Dong Hoi

Dong Hoi is the capital city of Quang Binh 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.

Understand
There is not much to do in Dong Hoi but relax, enjoy its beaches and drink a beer; get there now before the masses do. Many hotels and tour groups operate tours to these nearby beaches and caves. There are few tourists in Dong Hoi, so you will be greeted with many hellos. Nhat Le Beach is nearby, but the focus of the town is very much on the river and canals.

History
Dong Hoi had been a small village before Vietnam was divided during the time of the Trinh-Nguyen War (1558–1775), after which Vietnam was divided into two countries: Dang Trong (south) and Dang Ngoai (north) with the Gianh River as the frontier. Dong Hoi was an important fortress of the southern Nguyễn Lords. The Đồng Hới Wall was considered the barrier which protected the Nguyễn Lords from the attack by northern Trịnh family. The site of Dong Hoi today is just south of this boundary.

During the Indochina War (between the French and the Viet Minh in 1950s, the Đồng Hới airbase was used by the French to attack both the Viet Minh in north-central Vietnam and the Laotian Pathet Lao Army in central and southern Laos. During the Vietnam War, Đồng Hới was heavily devastated by bombardments from US B-52s due to its location near the seventeenth parallel and the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam. The city was almost leveled and was rebuilt slowly after the war ended in 1975. The town was planned and rebuilt on a large scale especially after 1990 when it became the provincial capital.

Climate
There are four distinct seasons in Đồng Hới. In the spring, it is cool, humid and foggy. The average annual temperature is 24.4°C, average rainfall varies from 1,300 to 4,000 mm, total sunshine hours per year is 1,786 hours, average annual moisture is around 84%. The city has a monsoon climate with three types of wind: southeast wind, southwest wind, and northeast wind.

It is rainy in the fall but the weather is comfortable with the temperature being 26-31°C. In the winter, due to the northeast wind blowing from the Chinese mainland, the temperature may go down below -18°C, and there may be slight rain. The highest precipitation gets highest level in August (118.4 mm), compared to just 38.9 mm in January. The best time to visit this city is from April to September when it's cool enough to go swimming.

By bus


Most buses will drop you off on Hung Vung, which is closer to town than the bus station. You can easily walk to a hotel from Hung Vung.

From Hue, local buses take about 3–4 hours, and cost 80,000 dong (Mar 2012), departing from the Northern Bus Station. Tourist buses cost 4-5 times that: i.e., Sinh Cafe (400,000 dong), Mandarin Travels (300,000 dong).

Buses from/to Hanoi cost around 250.000 dong. The schedule at bus stations (Ben Xe Dong Hoi and Ben Xe Nam Ly) as of Apr 2017:.

By train


The Reunification Express makes a stop in Dong Hoi and seater carriage is often cheaper than tourist (aka ooe tour) buses.

On foot
On foot is the preferred way to explore the city.

By bus
The local bus is slow and notoriously unreliable with respect to timing, but cheap and with surprisingly good geographic coverage.

Map and partial schedule at http://m.imgur.com/gallery/9ue4K.

See




Do
See also: Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Buy
Several markets can be found all over the city. The biggest however is, where you can also find the Fish Market between 05:00–09:00.

Otherwise, you can find smaller convenience stores at every corner in the city.





What
Specific dishes for this region are:
 * Cháo canh – A sweet and sour fish soup, but you will barely taste the fish actually.
 * Cơm tấm – Broken rice grains, grilled pork ribs, omelet, scallion and oil garnish, and vegetables, served with a sweet, sour, salty, savory or spicy sauce in a small bowl beside.

Connect
The free SmartCity Wi-Fi is available at many major plazas throughout the city.

Stay safe
Locals maintain that Dong Hoi is a major stop on the heroin smuggling trail: the drugs come in by boat and trickle along to Laos. Although you don't often see traces in the town itself, maybe the rare needle or cracked syringe - just keep an eye out.

Go next

 * Hanoi
 * Hue