Discover Thi Nai lagoon - the precious gem of Binh Dinh province

Thi Nai lagoon is located in Quy Nhon city, Tuy Phuoc district and Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh province. It has an area of over 5000 hectares and is considered the largest saltwater lagoon in Binh Dinh province. Vietnam Impressive Travel

This place is 16km long - home to a diverse flora and fauna system. You can freely explore the mangrove forest with hundreds of species of shrimp, crab, fish, marine life... Thi Nai Lagoon is considered a masterpiece of natural beauty. People come to Thi Nai Lagoon not only to explore a diverse nature but also to learn about the beauty of the history and people of Binh Dinh.

How to get to Thi Nai lagoon

From Quy Nhon city, you go along National Highway 19 about 5km to reach Phuoc Thuan commune, Tuy Phuoc district. From here, go a few more kilometers until you pass the gate of Tan Thuan cultural village to reach the fishing village on the bank of Thi Nai lagoon. Because Thi Nai bridge has just been built and put into operation, the way here is very convenient.

Attractive things to do at Thi Nai Lagoon

Explore the landscape of Thi Nai Lagoon

No matter what time of year you come here, you will always see a picturesque natural landscape. In the early morning, the lagoon has a magical scene because of the sunlight reflecting on the lake surface. In the afternoon, the purple-red sunset reflects on the water, making this place look like a strangely magical fairyland.

Don’t forget to explore Con Chim Ecological Area located next to the lagoon. This place is considered the green lung of Quy Nhon town, with an area of up to 1000 hectares and is home to hundreds of strange bird species.

Visit Thay Boi tower

Going to the west bank of Thi Nai Lagoon is Thay Boi (Fortune teller) tower. This sacred place is associated with an ancient legend of the local people. They told each other about a fortune teller who came here to build a tower and practice his profession. He was so good at fortune telling that people had to line up their boats to wait to have their fortune told.

After his death, the tower was also destroyed in a storm and flood. Later, people built a small temple to worship the water god and remember the good teacher.

Take a photo at Thi Nai Bridge 

Thi Nai Bridge is located across the lagoon. This bridge is known as the longest sea-crossing bridge in Vietnam. The bridge is over 2,400m long and has 54 connecting spans. This is an important trade route between Quy Nhon and Phuong Mai peninsula. Standing on Thi Nai Bridge, you will be able to admire the vast waves and the entire beautiful landscape of the lagoon.

Thi Nai Bridge is also a beautiful photo shoot location in Quy Nhon for couples to make their wedding album. Don't forget to check-in a few photos to commemorate here!

Tourist attractions near Thi Nai Lagoon

Phuong Mai sand hill 

Near Thi Nai Lagoon, there is an equally famous place for you to visit, which is Phuong Mai sand hill . The sand hill is about 100m high. Therefore, when you climb to the top, you can admire the beautiful panoramic view of Phuong Mai peninsula from above. Not only is it a familiar check-in location for many young people, Phuong Mai sand hill also has an equally interesting sand sliding activity!

Explore Phuong Mai peninsula

Phuong Mai Peninsula (also known as Nhon Hoi Economic Zone) is a hot tourist destination in Quy Nhon. The peninsula is over 1,300 hectares wide and not only has a diverse ecosystem but also famous beaches such as Nhon Hai Beach, Nhon Ly Beach, Cat Tien Beach... You can freely experience swimming, eco-tourism, resorts... here.

Hon Seo island

Hon Seo is a pristine island on Phuong Mai peninsula. Hon Seo is only over 1km wide but extremely beautiful because of nature and no human intervention. Coming to Hon Seo to explore the diverse coral system, stroll on the rocky cliffs, catch sea urchins or camp overnight is wonderful.

What to eat in Thi Nai?

Thi Nai Lagoon, Quy Nhon is famous for its seafood and delicious dishes made from fish and snails that are taken from the lagoon. Some delicious dishes you can try are: jellyfish salad with shrimp paste, jellyfish broth, steamed clams, sea urchins, shrimp noodle soup, steamed mackerel, mackerel soup... Every dish is fresh and delicious and prepared according to the very unique recipe of Binh Dinh people.

However, there are not many restaurants around Thi Nai Lagoon. If you want to enjoy delicious seafood, go to the restaurants near Nhon Ly area!

Some restaurants for you to enjoy seafood:

- Huong Duong Quan: main road in Eo Gio Ky Co area, Nhon Ly Commune, Quy Nhon

- Moc Vien restaurant: Ly Luong village, Nhon Ly commune,  Quy Nhon

- Hoang Thao restaurant: Eo Gio, Nhon Ly Commune, Quy Nhon

Source: https://impressivevietnamtravel.com/blog/visit-beautiful-thi-nai-lagoon-in-binh-dinh.html

Cat Hai island, interesting destination in northeast Vietnam

Cat Hai island, Hai Phong City, is one of two towns in Cat Hai District. This island is very vulnerable to erosion and tidal erosion, with an area of about 40 square kilometers, running along the East Sea coast. To cope with this situation, a 2,048-meter-long breakwater has been built and a total of 10 kilometers of dike road serving to block waves and sand. Asiatica Travel Vietnam

Cat Hai Island is considered a beautiful tourist destination, with scale and potential for tourism development. From a breakwater construction, this place is gradually becoming an attractive destination for tourists, especially young people who love to explore.

Cat Hai not only attracts visitors by its natural beauty but also captivates them by the beauty of tradition, with long-standing festivals. Coming to Cat Hai you will have the opportunity to participate in the boat racing festival. This festival takes place on 21st day of the first lunar month every year, when people go to sea to pray to Nam Hai Dai Vuong - the god who protects the sea, to hope for a year of favorable weather, bringing prosperity in catching seafood.

