Attractions & Things To See In Quy Nhon

Cham towers

Tháp Bánh Ít (Banh It Cham Towers, Silver Towers), Đại Lộc village, Tuy Phước district (halfway between Quy Nhơn and Phù Cát airport). Daily 07:00–11:00 and 13:30–17:00. Tháp Bánh Ít (Banh It Cham Towers) is a cluster of four towers constructed between the 10th and 11th centuries on a hill overlooking a river 17 kilometers (11 miles) northwest of Quy Nhon. It is one of the best large sites of Cham ruins still extant and the most accessible and well-maintained in the countryside. While not as large as ancient ruins like Angkor or Borobudur, the Bánh it site is nonetheless a lovely mixture of rolling farmland hills, a river, and towers, since it was designed by the Cham to be in harmony with the surrounding nature. Despite the fact that the location had nothing to do with silver, early French colonialists called Champa landmarks after minerals, and the term “Silver Towers” is still used in many Western sources. Vietnamese commonly refer to the towers as Bánh Ít, which is also the name of a local speciality sweet cake.
The first tower encountered when approaching from the east is the 13-meter (42-foot) gate. The three bigger towers are located up the hill from the entrance gate. The tallest is 20 meters (65 feet) in height and is adorned with beautiful carvings of humans, birds, flowers, the elephant god Ganesa, and the monkey god Viyu in dance position. The vertical columns and grooved tiles, the use of sandstone for the roof margins, and the false doorways crowned by soaring spear-shaped arches distinguish this architectural style from other Cham ruins. In the late 19th century, French colonialists transported the majority of the monuments from the site to Europe. Copper statues of Genesha, Uma, and Brahma disappeared into the hands of private French collectors in the early 20th century. The most remarkable of the artworks is a statue of a three-eyed Shiva reclining on a lotus from the 11th century that is housed at the Musée Guimet in Paris.
If you’re feeling extremely adventurous, the undeveloped region surrounding the major towers is rife with ancient ruins. Despite the fact that just four complete towers remain, the region once had many more structures; nevertheless, archaeological studies have lacked the means to fully study the grounds. Numerous small parts are concealed in the thicket, and with a little of luck, it is possible to uncover entire corner pieces of some structures, notably to the east of the main site. It is permitted to tour the remains, but it is unlawful to remove, sell, export, or destroy any historical artifacts in Vietnam.
The Bánh Ít location is located immediately east of the intersection of Highways 1A and 19. Halfway between Quy Nhon and Phù Cát airport, it is simple to combine a travel to or from the airport with a visit. As with other locations outside of the city center, driving your own vehicle or motorcycle is the most convenient mode of transportation, allowing you to explore the surrounding countryside at your leisure. A cab from the city to the towers takes 15–30 minutes and costs around 100,000 dong from the city’s north center and up to 200,000 dong from the southwest beachside. Two infrequent bus lines, T4 and T6, depart from the Quang Trung roundabout and Tháp Đôi Towers in the city, leaving you a 20-minute walk from the towers at the intersection of Highway 1A and Highway 19. The bus costs 10,000 dong, but if you’re in a hurry, you’re better off taking a taxi: the bus timetable is erratic, and scheduled buses frequently fail to materialize.
The airport shuttle bus is another alternative for transportation, as it handles both incoming and leaving planes. The airport shuttle bus runs south on Highway 1A from the airport. The bus may be flagged down from the west side of the road. If there is room on the shuttle, the driver will pick you up from the towers and transport you to the city for 25,000 dong. The entrance fee to the towers is 10,000 dong, and parking is 5,000 dong; however, the location is rarely visited, and it is possible to enter without seeing anybody or being asked for money.
