Quang Ngai
Area: 5,152.7 sq. km.
Population: 1,295.6 thousand habitants (2006)
Capital: Quang Ngai City.
Districts: Ly Son, Binh Son, Tra Bong, Son Tinh, Son Tay, Son Ha, Tu Nghia, Nghia Hanh, Minh Long, Mo Duc, Duc Pho, Ba To, Tay Tra.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Hre, Co, Xo Dang…
When we visit a city off the tourist trail, we try hard to uncover what makes the spot unique and worthwhile in its own right. But, when it comes to the provincial capital of Quang Ngai, we’re still looking.There are no attractions whatsoever inside the city. Its leading characteristic seems to be that it’s a more cold and impersonal place than its neighbours to the south, Tuy Hoa, and Qui Nhon. Even the small burb of Tam Ky to the north offers more for the casual visitor than Quang Ngai. But at the same time, we have to say, if you’re in the region at all, you absolutely, positively, must go to Quang Ngai – or at least 10 km outside of it. The reason for this is the truly excellent museum in nearby Son My, which memorializes the slaughter of 504 unarmed villagers by American forces in 1968, known as the My Lai Massacre.
So, we’ve found some ways to make a stay in Quang Ngai as pleasant as possible. One alternative to staying in town is to visit the museum en route, though this can make for a fairly, long gruelling day. A better alternative is to simply stay at Quang Ngai’s local beach, My Khe — it’s as good a beach as anywhere else along the coast, and only 2 km from the museum. Finally, if you do stay in town, there are ways to make it as painless as possible.
Quang Ngai lies just to the south of the Tru Khac River where it runs from west to east. In the dry season, the river is a wide expanse of scrubby marshlands with only a trickle of water running through it. There’s a roundabout just before crossing the Tru Khac River bridge, next to Ba To park, which is a decent area to stay in — there are adequate services along Quang Trung nearby, some places to eat, and Highway 24B, which leads 12 km to the beach is just across the bridge. On the north side of the bridge, just outside of town, is the My Tra Hotel.
Arriving in town from the south, Highway 1A is routed over a long overpass to skip over the Tru Khac River wetlands. If you’re staying in town, take a sharp left before the overpass or youll skip over the town completely. If you’re going to take our advice, though, and stay at the beach or one of the places along the river, keep going, and exit the road on the other side.