Best time to visit Cat Hai island

Cat Hai is an island with a cool and temperate climate. Spring has light winds, little rain and lots of sunshine, with quite warm weather. From May to June is the time when the south wind is strong. Around July and August every year, there is often a lot of rain and storms. The last months of the year such as September and October are the time of heavy rain and dense fog.

According to experience, the best time to travel to Cat Hai is from February to June. At this time, the air is very pleasant, the sunlight is not too strong and there is no rain or fog, creating favorable conditions for outdoor activities. If you want to take pictures, you should come around dawn and dusk during the day.

How to get there

To get to Cat Hai Island, you first need to travel to Hai Phong city. You can choose from many means of transport: plane, train or car,... depending on your departure point. If you use a bus from Hanoi, you can go to Giap Bat or Nuoc Ngam bus station to buy a ticket, the travel time is about more than 1 hour. Trains are also a suitable means of transport to Hai Phong before going to Cat Hai, fares range from 70,000 VND - 100,000 VND/person.

After arriving in Hai Phong, you need to go one more stop to Cat Hai island district and then continue to Cat Hai island. When arriving at this island, you have 2 options to travel: go directly by your own motorbike or take a motorbike taxi. The place to catch a bus to the island is Lach Huyen port, not too far from the center of Hai Phong city.

The route to travel by motorbike directly to the island is: from Hai Phong city center, go along Highway 5, pass Dinh Vu and Mac Thai To streets, then go to Lach Huyen bridge. When crossing the bridge, you will see a sign showing the way to Lach Huyen port, turn right and continue along the trail for a short distance to reach the island, this is the fastest and easiest route for those who are not good at finding their way, and it is not too difficult.

Interesting things to do at Cat Hai island

1. Super beautiful scenery for photography

Cat Hai Island impresses visitors with its unique and novel landscape, especially when viewed from above. When you set foot here, you will experience a large open space with a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. This is a place where the blue of the sky and the ocean blend together, the gentle sound of the waves seems to bring visitors into a very peaceful and quiet space.

When the tide recedes, Cat Hai island appears very special and impressive beauty. The perfect combination of sea, sky and the last rays of sunlight of the day. That beautiful scene, perhaps taking a few check-in photos is still not enough to describe all that you see right before your eyes.

 2. Take photos at the famous breakwater

When visiting Cat Hai Island, the breakwater is a stop not to be missed. This is a 2,500m long dike, built to prevent seawater from flooding Lach Huyen estuary and help ships enter and exit the port more conveniently. With its unique architecture, the breakwater on Cat Hai Island is increasingly becoming a favorite destination for those who love to explore and check-in in this port town.

3. Visit spiritual tourist attractions

There are many architectural works reflecting the cultural diversity here. In particular, the communal houses, pagodas, temples, shrines here were built hundreds of years ago. Among them, Hoa Hy Pagoda (Kim Lien Tu) from 1625 and Don Luong Communal House built from the Later Le Dynasty (1663) are ancient relics that you must definitely visit.

These architectural works are also the place where many cultural and religious activities typical of the island take place. If you come here in January, you have the opportunity to participate in special festivals such as: Horse-pulling festival, Rowing festival,... with many interesting activities. Contributing to creating more attractiveness for tourism of this island with visitors from everywhere.

What to eat when traveling to Cat Hai island?

When coming here, people always look forward to enjoying local cuisine. In addition to the beautiful scenery, the following specialties of this island will also make you so fascinated that you "forget the way home":

- Crab spring rolls: 

This is a famous specialty of Hai Phong city and is one of the dishes not to be missed when traveling to Cat Hai. To make a delicious spring roll, the crab must be fresh crab caught from the sea of Cat Hai, Do Son or Bach Long Vi. Fresh crab combined with pork, wood ear, carrots, bean sprouts, ... creates a rich and delicious flavor that is hard to resist.

- Cat Hai lobster:

Also known as dragon lobster, a seafood with high nutritional value. The lobster meat is rich, fatty and rich in protein, and can be processed into many delicious dishes. When you come here, you cannot miss the opportunity to enjoy unique dishes such as: lobster rolled with raw vegetables, lobster stewed with shiitake mushrooms, lobster stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, grilled lobster with scallion oil, or delicious lobster with egg sauce,...

Sleeping in Cat Hai island

People often choose to stay at motels and hotels in the district center when coming to the island. Accommodation in Cat Hai district is very suitable for tourists to visit many nearby places such as Cat Ba island, Lan Ha bay. Traveling to Cat Hai island, below is a list of quality hotels you can consider:

- Cat Ba Eco Lodge

Address: Xuan Dam, Cat Hai district, Hai Phong.

Price from: 1,000,000 VND/night.

- Sea Pearl Cat Ba Hotel

Address: 219 1/4 Street, Cat Ba Town, Cat Hai, Hai Phong.

Price from: 2,000,000 VND/night.

Some notes when traveling to Cat Hai island

- To ensure safety, everyone should avoid going to the island at high tide. At this time, most of the breakwater will be submerged in water, the remaining part will be wet and covered with moss, making it very slippery and easy to fall. 

- The road to the island is also quite small, only enough space for 1-2 motorbikes, so walking will be much more convenient. 

Although not as famous as Cat Ba, Cat Hai Island still deserves a place in your travel notebook if you have the opportunity to visit Hai Phong. Hopefully, the experience of traveling to Cat Hai Island shared above will be really useful for you on your upcoming trip.

Source: https://asiaticatravel.com/travellers-eyes/visit-beautiful-cat-hai-island-in-hai-phong.asp