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Provincial city in Quảng Trị, Vietnam
Photo: Toanvungtau, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Dong Hoi is the capital city of Quang Tri Province in Central Coast of Vietnam. Dong Hoi on the Nhat Le River and by the South China Sea with its 12 km of white sandy beaches.
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Quảng Bình Quan
Only two gates and a moat remain of the citadel. You can climb up in the gates, but inside you will find syringes, burnt debris, and feces.
Tam Toa church is a bombed-out ruin. Only the facade remains, behind some iron gates.
Enjoy a massage by the blind while soft, sultry saxophone music echoes in the corridor. Not all the employees are actually blind, as they sometimes check and write text messages on their phones during the massage, but it has been claimed that they are all legally blind. Good energetic massage by properly trained people.
Although Nhat Le Beach is nearby, the focus of Dong Hoi is on the river. Accordingly, you will find the beach to be generally empty and abandoned, with just a few hotels, construction work, and piles of dirt. The beach is pleasant, but the current is strong and the waves often too powerful for swimming.
Dong Thien Duong
A huge cave with thousands of stalactites and stalagmites of amazing size and shape. Paradise Cave is a rewarding trip, as it is not touristy and the spotlights are white, not coloured. The best way to get there is by motorbike as the scenery is amazing. Motorbikes and cars with drivers can be rented in Dong Hoi at many hotels. Booking a tour in Dong Hoi is possible as well and a very common way to see the caves. Paradise Cave takes around 2 hours to visit.
Visit the largest and most stunning cave in Vietnam. The cave is nearly 55 km long but visitors can only access the first kilometre. Look out for pictures of the caves and learn the Vietnamese names (Phong Nha is the national park, not just the cave). Phong Nha Caves take around 3½ hours to tour.
Large menu featuring primarily Western food (steaks, burgers, grilled honey-chicken, etc.) as well as Vietnamese and Thai selections for a hefty price.
An inexpensive and innovative little restaurant serving Korean-style dishes. However, they also have spaghetti and fish-less maki aka sushi rolls. The spaghetti sauce is a little sweet, so it is worth mentioning beforehand that they should omit any sweet-tasting sauce when preparing them.
Good Vietnamese food. They have English menu.
They have Vietnamese and Western food such as pizza, pasta, burgers, and chips. Also very nice fruit shakes, and English menu.
Little nice café in central Dong Hoi. The menu is small but features fresh drinks and simple light food options. Good for learning more about Dong Hoi as well as handicraft store on the second floor. Tour bookings also available.
Discotheque, cocktails, beer, coffee, fruit shakes.
Free Wi-Fi, coffee, fruit juices, breakfast.
One of the best coffee shop in Dong Hoi. Pretty chill atmosphere with cool music and not too loud. Good place for cocktail.
Clean and cheap rooms, good location. Rooms with balcony overlook the river. Wi-Fi.
They have only 2 kinds of room, 1 double bed with balcony or 1 double bed and 1 single bed with window. All rooms have cable TV, fridge, air-con, and Wi-Fi. Owners speak decent English.
This is the only luxury resort in Dong Hoi. Many lodging choices, from rooms to 3 bedroom bungalows.
Very good hotel. Staff friendly, accommodating and English speaking. Recommended as they are more customer-oriented than most hotels in this price range in Vietnam (May 2014).
Budget accommodation - dorms and private rooms, beachside bar and restaurant, hammocks, kayaks, surfboards, volleyball. Bicycles and motorbikes available. On the bus route to Phong Nha.
Best location look out Nhat Le river, cave tour booking, laundry service. On-site restaurant and bar. Western, local and vegetarian dishes, beer, shisha.
Great supermarket near Chợ Đồng Hới market, which has a comprehensive selection and specials of reduced fruits in the evening.
Nhà sách Nguyễn Văn Cừ
By train
The Reunification Express makes a stop in Dong Hoi and seater carriage is often cheaper than tourist (aka ooe tour) buses.
By plane
By taxi
By bus
The local bus is slow and notoriously unreliable with respect to timing, but cheap and with surprisingly good geographic coverage.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Dong Hoi · Regional · VDH
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