Nhat Le Beach

Nhat Le runs north from the mouth of the river of the same name at Dong Hoi, a wide beach of pale sand facing east into the South China Sea, with the Bao Ninh sand spit on the far bank reached by a bridge. Behind the spit are dunes, some of them substantial, which are used for sandboarding and quad bikes. Dong Hoi is chiefly the base for Phong Nha-Ke Bang inland - the cave system that includes Son Doong, the largest known cave passage in the world - and most visitors are passing through, which keeps the beach quieter than its equivalents further south.

What you actually see

• A wide beach at a river mouth - facing east from Dong Hoi.
• The Bao Ninh spit and its dunes - across the bridge.
• A base for Phong Nha - the cave country inland.
• Quieter than the southern beaches - most visitors are passing through.

When to go

April to August; the monsoon and typhoons run from about September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Quang Binh takes typhoons and the coast can be dangerous in the wet season. The city was heavily rebuilt in the twentieth century and has little old fabric. The beach is developing quickly.

Nearby

Phong Nha-Ke Bang is about fifty kilometres inland; Dong Hoi is the base.