Tháp Dương Long (Duong Long Cham Towers) (50 km (30 mi) northwest from Quy Nhơn). Daily 07:00–11:00 and 13:30–17:00. Three Cham towers constructed in the late 12th century, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Quy Nhon. These towers are the tallest Cham constructions still standing in Vietnam: the central tower is 24 m (78 ft) tall, and the two outside towers are each 22 m (72 ft) tall (72 ft). The towers’ bodies are constructed from bricks, while their bases are constructed from enormous cut stones. Flowers, gods, elephants, enormous human breasts, and dragons are carved into the bases, providing a look into the old Cham society. The towers once stood in the heart of a municipal area, which is now only visible in scattered ruins and artifacts on the surrounding grounds. The location feels desolate and wild. Late in the twenty-first century, funding for preservation and repair was slashed, and save the odd appearance of a caretaker, the site is completely deserted and you will likely be alone as you explore the region. The site has no information.
Renting a motorcycle is the cheapest and most convenient mode of transportation. Taxis from the city cost between 500,000 and 600,000 dong every trip. There is no bus available. The towers can be paired with a 10-kilometer-westward excursion to the Quang Trung museum. When the caretaker is present and awake, the entrance fee is 3,000 dong.
Tháp Đôi Cham Towers (Thap Doi Cham Towers, “The Twin Towers”), Trần Hưng Đạo (between Đặng Xuân Phong and Tháp Đôi). Daily 08:00–11:00 and 13:00–18:00. The Tháp Đôi are the most accessible Cham towers in the nation, being only 2 kilometers from the city center. In the 11th century, after establishing Vijaya as the seat of their kingdom and Quy Nhơn as its economic engine, the Hindu Cham people began building on the two 20-meter (65-foot) towers. Due to unclear causes, just two towers were constructed, and the Vietnamese began to refer to the place as Tháp Đôi (“The Twin Towers”). In a departure from typical Cham design, the Twin Towers have a wide rectangular foundation topped with a carved pyramid structure. The towers were constructed from brick in the traditional Cham method, in which parts were tiled together snugly and then baked into a single block, with the uncommon addition of crushed stone for support. The outside structure and sculptures were composed of sandstone. The constant interchange between Champa and the Khmer kingdom, in both peace and conflict, resulted in a great deal of artistic and architectural resemblance to Angkor structures in modern-day Cambodia. After relocating their capital to Bình Định, the Cham acquired complex and artistic animal statues and carvings that distinguish the later Cham era. The sacred bird Garuda perches atop the vegetation-covered roofs, guarding the towers against evil powers, while below are intricate carvings of gigantic lotus bases, elephants, lions, monkeys, and dancing humans. The towers were restored in the 1980s and 1990s with the assistance of a Polish archaeological team, and the area surrounding them has been developed into a small park, with trees and grass surrounding the archaeological site and shielding it from the traffic outside (ironically, one of the noisiest stretches of road in the entire city is Trần Hưng Đạo street, which is directly in front of the towers). The area immediately to the north of the towers is a beautiful, peaceful residential area on the riverbanks with a few of local cafés and eateries. As of 2019, admission costs 20,000 dong each person. Unlike the Cham towers in the countryside, ticket collectors at Tháp Đôi are constantly there and awake, so you will be compelled to pay admission.

