Asia : Southeast Asia : Vietnam : Central Coast
Central Coast (Vietnam)
The Central Coast is a region of Vietnam.
Regions
Provinces:
- Bình Định
- Hà Tĩnh
- Khánh Hòa.
- Nghệ An
- Phú Yên
- Quảng Bình
- Quảng Nam
- Quảng Ngãi
- Quảng Trị
- Thanh Hóa
- Thừa Thiên-Huế
Cities
- Da Nang - Vietnam's third largest city, but with little to attract the traveller
- Dong Ha
- Hoi An - trading port with an UNESCO World Heritage listed old city
- Hue - the former imperial capital
- Thanh Hoa
- Qui Nhon- Lively town,relatively untouristed, makes for a good break between Nha Trang and Hoi An
Other destinations
- My Son - UNESCO World Heritage listed ruins of temples built by the ancient Champa civilisation, located close to Hoi An
- Na Meo - border crossing town
- Cham Islands - or in Vietnamese Cu Lao Cham are 7 islands 9 nautical miles offshore to the East of Hoi An river-ocean inlet
Understand
The Central Coast is likened by the Vietnamese to the bamboo pole connecting the baskets of North and South. The Truong Son Mountains, which stretch all the way to the coast between Hue and Danang, have traditionally divided the country in two in terms of weather and dialect, although the actual demarcation line during the Vietnam War was slightly higher up at the 17th parallel to the north of Hue.
July to November is the typhoon season, so it's wise to check the forecast a few days before your planned visit (see http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com ). Typhoons form in the Pacific, east of the Philippines. In some years, they curve north toward Taiwan and Japan and leave Vietnam in peace. In other years, they cross the Philippines and run straight into central Vietnam, causing possible flooding and wind damage. The threat of typhoons is one factor that has limited economic development in the central region relative to the north and south.
Talk
Get in
By plane
Da Nang's airport has good domestic connections and a limited selection of direct regional flights. Hue's airport also has flights to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
By road
The 2005 opening of the Hai Van Tunnel between Danang and Hue has shaved 20 km and a good hour off travel time between the two cities, as well as shortcutting past the Hai Van Pass, which was as dangerous as it was scenic. Toll for an ordinary car is 25,000 dong, a price well worth paying especially if you're prone to carsickness.
Get around
See
Itineraries
Do
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
Get out
Vietnam
Laos
This page was last edited at 04:34, on 13 March 2009 by Marc Heiden. Based on work by Al, Colin Jensen and Jani Patokallio, Wikitravel user(s) Fipe and Huttite and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.