“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

Dong Hoi – the charming beach city of Quang Binh Province

Location

Dong Hoi City is the center city of Quang Binh Province. It is the charming beach city that well known by tourists some years recently. This is the wonderful place connected with the time of exploring Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park.
Dong Hoi City is bordered with the sea to the east and it owns 12km long beach. Other sides of the city are bordered with the districts in the province.




Ward and Commune: There are 10 wards and 6 communes in the city. The wards are such as Bac Ly, Dong Phu Hai Dinh, Hai Thanh wards etc and the communes are such as Bao Ninh, Loc Ninh, and Quang Phu Communes etc.
Tourist places: Hai Dinh Ward, Hai Thanh Ward, Bao Ninh Commune.
Climate: Dong Hoi City is in the humid tropical monsoon climate. There are 4 seasons in the year. The average temperature is from 27 to 32 C degree. The time for travelling is around year excepted the months like September, October and November because there are the storms these months.
Transportation: Travel conveniently by land and airlines to the town and from it to other places.

The distance is for reference as below:
From Dong Hoi City to Ha Noi Capital: 486 km
From Dong Hoi City to Ho Chi Minh City: 1.092 km
From Dong Hoi City to Ha Tinh Province:  148 km
From Dong Hoi City to Quang Tri Province:  95 km
From Dong Hoi City to Hue City:  164 km
From Dong Hoi City to Da Nang City:  259 km
From Dong Hoi City to Hoi An Town:  285 km

Landscapes

Nhat Le Beach: the beach is not far from the center of Dong Hoi City. It is located to the east of the city. The best time for swimming here is from May to August each year.  
Quang Binh Quan: this is the relic with other name as Quang Binh Gate. It is the gate of the ancient citadel was built in 17th century in Quang Binh. However the gate now is not the original gate but this is the project reconstructed. The work is located Hai Dinh Ward.
Bau Tro Lake: the lake is well known as the natural site and archaeological sites in Quang Binh Province. The lake is large with its location in Hai Thanh Ward and far from Nhat Le Beach about 100m.  
Tam Toa Church:  Tam Toa Church was built in 19th century. It was destroyed in the time war so there is only the tower that existed. This is one of the important relics in Quang Binh both of historical value and religious architecture. The church is located in Dong My Ward.

Festivals

Fish Festival: it is organized in April each year in Bao Ninh Commune of Dong Hoi City. The festival is the typical event of the beach city with different interesting activities.
Harvest Festival: the festival is organized from 14th to 16th of April in lunar time. It is happened in Bao Ninh Commune.  
And there are many other unique festivals in the city.

Local specialties

Dong Hoi City is the beach city so the first specialty mentioned is seafood. You can find here delicious dishes cooked from seafood in which fish salad especially. Beside there are some different specialties for you to taste such as peanut candy, fish porridge, oyster porridge and local pancake.