The Southern Central Coast Qu=ng Ngãi

Straddling National Highway 1, this unremarkable provincial capital has little to boast except for its long tradition of nationalistic resistance. The area first saw an uprising against French and Japanese troops in 1945 and later became a Vi_t Minh stronghold in the 1950s. Heavy fighting took place in Qu=ng Ngãi Province during the American War, and it was home to the tragic MÅ Lai Massacre of 1968. Such a legendary history once drew visitors to the riverside city, which was a launching point for tours of MÅ Lai. Today, however, most MÅ Lai tours originate in Hÿi An, and tourists have forsaken Qu=ng Ngãi. With almost no city sights and a 12km drive to the nearest beach, the city is little more than a convenient stop for Vietnamese heading south on the highway; since few foreign tourists drop by, English is not widely spoken and hotels are a bit more expensive.

Transportation. The bus station, 26 Nguy[n Nghiˆm (☎822 895) is located in front of the market. Buses head to: Bu®n Ma Thuÿt (13hr.; 5:30am; 62,000); à Låt (16hr.; 3am; 74,000); HCMC (24hr.; 8am; 100,000); Hÿi An/à N{ng (3-4hr.; about every hr. 5am-8pm; 36,000); Kon Tum (11hr.; 5am; 43,000); Nha Trang (9hr.; 5am; 49,000); Pleiku (10hr.; 5am; 37,000); Qui Nh£n (4hr.; about every hr. 5am-noon; 30,000). Another option is to flag down buses in front of the Petro-S®ng Trà Hotel on the north side of town as they travel the new Hwy. 1 bypass. Buses often circle near the bypass for as long as 30min. until the bus is full before heading to their respective destinations. The train station (☎820 272) is 2km west of Hwy. 1, at the end of Hùng V™£ng (which turns into Nguyên Chanh). Trains go to all major stops in either direction on the Reunification Express, including Hà Nÿi (24-35hr.; hard seat 230,000; soft sleeper 460,000) and HCMC (20-30hr.; hard seat 145,000; soft sleeper 295,000).

Orientation And Practical Information. Qu=ng Ngãi is 150km north of Qui Nh£n, 100km south of Hÿi An, and 120km south of à N{ng. Hwy. 1 runs north-south through town, where it’s called Quang Tr™ng. The town, which stretches north-south, is bordered on the north end by the Trà Khúc River. The main east-west road running through the center of town has two names: west of Quang Tr™ng it’s called Hùng V™£ng, and east of Quang Tr™ng it’s called Lˆ Trung ình. The center of town is about 1km south of the river.

Qu=ng Ngãi Tourist Company, 310 Quang Tr™ng, is the only tourist outfit in town and is accustomed to dealing only with Vietnamese tourists. They speak pretty good English, and they have a decent selection of helpful and free pamphlets and maps. (☎825 293; fax 922 836. Open M-Sa 7-11am and 1:30-5pm.) The Incombank, 87 Hùng V™£ng, cashes traveler’s checks and changes money. There’s an ATM outside. (☎822 626. Open daily 7-11:30am and 1-5pm.) A few blocks away, there’s also a Vietcom Bank inside a hotel lobby at 45 Hùng V™£ng. The same services are available. (Open M-Sa 7-11:30am and 1:30-4:30pm.) There is a hospital 2km west of Quang Tr™ng on Hùng V™£ng (☎822 598; very little English spoken) and a pharmacy at 316 Quang Tr™ng, 100m north of Hùng V™£ng, near the tourist company (☎515 270; open daily 7am-6pm). More pharmacies line both Hùng V™£ng and Quang Tr™ng. The indoor and outdoor market is at the intersection of Nguy[n Nghiˆm and Ngõ Quy€n. Though smaller than those in big cities, this market nevertheless has a huge selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. P and T Internet, 415 Qu=ng Trung, has decent Internet access. (☎823 717. 4000 per hr. Open daily 7am-10pm.) There are also several Internet kiosks in a row between 324 and 334 Hùng V™£ng; all cost the same. The General Post Office, 62 Phan ình Phùng, at the intersection with Hùng V™£ng, has international phone service and is located at the center of town. (☎815 598. Very little English spoken. Open daily 6:30am-9pm.)

Accommodations. There are two areas with hotels in Qu=ng Ngãi, but rooms abound due to the stream of Vietnamese traveling along Hwy. 1. On the north end of town, hotels line the river and tend to be pricier. In the center of town, hotels cluster around the intersection of Quang Tr™ng and Hùng V™£ng. Du Lich C>m Thành 3, 118 Lˆ Trung ình, has clean, simple rooms and a central location. The desk staff is very friendly but speaks little English. It’s also near the highway and quite noisy. (☎822 606; fax 825 610. Singles US$10; doubles US$15.) Hùng V™£ng Hotel 4, 33 Hùng V™£ng, is a lavish hotel in the center of town. The large and comfortable rooms have nice artwork and a pleasant atmosphere. (☎818 828. Rooms US$25-30.) Petro-S®ng Trà 4, 2 Quang Tr™ng, is the cheaper of two three-star hotels on the river. As this sprawling complex is rarely full, you’re bound to get a deal. Deluxe rooms come with leather chairs, a bar, and a view; all guests get access to the pool and fitness room. Desk staff speaks better English than those at most other hotels in town, and they can organize local bus trips upon request. (☎822 665; fax 822 204; pvstc@dng.vnn.vn. Rooms US$25-45.) ·ng Hng 2, 497 Quang Tr™ng, has some of the cheapest rooms in town and is conveniently located near the market. However, you get what you pay for in terms of cleanliness. (☎825 322; fax 825 321. Singles US$8; doubles US$10.)

