small fishing village not touristy please!
Replies: 10 - Last Post: Feb 2, 2013 10:59 PM Last Post By: mooslie
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small fishing village not touristy please!
I'm currently in Hoi An, planning to make my way south to Saigon... looking for a non-touristy stopover at a beach. I have had Dong Hoi and Hoi Nong (sp?) recommended to me... but want some more input. I have found it very hard to get off the beaten path in Vietnam. Hotel and tour offices have been very unhelpful, seem to want me to believe ít impossible to go somewhere other than the usual places, on the open bus tour.... it is very frustrating. Maybe i am asking too much, but what I'm envisioning is a little fishing village where I can sit on the beach and watch brightly colored fishing boats, like you see in postcards (but even that is ephemeral... I can't find that particular postcard with the amazing VERY bright colored boats again so that I can even show people what I'm talking about!) and where the locals will talk to me about something other than buying their merchandise.... someone I met had an experience in Dong Hoi where a local fisherman taught him how to fish and they had a meal together... that's exactly the kind of thing I want. If the place has basic accomodation, that's good enough for me, and I can eat in local restaurants, street food, whatever. Any thoughts?4
Getting off the beaten path travelling along the coast of Viet Nam can be difficult.5
I like Dong Hoi but it is hardly a village and it is mostly modern(ish) following a hammering during the war.That said it is a pleasant place with a good market alongside the harbour and the walks along the river are bracing and photogenic including the gateway of the old citadel and the burnt out church remains. It is also a good base for the caves inland.
6
In Danang at the moment which is touristy but not as bad as Hue or Hoi An. Took a bike and rode over the Hai Van Pass yesterday to a beach called Lang Co which had no tourists, lots of fishing boats and plenty of long empty stretches of beach.9
Thank you all so much for your thoughts (and very sorry for the late reply). I ended up finding my Vietnamese Shangri-La, and taking my postcard pictures, in Qui Nhon and a small fishing village just outside of it (forget the name, but the staff at Barbara's Backpacker's in Qui Nhon can help you find it if you're interested). Qui Nhon is between Hoi An and Nha Trang, you need to take a local bus to get there, but my hotel in Hoi An was able to arrange that for me easily. These are really off the beaten track and great places... locals constantly saying "hello" and excited to see a foreigner, and I was befriended by a couple university students who showed me around. No one tries to sell you anything. Paradise.
