Quy Nhon Night Street with National Decorations

An evening pedestrian street in the centre of Quy Nhon with Vietnamese national flags, red lanterns and street cafes — a typical view of a modern Vietnamese city after dark, especially on national holidays. Quy Nhon lies on the hot central coast, so during the day the streets are almost empty and real life begins after sunset: low plastic stools are set out along the pavements, food stalls unfold, families come out for a walk with their children. The red flag with the yellow star is hung on facades for state occasions — for the lunar new year Tet, the anniversary of the country's reunification at the end of April and Independence Day on the second of September — while paper lanterns are brought out for Tet and for the mid-autumn festival. The fashion for such lanterns spread through central Vietnam from Hoi An, where they hang all year round. The stalls sell the local cuisine of Binh Dinh: banh xeo rice pancakes with shrimp, bun cha ca noodles with fish balls, dried squid off the brazier. Closer to the sea the evening crowd flows onto the Xuan Dieu embankment and spreads along the beach.

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