The narrow coastal
strip between the Truong Son mountains and the South China sea from
Da Nang to Nha Trang, 540km to the south, is trimmed with many of
Vietnam’s best beaches. Both the Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City railway
and Highway 1 hug the coast for much of the journey, providing more
or less continuous views of rocky headlands, sandy coves and atolls,
and small fishing villages.
About 130km south of
Da Nang is Quang Ngai Province and town. Close by is the village of
Son My, site of what came to be known as the My Lai massacre, the
worst war crime committed by the Americans in Vietnam. Heavily armed
infantry, supported by helicopter gunships, committed appalling
atrocities in all four of My Son’s hamlets, one of which was My Lai.
Qui Nhon:
From the year 1000 AD,
Vijaya was the capital of the Cham people after Vietnamese attrition
forced them to abandon Indrapura, their capital near My Son in what
is today called Dong Duong. In 1471, after centuries of attacks by
Vietnam and the Khmer Empire, Vijaya was overrun by a Vietnamese
army, and the once mighty Cham Kingdom collapsed into obscurity.
Song Cau and Tuy Hoa:
Song Cau, about 45km
south from Qui Nhon, is a small village on the shores of a large bay
with several secluded beaches. The scenery is very attractive, and
boat trips are possible. About 100km north of Nha Trang, Tuy Hoa
town is a large, sleepy backwater beside Highway 1. It has a couple
of reasonable hotels, and a long tree-lined beach that is usually
deserted during the day in summer.
Nha Trang:
Nha Trang itself is a
large resort centre with a good beach, plenty of hotels and
restaurants, an airport and a large archipelago of islands in a
large bay. It is a good centre for a more traditional beach holiday
and easily reached by air and rail from Ho Chi Minh City, 450km to
the south.