Food. The streets of Qu=ng Ngãi, particularly Quang Tr™ng and Nguy[n Nghiˆm, are choked with food stalls that offer the most convenient—and often the tastiest—meals in town. Along Nguy[n Nghiˆm, C Loan 1 (at 318) and Ràm 72 1 (at 320) are exceedingly popular with the locals. C Loan offers a wide array of traditional Vietnamese dishes, all cooked with chicken, for 6000-10,000. At Ràm 72, you can wrap chicken or beef in rice paper with lettuce for 8000. Another row of outdoor food stalls, known to locals as B Kè, is located along the Trà Khúc River. In a little enclave by the Hai Bà Trng road, grab a smoothie or eat a rice dish with the locals while looking out onto the dried-up river. As most locals are content with such eateries, Western-style restaurants are few and far between. C£m Vi_tnam 2, 21 Hùng V™£ng, is located in the city center and has an English menu with a large selection of typical Vietnamese dishes and Western breakfasts. Though more expensive than the food stalls, it is a popular place for the city’s few tourists and locals wanting to practice their English. Good selection of vegetarian options. (Dishes 15,000-40,000. Open daily 7am-11pm.) Cafe Bich Quñn 2, 42 Hùng V™£ng, is a cafe-restaurant full of local hipsters. This cafe, situated in the center of town where Hùng V™£ng forks, has a dark interior and sidewalk seating, encouraging a lingering visit—come for noodles, stay for coffee. (☎823 971. Dishes 10,000-30,000. Open daily 8am-11pm.) Trà Khúc 3, 2 Quang Tr™ng, is behind the Petro-S®ng Trà Hotel, which owns this riverside restaurant. Serving the best (and priciest) food in town, and offering a diverse menu, it caters to Vietnamese tourists and local officials. (☎822 665. Breakfast 10,000; entrees 10,000-80,000. Open daily 7am-10pm.)

Sights. Qu=ng Ngãi proper offers next to nothing to see or do. In the city center there is a French-built church. Still in use today, the church shows its age with a fading pink exterior and crumbling walls. Before you head out of town, take a look at the untouched fortification built by the US military when it occupied the town. The concrete bunker is at the southern end of the highway bridge.

Daytrips From Qu=ng Ngãi. At the site of the 1968 MÅ Lai Massacre—during which an entire civilian village was wiped out in the most infamous of the US’s Search and Destroy missions—the  S£n MÅ Memorial is one of Vietnam’s most moving experiences, especially for Americans. Set amid peaceful rice fields in a landscape that has hardly changed since the war, the memorial does not fail to impress. At first, the unkept garden, simple sculptures, and typical Stalinist monument seem an awkward attempt at remembrance; continue to the small artillery shelters in the back of the grounds, though, and the atmosphere changes. Crawl inside the damp, cramped space, and you’ll feel the ghosts of a terrified family praying for their lives. This space, along with bullet-ridden trees and an irrigation ditch where more than 100 villagers were executed, accurately and acutely conveys the horror of the massacre. In the way back, there is a beautiful and gripping mural depicting the event. Head to the second story of the museum to view personal items and chilling photographs. While the captions are obvious government propaganda, the photographs do not hide the gruesomeness of death; avoid them if you have a weak stomach. The museum also provides a one-sided view of the US attempt to cover up the massacre and the investigation that followed it. (Go 1km north of Hùng V™£ng along Quang Tr™ng, cross the highway bridge and take the 1st right (My Tra Hotel sits at the intersection) onto Hwy. 24B. S£n MÅ is 9km down the road. From the center of town, a motorbike trip should cost 40,000-50,000 round-trip. No buses service this route. Open daily 7am-5pm. Admission 10,000.)

Once a base for American, Australian, and South Korean troops, today Thiˆn An Hill is the site of Thiˆn An Pagoda, a monument to HuÇnh Thúc Kháng (an important figure in the anti-colonial movement) as well as a little Buddhist monastery. The pagoda is the oldest in the province, a product of the 17th-century Nguy[n Dynasty. The monastery, nestled atop the mountain under trees and looking out on Qu=ng Ngãi, is incredibly peaceful and houses several valuable relics, including an aged bronze bell and a supposedly 2km deep well. The monks are extremely friendly, and if you’re lucky, they may offer you a delicious meal or chat with you in broken English. (On the way to S£n MÅ, 7km down 24B from the city; take a left into the road with banners above it. Free.)

Located 35km southwest of Qu=ng Ngãi in the Minh Long province, Thác Thr ng Waterfall is an adventurer’s dream. The waterfall, situated in the middle of the jungle, is 2km high and lined with palm trees and green bushes. Bring a picnic or buy a snack at the small shack 75m from the falls. It’s difficult to get there, but the waterfall is a real gem. Watch for leeches, though. (The trip by motorcycle taxi costs about 100,000 round-trip from Qu=ng Ngãi and lasts about 2hr. Take Hwy. 4 south of Qu=ng Ngãi until Hwy. 627, which will eventually become a dirt road for the last 750m. From there, hop from rock to rock for 100m until you arrive at the base of the waterfall.)