Buddhist temples

Chùa Hiển Nam, 3 Trần Thị Kỷ (between Diên Hồng and Hàm Nghi), +84 56 352 0888. Medium-sized Buddhist temple a four-minute walk from Coopmart just west of Nguyễn Tất Thành Street. Several of the buildings and statues are under re-construction in 2016, but the grounds and temple are open to visitors daily from morning to evening.
Chùa Long Khánh, 141 Trần Cao Vân (main entrance between Tăng Bạt Hổ and Phan Bội Châu). Large and very important Buddhist temple in Quy Nhơn city and Bình Định province. The temple was first constructed in the early 1700s, but nothing of the original structure remains. The current main building was erected in 1956, and the Buddha statue and lotus pond were completed in 1972. The 1.7 m (5.6 ft) high, 700 kg (1,500 lb) bell was believed to have been cast in 1805. Inside is a statue of Avalokiteśvara, the embodiment of infinite compassion of all Buddhas, who uses his thousand arms to reach out to help the suffering masses. To the side of the temple is a 17 m (56 ft) bluestone statue of Amitābha (Vietnamese: A-di-đà), the celestial Buddha, resting upon a 5 m (16 ft) lotus base. Entrance is free every day from early morning until late evening.
Chùa Minh Tịnh, 35 Hàm Nghi (between Võ Lai and Ngô Mây). Large and active Mahayana Buddhist pagoda complex in the city centre a 10-minute walk west from Coopmart. Founded in 1917 outside the city, it was moved in the 1960s to its current location in order to make room for the expansion of the airport during the Vietnam-American war. The well-maintained temple, which is surrounded by a spacious and peaceful grounds with many colourful statues, is an active and working centre of spiritual studies, community outreach, charity activities. Visitors welcome daily from morning to evening.
Chùa Phổ Minh, Lê Thanh Nghị (northern side of riverside quay, 50 m (160 ft) east of the bridge). Impressive and little-visited Buddhist temple of 800 m² (8,600 ft²) set on tranquil riverside grounds of 1,800 m² (19,000 ft²). Work began on the site in 2011. Soon after, five workers were gravely injured in a major accident when the concrete and steel of the third floor collapsed. Construction was suspended, but with the prayers of the monks and the enthusiastic support of the injured workers, the community overcame its grief and the temple was finished in 2013.
Chùa Tâm Ấn Tự, 58 Ngô Quyền (entrance at southwest corner with Tăng Bạt Hổ). Active Mahayana Buddist temple on a tranquil 2,000 m² (21,000 ft²) site. A small hut on the grounds began serving as a spiritual home for monks in the 1920s, but was destroyed during war activities in the 1940s. The temple was restarted under new spiritual advisers in 1955, and the structure was built out very, very slowly. After 40 years of glacial progress, construction on the current temple picked up pace in the 1990s and was finished in 1995. The well-maintained temple boasts a 150-kg (330-lb) bell. Open to visitors daily from morning to evening.
Chùa Tịnh xá Ngọc Nhơn, 999 Trần Hưng Đạo (100 m (330 ft) west of busy intersection with Đống Đa). Buddhist temple in the northwest of the city. Nestled amidst the trees and set back against the mountain, the temple’s 2,500 m² (27,000 ft²) grounds are a surprisingly peaceful contrast to the bustle of the heavily-trafficked street outside. It was built in 1959, and was restored from 1995 to 1999. Open to visitors daily from morning to evening.
Chùa Trúc Lâm, 512 Trần Hưng Đạo (at corner of Đoàn Thị Điểm), +84 56 381-2577. Well-maintained six-storey Buddhist temple in the northern end of the city centre. Open to visitors daily from morning to evening.
Tượng Phật đôi, Eo Gió, Nhơn Lý (from Quy Nhơn city centre, follow directions to Phương Mai Peninsula; once on the peninsula, the statue is off Highway 19B at Bãi Kỳ Co cove on the south-central east coast). Towering above the ocean on the Phương Mai Peninsula, this 30-m (100-ft) golden Avalokiteśvara, the embodiment of infinite compassion of all Buddhas, is the tallest Buddha statue in Vietnam. Constructed in 2014, the base is designed to hold the ashes of 8,000 local families.

Christian churches

Giáo xứ Hòa Ninh, 128 Nguyễn Huế (near intersection with Phạm Ngọc Thạch).
Ghềnh Ráng Church, 21 Tây Sơn (near intersection with Mai Hắc Đế). edit
Quy Nhơn Cathedral (Nhà thờ chính tòa Quy Nhơn), 122 Trần Hưng Đạo (near junction with Lê Thánh Tông), +84 56 382 3017. First built as a local parish in 1892, the church underwent a massive expansion in the 1930s when it became the seat of the regional Catholic Diocese. The 47-m (155-ft) spire houses a 1,800-kg (2-ton) bell donated in 1962 in Catholic outreach efforts by the predominantly Polish congregation of St. Pancratius Church of Chicago. During the war years in the 1960s, the Quy Nhơn Cathedral served as a refuge for displaced locals, and as a place of worship for American soldiers.
Quy Nhơn Evangelical Church (Chi Hội Quy Nhơn), 71 Hai Bà Trưng (10 m (33 ft) west of intersection with Lê Lợi), +84 56 382 4791