Quy Nhon to Phu Yen: A 5-Day Vietnam Itinerary on the QL1D Coast

The entry document comes first: Vietnam's 90-day e-visa costs US$25 for single entry or US$50 for multiple entry through evisa.gov.vn, and you apply before you book anything refundable. Some passports qualify for 45-day visa-free stays, but the nationality list changed through 2025, so check the 2026 version rather than working from an older guide. The e-visa is single or multiple entry across 90 days, which covers this route from Quy Nhon in Binh Dinh to Tuy Hoa in Phu Yen.

Fly open-jaw. Phu Cat (UIH, Quy Nhon) is 1h45 from Hanoi and 1h10 from HCMC. Tuy Hoa (TBB, Phu Yen) is 1h40 from Hanoi and 1h from HCMC. Fly into UIH and out of TBB and you skip a 90 km backtrack along QL1D. Book domestic flights 3-6 weeks out. Tet 2026 falls on 17 Feb, when transport and restaurant closures surge, so book 4-6 weeks ahead for travel around that date. Confirm the 2026 timetable with the airline before you lock hotel dates.

Rail works too if you prefer it. The Reunification Express stops at Dieu Tri (12 km from Quy Nhon) and at Tuy Hoa. HCMC is 11-12h, Da Nang 6h, Hanoi 19-20h. Book at vietnamrailway.vn, where tickets typically open about 60 days out. Rail reliability varies, so hold a bus fallback: limousine and sleeper buses (FUTA/Phuong Trang, Phuc An) run Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa hourly, about 2h, 120,000-200,000 VND. Grab is patchy outside the Quy Nhon and Tuy Hoa centres, so pre-book Mai Linh or a hotel transfer for the Dieu Tri leg. For Tet travel, buy the moment the 60-day window opens.

## When to go and daily costs on the QL1D coast

February through August is the dry window on the QL1D coast between Quy Nhon and Tuy Hoa, with calm sea and the clearest days of the year. Outside it, the Ky Co speedboat from Nhon Ly, which leaves around 7:30-8:00, becomes weather-dependent: the 300,000-400,000 VND return ticket and the 550,000-750,000 VND tour both get cancelled when the swell is up. If seas are rough, swap Ky Co for Hon Kho or a Quy Nhon day.

Avoid October through December. Storms and flooding hit Phu Yen and Quy Nhon hardest in late October and November, and coastal roads can be cut. Tet 2026 falls on 17 February, when transport and restaurant closures surge, so book seats and tables 4-6 weeks ahead. Book domestic flights 3-6 weeks out, and note that a 4-day version of this Vietnam itinerary drops Day 5 entirely.

Mid-range spending runs 1,500,000-2,500,000 VND per person per day. Hotels take 700,000-1,200,000 VND, food 250,000-450,000 VND, and tours 300,000-800,000 VND. Bun cha ca at 40,000-60,000 VND a bowl keeps lunch cheap. Add 150,000-250,000 VND per day for a scooter, or 120,000-200,000 VND for the intercity bus. When Reunification Express trains out of Dieu Tri (12 km from Quy Nhon) are full, limousine buses from FUTA/Phuong Trang and Phuc An run Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa hourly.

Entry fees are small but add up: Thap Doi Cham towers about 20,000 VND, Eo Gio about 30,000 VND, Ganh Da Dia 30,000-50,000 VND, Mui Dien/Dai Lanh 20,000-30,000 VND. Grab is patchy outside Quy Nhon and Tuy Hoa centres, so pre-book Mai Linh or a hotel transfer for early starts such as the 5:00 Mui Dien gate. Ky Co boat prices and motorcycle-taxi rates fluctuate, so confirm both on the ground.

For this 5-day Vietnam itinerary, book Phu Cat (UIH) inbound and Tuy Hoa (TBB) outbound 3-6 weeks before departure. That window secures the open-jaw route without backtracking. Apply for the 90-day e-visa at evisa.gov.vn first: US$25 single entry or US$50 multiple entry. Some passports get 45-day visa-free, so check the 2026 nationality list because rules changed through 2025. Flight times: UIH is 1h45 from Hanoi and 1h10 from HCMC; TBB is 1h40 from Hanoi and 1h from HCMC.

