Shopping in Quy Nhon
Quy Nhơn is hardly a heaven for shopping.
There is a Coopmart supermarket in the city’s core, as well as a Big C hypermarket and a Metro discount shop in an underdeveloped region to the southwest. The end of large retailers.
Aside from these, Quy Nhơn has essentially no chain stores, unlike larger Vietnamese cities. There are no convenience stores, such as Shop&Go or Family Mart. No department shops exist. And multinational businesses with operations in Vietnam, such as Gap, Nike, and Mango, have no idea the city exists.
The bulk of the city’s shops, cafés, restaurants, and inns are run from private residences. Whatever you purchase—clothes, phones, motorcycle helmets, beverages, or sports equipment—it is probable that the family selling it to you lives on the floors above the store.
In most Vietnamese cities, the afternoon nap has died out, yet it still reigns supreme in quiet Quy Nhơn. The majority of companies, including all banks, the majority of offices and retail establishments, and a surprisingly high proportion of cafés, close for several hours in the afternoon. The exact hours vary by business, and many of the more local establishments don’t have set hours anyway, but as a general rule, most businesses open in the morning around 08:00, close for a lengthy lunch break from 11:00 or 11:30 am until some time between 14:00 and 15:00 pm, and reopen in the late afternoon until 20:00 pm.
Money
Most local businesses in Quy Nhn only accept cash payments. Hotels with a higher budget accept credit cards, while practically all hotels with a low or moderate budget only take cash. Very few retailers, restaurants, and cafés accept credit and debit cards.
There are ATMs located all across the city. Most accept international credit cards without difficulty. The maximum withdrawal restriction ranges from 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 dong each withdrawal, depending on the bank.
The biggest concentration of ATMs is found just north of the Coopmart on Trần Thị Kỷ between Nguyễn Tất Thành and Lê Duẩn streets. Six banks offer ATMs within a short distance from each other: Techcom, VietinBank, Agribank, Dong A Bank, ACB, Maritime Bank.
There are various bank branches in the city that exchange U.S. currencies. The bills must be relatively recent and in good form; banknotes that are slightly weathered or older than ten years are frequently rejected. No passport required.
Some bank locations may be able to convert euros, British pounds, and Australian dollars, but it’s a bit of a gamble, and fresh, unblemished U.S. dollars will create less issues.
Several gold and jewelry stores in the central business district may also exchange dollars rapidly and often at somewhat better rates than banks. Additionally, they are more ready to take older or worn banknotes, but at a reduced rate.
Stores
- An Phú Thịnh Plaza (entire block of Trần Quý Cáp between Trần Hưng Đạo and Phan Bội Châu). Multi-storey shopping centre in east of city. Low-cost semipermanent stores selling local and imported (mostly from China) clothing, bags, and home goods. Some gadgets.
- Big C, Kim Cúc Plaza, Quốc Lộ 1D, P. Ghềnh Ráng (north of Metro, opposite the intersection of Tây Sơn and Chương Dương streets). The Quy Nhon location of Thailand’s Big C hypermarket is located off Highway 1D between the Metro bulk store and the bus terminal in a sparsely inhabited region at the foot of the mountains. Provides home items, clothing, and dry meals. The colossal structure, which was inaugurated in 2014 amid considerable hoopla for its innovative green technology, is composed of glass and white aluminum and resembles a big QR barcode.
- Coopmart, 7 Le Duan (main entrance on Nguyễn Tất Thành between Trần Thị Kỷ and Vũ Bão streets). Daily from 08:00–20:00 with no lunch break. Coopmart, which opened in 2003, is the sole supermarket in the city. Provides home items, apparel, and both fresh and packaged food. Compared to Coopmart locations in larger Vietnamese cities, the Quy Nhn location features substantially less fresh food items and far longer check-out queues. The store is the cornerstone of a local-style retail center that encompasses an entire square block and includes a smartphone store, local clothing vendors, KFC, a Bánh M t sandwich restaurant, and a small amusement park and entertainment venue. Back of the amusement center, behind the water-ship attraction, there are public restrooms accessible for 2,000 dong each visit.
- Metro Cash & Carry, Quốc lộ 1D, P. Ghềnh Ráng (south of Big C, opposite the intersection of Tây Sơn and Chương Dương). The Quy Nhơn branch of the German-born, Self-service bulk wholesaler operated by Thais The Metro station is located off of Highway 1D in a sparsely inhabited region at the foot of the mountain in the city’s extreme south. The yellow-on-blue Metro sign is visible from kilometers away and acts as a guide for local motorists.
- Tan Phát, 2a Lý Thường Kiệt, +84 91 412-3133. Small store selling imported Hennessy and Belvedere.
- Thể Duc Thể Thao, 124 Lê Hồng Phong. One of several exercise and fitness store in a one-block area. Sports equipment, athletic apparel, tennis rackets. This block of Lê Hồng Phong is the most convenient—and only—location within a few hundred kilometres to find specialty sports paraphernalia.
- Văn Hưng, 158 Ngô Mây, +84 56 352-3802. Stylish little store selling imported alcohols, principally whiskies such as Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker.
- Vĩnh Thụy, 99 Lý Thường Kiệt (between Phó Đức Chính and Trần Phú streets), +84 56 381-1220. One of the only local stores offering a large selection of domestic and imported alcohols.
Markets
- Central Market, Tôn Đức Thắng street (between Nguyễn Công Trứ and Trường Chinh streets [the name of the street Trường Chinh changes to Tăng Bạt Hổ at the roundabout corner of Tôn Đức Thắng]). Large market in the centre. Consists of a wide area partially covered by tarpaulins between Tôn c Thng and Lng nh Ca streets, as well as merchants, primarily women, selling fresh fruits and vegetables from blankets on both sides of Tôn c Thng street. Mangoes, dragonfruit, pineapples, cherimoya, pomelo, coconuts, etc. Unrefrigerated beef, pig, fish, and crabs. Fresh blossoms. Mornings are peak hours, however some sellers are open 24 hours a day.
- Covered market Chợ Đầm, Hoàng Hoa Thám street (between Nguyễn Chánh and Hoàng Quốc Việt streets). One of Quy Nhon’s largest and most diverse outdoor marketplaces. In the city’s northern core. Fruits and vegetables, freshly sliced and unrefrigerated chicken and meat. Shellfish. Chickens and fish are alive. Products containing fireworks Incense. Numerous wandering sellers on the neighboring side streets use portable charcoal grills to cook bánh xèo. Open from the wee hours of the morning till dusk
- Fish market, Phạm Ngọc Thạch (between Tô Vĩnh Diện and Nguyễn Huế [the name of the street changes from Phạm Ngọc Thạch to Phan Đăng Lưu at the corner of Nguyễn Huế]). Outdoor fish market. Vendors, primarily women, sell freshly caught fish, shellfish, snails, crabs, lobsters, and oysters from blankets placed on both sides of the street while seated on low plastic chairs. Typically open early in the morning and late in the afternoon, although the vendors set their own hours and come and go based on their fish supply.
- Indoor/outdoor market, centred around Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and Vũ Bão. Largest covered food market in the centre of Quy Nhơn. Next to the Minh Tịnh temple and a 10-minute walk west from the Coopmart. In the area surrounded by Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Võ Lai, Hàm Nghi and Vũ Bão, the market includes a vast indoor space housed in a formal building, as well as an outdoor section on Nguyen Th Minh Khai and neighboring streets where sellers sell from blankets put out on the sidewalk. Produce, unrefrigerated meats and seafood, tofu, and legumes. The market also features a significant portion of merchants selling uncooked noodles, including string-noodles and double-noodles, which are province specialty.
