VIETNAM BY THE SEASIDE

Corey Baudinette explores the rugged beauty of Vietnam’s central coast and the French colonial port towns that come alive for the Full Moon Lantern Festival.

Icould easily imagine Hemingway setting his classic novella, The Old Man and The Sea, right here in Quy Nhon. This sleepy, seemingly undiscovered fishing town on the south central coast of Vietnam has escaped the development and tourism of much of Southeast Asia.

From the balcony of my beachfront suite at the newly renovated AVANI Quy Nhon Resort & Spa, the view is postcard-perfect. Past the private beach and rugged headland is a scattering of handwoven basket boats used by fisherman for over a century; beyond these, small islands dot the horizon.

It’s quiet here. The laidback township beats to a slow and calm rhythm and I sense a real connection to the ancient Champa history of the region. Binh Dinh province – of which Quy Nhon is the capital – was the nucleus of the lost Cham civilisation. Venerable relics of the kingdom that dominated Vietnam’s centre and south between the second and 15th centuries pepper the hillsides and valleys in and around Quy Nhon. Beachfront chill The resort sits high on the rocky headland overlooking the bay and palmfringed beach. The bar and infinity pool are perfectly placed for an afternoon of relaxation, reflection and perhaps a few more chapters of Hemingway.

Early evening is the perfect time to stroll a few hundred metres down the beach, before turning left and climbing up a short hidden pathway to the AVANI Spa. The locally inspired open-air design of the ridge-top spa allows guests to completely relax among birdsong and jungle green and the sheer drapes that flow in the warm afternoon breeze. The treatment I choose is refreshing and invigorating and has me floating back down the jungle path and ready for dinner on the beach.

Quy Nhon is a seafood-lover’s paradise. This much is evident as I arrive at dinner, set on the golden sand and lit only by traditional lanterns and the moon above, all just metres from waves lapping the shore. Crabs, scallops and prawns are in abundance,