Check Reunification Express options before locking train tickets. The train stops at Dieu Tri (12 km from Quy Nhon) and Tuy Hoa. Travel times: HCMC 11-12h, Da Nang 6h, Hanoi 19-20h. Book at vietnamrailway.vn; tickets typically open about 60 days out. Always hold a bus fallback. Limousine buses run Quy Nhon-Tuy Hoa hourly, take about 2h, and cost 120,000-200,000 VND. If trains are full, these buses are your backup.

Reserve Quy Nhon hotels for the first two nights and Tuy Hoa for the last two nights. Mid-range hotels cost 700,000-1,200,000 VND per night. For Day 2, book Ky Co only if the sea forecast is calm. A speedboat from Nhon Ly runs about 7:30-8:00 and costs 300,000-400,000 VND return; a tour costs 550,000-750,000 VND. If seas are rough, swap Ky Co for Hon Kho or a Quy Nhon day.

Confirm on-ground details before you go. Check Dieu Tri stop times per train, Ganh Da Dia entry fees (about 30,000-50,000 VND), and 2026 domestic fares. Tet 2026 falls on 17 Feb, so book transport and restaurants 4-6 weeks ahead. Note that Grab is patchy outside Quy Nhon and Tuy Hoa centres; pre-book Mai Linh or hotel transfers.

The five days run north to south along QL1D, about 90 km of coast between Quy Nhon and Tuy Hoa, with outdoor sites in the morning and transfers in the afternoon. The 90-day e-visa at evisa.gov.vn costs US$25 single entry or US$50 multiple entry, and some passports get 45-day visa-free, so check the 2026 nationality list because rules changed through 2025. Fly into Phu Cat (UIH) and out of Tuy Hoa (TBB) to avoid backtracking; book domestic flights 3-6 weeks out. Travel February to August for calm seas, and avoid October to December, when storms and flooding hit worst in late October and November. Tet 2026 falls on 17 February, so reserve transport and restaurants 4-6 weeks ahead.

Day 1 stays in Quy Nhon. Thap Doi Cham towers charge about 20,000 VND and open about 7:00-17:00; a beach swim follows, then bun cha ca for lunch at 40,000-60,000 VND. Sunset is at Ghenh Rang and Queen Beach, with seafood on Xuan Dieu afterward. Day 2 needs an early start for the Ky Co speedboat from Nhon Ly, which leaves about 7:30-8:00 and costs 300,000-400,000 VND return, or 550,000-750,000 VND as a tour. The crossing is weather-dependent, so if the sea is rough, swap in Hon Kho or another Quy Nhon day. Eo Gio charges about 30,000 VND at the gate; the afternoon covers Thi Nai lagoon and the Banh It towers.

Day 3 is the drive: about 90 km and about 2h by car along QL1D, with stops at Bai Xep fishing village, Ganh Da Dia (about 30,000-50,000 VND) and Ganh Den lighthouse, then overnight in Tuy Hoa. Buses cost 120,000-200,000 VND; limousine buses run hourly if trains are full. Day 4 starts at Mui Dien/Dai Lanh, where the gate opens about 5:00 and entry is 20,000-30,000 VND, then Bai Mon beach, Vung Ro bay, Nhan Tower and O Loan lagoon. Eat banh xeo tom nhay and ocean tuna. Day 5 fits Mang Lang church and Da Bia or Xuan Dai bay before the TBB departure; a 4-day version drops this day. Mid-range costs run 1,500,000-2,500,000 VND per person per day.

Bun cha ca, a noodle soup with fried fish cakes, is the cheapest full meal in Quy Nhon at 40,000-60,000 VND a bowl, and it anchors the food day on any five-day vietnam itinerary here. Order it at lunch from the stalls and small shops around the city centre, where you eat on plastic stools for the same price locals pay. Portions are light, so many people add a plate of grilled fish cake on the side.

Seafood belongs to the evening. Xuan Dieu street runs along the beach in Quy Nhon, and its restaurants sell fish, squid and shellfish by weight, so ask the price per kilo before the grill is lit. In Phu Yen, look for banh xeo tom nhay, the shrimp pancake made with tiny translucent shrimp from the local lagoons, and ocean tuna, served grilled or raw in a salad with herbs. Tuy Hoa has the widest choice of both.

