Beaches off the beaten track along central Binh Dinh province’s 134 km coastline are emerging as big draws for independent foreign travellers.

Bai Xep, a small fishing village 10 km south of Quy Nhon, has been on the radar for around five years, as it is endowed with a dazzling golden beach, clean water and little offshore islands. Living with locals is the most popular choice of accommodation in the town.

Steve Knight, a former English tourist who owns a hostel in Bai Xep, said 70 percent of his guests were foreigners.

J.D. Knox, a 22-year-old Canadian, considered his trip to Bai Xep, where he tried paddling a local basket fishing boat for the first time, unforgettable.

Many independent travellers now put the intact and imposing Eo Gio Beach in Quy Nhon’s Nhon Ly commune on their lists. Eo Gio Beach is renowned for its blue sea and uneven landscape as a must-go destination. There is no commercial accommodation at the site, so it is ideal for pitching tents and spending the night on the beach.

According to Nguyen Thi Xuan Lan, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial tourism association, an estimated 171,500 foreign tourist arrivals were recorded in 2014. This was an annual increase of 24 percent.

In response to the growing trend, members of her agency are creating additional tourism packages to discover nature, local craft villages and martial art clubs, among other things.

VNA