, Tay Son district, Quy Nhon, Duong Long Cham Tower is a complex of three towers.  This is a historical relic that represents the most prosperous time of Cham Pa civilization in the 12th Century.  It is one of the most beautiful Cham Pa Towers in central Vietnam.  Although they have been damaged many times in the past by treasure hunters and the local people, the towers still radiate an impressive beauty.  Duong Long Towers consist of three spires: the central one is 24m high, and the two towers on either side of it are 22m. The attraction of the towers is not only the outstanding height compared to the other Cham Pa buildings in Binh Dinh, but also the carved stone designs which weave throughout the complex.  Duong Long Towers were created by bricks and the corners were connected by stones with huge engraved plates that show sacred Cham Pa animals such as Garuda, Elephant and Eagle.  The main door faces east towards the Sun, and was built using 1.5m tall stones. The upper half of the tower was built by similarly large stones that overlap each other precisely, displaying the ingenuity and skill of the Cham Pa people.  The wall is decorated with the carved images of monks in high-top hats, dancing and singing.  The top of the towers are crowned by lotus petals rising to the sky. Visitor can discover some other towers such as Binh Lam Tower, Thu Thien Tower; Phu Loc Tower…The unique decoration of Cham Towers makes you feel like you are lost in the mystical ancient world of the Cham. Compiled by Pha Le, VNN