Lonely planet names Quy Nhon among the world's 25 best destinations for 2026

Australian travel guide Lonely Planet has named Quy Nhon, a coastal city in Vietnam's south-central region, among the 25 best destinations in the world for 2026. The announcement, made as part of the publication's annual "Best in Travel 2026" list on October 21, positions Quy Nhon alongside globally recognised destinations including Cádiz in Spain, Utrecht in the Netherlands, Cartagena in Colombia, Phuket in Thailand, Barbados, and British Columbia in Canada. Quy Nhon is the only Vietnamese destination on the list. Lonely Planet's editorial director Nitya Chambers noted that this year's selections honour places that demonstrate both a strong local identity and the resilience of post-pandemic tourism — a description that fits Quy Nhon with particular precision
 

Lonely Planet's description of Quy Nhon captures precisely what distinguishes it from Vietnam's better-known coastal destinations. Nestled between the country's rolling central highlands and a series of calm lagoons and bays, the city is described as a place where "natural beauty and culture seamlessly intertwine." Sandy beaches meet ancient Cham temples, working fishing villages, and a culinary scene that Lonely Planet identifies as thriving — one that has developed organically from the city's deep connection to the sea rather than from the demands of mass tourism. The city is singled out as "best for coastal adventures and seafood delights," a categorisation that reflects both the variety of its coastline and the quality of its local food culture. Specialities highlighted by Lonely Planet include banh xeo muc — crispy squid pancakes — alongside fish cake noodle soup, banh hoi chao long, and towers of fresh seafood served along the beachfront promenade at sunset. This is a food culture rooted in local fishing tradition, not in tourist menus, and it is precisely that authenticity that gives Quy Nhon a character that is difficult to replicate.

A central element of Lonely Planet's recognition is Quy Nhon's coastline — and not only the central city beach, which the magazine describes as well-maintained and genuinely beautiful, but the broader network of beaches, coves, and coastal landscapes that extend beyond the city centre. The magazine specifically recommends renting a motorbike to explore the coastline independently, highlighting two destinations that have become local landmarks. Ky Co Beach — a crescent of pale sand enclosed by steep cliffs and accessible only by boat or a coastal mountain road — offers the kind of secluded, visually dramatic scenery that is increasingly rare on Vietnam's more heavily visited coastline. Bai Xep, a quieter cove set within a working fishing village, transforms each evening into an open-air dining spot where local families set up seafood grills directly on the beach. These are not purpose-built tourist facilities; they are expressions of the way the local community has always lived along this coast, and that quality of authenticity is, according to Lonely Planet, precisely what makes Quy Nhon worth placing on the world's travel agenda.

For the international travel community, Lonely Planet's "Best in Travel" list carries a particular kind of authority — it is built on the judgement of experienced travel writers rather than on booking data or search volume, and it has a long record of directing meaningful visitor attention toward destinations that genuinely merit it. The inclusion of Quy Nhon on the 2026 list is, in Lonely Planet's own framing, a statement about what kind of travel experience the destination offers: one characterised by the absence of crowds, the presence of authentic local life, and an environment in which the traveller can engage with a place on its own terms rather than through the filter of established mass tourism. Unlike neighbouring Nha Trang and Hoi An, where tourism infrastructure dominates the visitor experience, Quy Nhon still offers the possibility of having an entire beach to oneself — and of discovering, around the next coastal headland, a village or a cove that has not yet been reshaped by visitor demand. For travellers who value that quality of discovery, and who want to experience Vietnam beyond its most visited corridors, Quy Nhon in 2026 represents one of the most compelling opportunities on the country's coastline.

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