Quy Nhon: Land of tragic love and poetry
Update: Sep 21, 2010
Ghenh Rang, 3km south of the poetic Quy Nhon City, has some of the most fantastic vermilion twilight skies in the country.

Stone Egg Beach

From the entrance for a fee of VND6,000, you can head down the slope for 150 meters to get to the Ghenh Rang Tourist Area.

 

The path to Ghenh Rang has flowers like wild orchids, acacias and daisies. After descending the mossy stone steps, Ghenh Rang Beach will appear.

 

When the water is calm and clear, you can see the pebbles on the bottom, which is why people also call the beach Bai Da Trung (Stone Egg Beach). 

 

The beach is scattered with big rocks. When the wind starts to chop up the sea, the waves crash on the rocks sending up clouds of spray.  A fresh water stream from springs in the hills comes out between the rocks.

 

Especially striking on the beach are giant rocks - one looks like a human face, another like a lion heading out to the sea. A large rock is named Vong Phu (Waiting for her Husband).

 

Near the stony beach is Queen Beach where Queen Nam Phuong, wife of Bao Dai King, the last king of Vietnam, would bath and relax in the early 19th century.

 

The grave of poet Han Mac Tu who was inspired by the landscapes of Quy Nhon
The path to Ghenh Rang passes by the modest grave of poet Han Mac Tu. The grave lies at the mountain’s foot. Tourists should not forget to burn incense for the sensitive poet who suffered leprosy alone. Visitors may feel pity for the miserable life of this talented poet. Unlike the final years of his life, the grave all the year round is drenched in sunlight, clouds, winds, moonlight and the murmurs of the sea.

 

The site is associated with folklore about a love of a beautiful girl for a poor village boy. But they are separated when an evil mandarin seeks to marry her and orders the boy go to war. The girl runs away to Vung Chua Mountain but the evil mandarin and his henchmen follow her, and almost catch her, except a monsoon causes the mountain to crack open, creating a stream called Suoi Tien (Fairy Stream). The boy crosses the sea to find his true love and finally they meet and vanish in the stream.

SGT