Mid-range eating costs 250,000-450,000 VND per person per day across the whole route. Street lunches keep you at the low end and leave room for one seafood splurge in each province; a single large seafood dinner for two can swallow most of a day's allowance, so check weight and price first.

Carry cash in small notes, since most street stalls and lagoon-side shacks take no cards and often no QR transfers. Grab is patchy outside the Quy Nhon and Tuy Hoa centres, so ask your hotel to book a Mai Linh car or arrange a transfer if your dinner plan sits away from the beach strip. Hours and prices change, so confirm the current dish price, the stall's opening hours and the seafood rate per kilo with your hotel or on the ground before you go.

Domestic seats on this corridor go first, so book your flights 3 to 6 weeks out: Phu Cat (UIH) for Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa (TBB) for Phu Yen. If your dates touch Tet 2026 on 17 February, move that window to 4 to 6 weeks ahead for transport and restaurants, because closures and full buses hit both cities at once. The 90-day e-visa through evisa.gov.vn costs US$25 single entry or US$50 multiple entry, and some passports get 45-day visa-free entry. Check the 2026 nationality list before you pay, since rules changed through 2025.

Rail is the first thing to break. The Reunification Express stops at Dieu Tri (12 km from Quy Nhon) and Tuy Hoa, and tickets typically open about 60 days out at vietnamrailway.vn. Confirm the Dieu Tri stop time for your specific train before arranging a hotel pickup, because not every service stops at a convenient hour. If trains are full, limousine and sleeper buses from FUTA/Phuong Trang and Phuc An run Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa hourly for 120,000-200,000 VND and take about 2 hours, which makes them a workable substitute for the 90 km QL1D transfer.

Weather decides Ky Co. If seas are rough, skip the speedboat from Nhon Ly (300,000-400,000 VND return, or 550,000-750,000 VND as a tour, weather-dependent) and swap in Hon Kho or a second Quy Nhon day. Boat prices and motorcycle-taxi rates fluctuate, so agree on the return price before boarding.

Two more variables to settle on the ground: the Ganh Da Dia entry fee (30,000-50,000 VND) and 2026 domestic fares, both of which change. A 4-day version of this Vietnam itinerary drops Day 5 in Tuy Hoa, which keeps the open-jaw flight but cuts Mang Lang church, Da Bia and Xuan Dai bay.

Scooter rental runs 150,000-250,000 VND per day on the QL1D coast, the cheapest way to link the stops on this 5-day Vietnam itinerary. Ride only if you hold the correct licence and are comfortable with local traffic. The highway is manageable; the towns are not. If you would rather not ride, book a car with a driver for the day.

Outside the centres of Quy Nhon and Tuy Hoa, Grab is patchy, so pre-book Mai Linh or a hotel transfer the night before. The QL1D link between the two cities is about 90 km and takes about 2h by car. Sleeper and limousine buses (FUTA/Phuong Trang, Phuc An) cover it in about 2h for 120,000-200,000 VND, and limousine buses leave hourly when trains are full. Book domestic flights 3-6 weeks out if you fly into Phu Cat (UIH) and out of Tuy Hoa (TBB).

Carry cash for temple and viewpoint entries, Ky Co boats, and small eateries; card machines are rare outside the two city centres. Thap Doi Cham towers cost about 20,000 VND (about 7:00-17:00), Eo Gio about 30,000 VND, Ganh Da Dia about 30,000-50,000 VND, and the Mui Dien/Dai Lanh gate opens about 5:00 with entry 20,000-30,000 VND. Bun cha ca lunch runs 40,000-60,000 VND.

Time the trip for the dry season, Feb-Aug, when the sea is calm and Ky Co boat trips run. Avoid Oct-Dec, when storms and flooding hit Phu Yen and Quy Nhon hardest, late Oct-Nov worst. Tet 2026 falls on 17 Feb, so book transport and restaurants 4-6 weeks ahead. Ky Co boat prices and motorcycle-taxi rates fluctuate; hours and prices change, so confirm entry fees on the ground or on the official website. A 4-day version drops Day 5 if weather or transport eats a morning.