The history of QuiNhon. “Qui Nhon's origins lie in the Cham migration south, at the start of the eleventh century, under pressure from the Vietnamese to the north. They named the empire they established in the area Vijaya (“Victory”); it's epicentre was the citadel of Cha Ban...and Qui Nhon – then known as Sri Bonai – developed into its thriving commercial centre. Centuries later, the Tay Son Rebellion boiled over in this neck of the woods. During the American War the city served as a US port and supply centre, and was engorged by refugees from the vicious bombing meted out to the surrounding countryside. Yet for all its historical resonance, there's nothing here to set pulses racing and, unless you've developed and inordinate interest in Cham towers, you'll only be here to refuel and sleep” [Attribution: The Rough Guide: Vietnam 2006 pp284-6]. Only to what! Good. Encourage them to move on quickly. To Nga Trang. Or Hoi An. The sooner the better! But, if like me, you just like a good, clean beach, friendly townsfolk, fresh and inexpensive seafood, and a great relaxed atmosphere with few tourists and the associated hype...stick around and enjoy.
On the town's beach. “The strand of beach in front of the Qui Nhon Hotel is the most popular in town; fairlywide, and passable clean, it still doesn't see many tourists, so you can expect your presence to draw a crowd...With the opening of the road south along the coast, previously inaccessible beaches will likely be opened up for tourism – keep track of the latest situation at Barbara's Backpackers”. [Attribution: The Rough Guide: Vietnam 2006:287].
July 31. A Saturday. You already knew that Barbara's a Kiwi. But what you didn't already know is that she's like you, an ex-New Zealand Volunteer Service Abroad volunteer. So we're amiably chatting about VSA people. People you haven't given a second thought to in a long time. Even though you shared a long time and a lot of memorable experiences with them...in Papua New Guinea that is. Where the wanderlust kicked in and took over your life. You weren't aware that there's a VSA office in town. Not that you got round to paying a visit! Barbara's OK. A laid back business woman these days. She's been living in Qui Nhon for something like 16 years now. And after wandering around for a few days you can appreciate why. Very nice place QuiNhon!