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THE GOLD COAST IN CENTRAL VIETNAM
BAU DA WINE
Bau da wine is a famous tradi-
tional specialty of Binh Dinh prov-
ince. The underground water used
to make it is said to embody it with
its strong aroma and robust flavour.
Drinking it brings sensations of swal-
lowing fire and ice at once and should
you spill a drop on your skin, you will
soon feel a chill. It is also said that
those who drink more than is advis-
able won’t suffer any ill effects and
that it has numerous health benefits.
Even today, the wine is still entirely
hand made. The craftsmanship of the
glazed terracotta bottle has helped
build the wine’s fame and made it a
popular tourist gift choice.
PHU GIA CONICAL HAT VILLAGE
Phu Gia village in Cat Tuong com-
mune, Phu Cat district is 35km north-
east of Quy Nhon city. The village has
400 households who make conical
hats and 20 which still sew typical
go gang conical hats, which used to
be worn for horse-rides in times past.
Centuries ago, only mandarins
and landlords had the right to wear
go gang conical hats, which require
meticulous processing and include a
silver peaked cap and sophisticated
decorations of dragons and phoenix.
QUY NHON CITY ROASTED OR
STEAMED FISH WITH RICE
VERMICELLI
This dish has been listed as among
the 50 most famous dishes of Vietna-
mis prepared by filleting fish before
adding chopped onion, garlic, chilli,
salt, sugar and pepper. Normally, a
bowl of vermicelli will come served
with both roasted and steamed fish
so diners enjoy both flavours and tex-
tures at once. An accompanying broth
is made from fish bones, with pig and
beef bones plus mushrooms, grilled
purple onions and dried bamboo
shoots. The dish is best paired with
a tray of fresh basil, cilantro, lettuce,
bean sprouts and morning glory. You
can find this dish on every corner in
Quy Nhon, but Nguyen Hue Street is
most renowned for it.
CHO HUYEN FERMENTED PORK
ROLLS
Dating back 100 years, the Cho
Huyen fermented pork roll is one of
the most irresistible dishes in Binh
Dinh. Lean pork is cleaned, sliced and
put in the blender and minced thor-
oughly with garlic, salt, and sugar.
Next, pork skin is added with mixed
pepper. The mixture is then wrapped
in a guava leaf, then a banana leaf
layer and made into a square shape.
Finally, it is wrapped with the plas-
tic layer, and then hung in a cool,
well-ventilated place. In the sunny
season, it is usually edible on the
fifth day. Cho Huyen fermented pork
roll is pink, with a combined sweet,
sour and salty flavour. Soy sauce,
chilli sauce and garlic can be used to
add more flavour. This is a dish best
served with bau da wine.
IT CAKE WITH PINNATE LEAF
Banh it (it Cake) with pinnate
leaf comes in a pyramid shape. To
make it, la gai leaves are washed,
boiled and mashed in a mortar.
Next, the sticky result is mixed with
black sugar. The fillings varies de-
pending on each local region, but
include green beans, black beans,
coconut cooked with sugar, or fried
shrimp with meat. It is all wrapped
in banana leaf before steaming. Lo-
cally, banh it is a must-have item on
important occasions such as a mar-
riage or death anniversary.
Binh Dinh specialties
As with every province in food loving Vietnam,
Binh Dinh is home to its fair share of unique re-
gional dishes.
BINH DINH TRADITIONAL MARTIAL
ARTS
Binh Dinh is the land of a traditional
martial art which combines the best of
several disciplines for united strength. It
reached its peak during the Tay Son era,
when it became the national martial
art. The most well-known martial art
schools in Binh Dinh are The Phan Tho
school; the Ho Nganh school (Tay Son
district); the Ly Tuong school; and the
Le Xuan Canh school (An Nhon town).
The Vietnam international festival
of traditional martial arts takes place
every two years, attracting hundreds of
martial arts masters and artists from
countries around the world. The festival,
often lasting three days, features diverse
cultural and artistic activities, but martial
arts performances and exchanges be-
tween martial arts groups, martial arts
masters and artists from different coun-
tries and their Vietnamese counterparts
are the most popular activities.
Venue: Quy Nhon city and dis-
tricts of Tay Son, Tuy Phuoc and An
Nhon town
Time: August in years with even
numbers
HOANG DE CITADEL
Hoang De Citadel was built under
the Tay Son Dynasty in 1775 on the site
of the Cham kingdom’s Do Ban Citadel.
From 1776-1793 this was the general
headquarters of the Tay Son insurgent
troop and the royal capital city of the
Central Emperor, Nguyen Nhac.
Address: Nhon Hau commune, An
Nhon district