History & story.
My Khe Beach in Tinh Khe commune, Son Tinh district must not be confused with Da Nang's famous My Khe — two places sharing the same name but utterly different in character and appearance. While Da Nang's My Khe has become an urban beach strip lined with dozens of hotels and resorts, Quang Ngai's My Khe remains a pristine 15-kilometre arc of golden sand without a single tourist development. Tinh Khe commune is the same village where the 1968 Son My massacre occurred, and My Khe Beach lies just a few kilometres from the memorial site — many visitors combine both in the same day. The My Khe fishing community has existed here for centuries, with fishermen still launching traditional round basket boats and hauling nets directly on the beach each morning. It is the kind of intact central Vietnamese fishing life that has all but disappeared from every beach within reach of a city in the modern era.
Every early morning from 4:00 to 6:00, My Khe Beach in Quang Ngai becomes a living stage of traditional fishing. The round basket boats — the signature craft of central Vietnamese fishermen — are rowed out through breaking waves using a distinctive spinning technique that outsiders cannot replicate. Net-hauling is collective work: teams of fishermen pull hundreds of metres of net in from the sea together, voices rising in rhythm. By 7:00–8:00 AM, the fresh catch is sorted and sold on the spot to traders from Quang Ngai market who arrive by motorbike before dawn. The spontaneous fish market on the beach, morning light falling on silver-gleaming trays and the brown-clad fishermen, creates photographic scenes impossible to find on any tourist beach.
The waves at My Khe Quang Ngai are consistent and well-shaped for surfing from April to August, when the southeast monsoon generates 1–1.5 metre swells ideal for beginners. However, there is no permanent lifeguard station or surf rental service here — this remains a completely undeveloped beach. The water carries the characteristic blue-green clarity of the central Vietnamese coast — unpolluted, with no nearby port or industrial zone. The sand is fine and golden-white, with a gentle gradient that is safe for children swimming close to shore. Behind the beach, rows of casuarina trees provide natural shade — a perfect midday resting space requiring no services at all.
There are no restaurants directly on My Khe Beach in Quang Ngai — but the village market approximately 500 metres from the beach has stalls selling fish noodle soup, seafood congee, and grilled seafood from 5:00 AM. Eating a bowl of bún cá made with fresh tuna that fishermen pulled from the sea an hour earlier is a culinary experience impossible to find on any urbanised beach. My Khe Beach sits adjacent to Tinh Khe commune — home to the Son My Memorial — so visitors typically devote a full day to combining an early morning at the beach watching the fishermen with an afternoon at the commemoration site. Two completely contrasting experiences — the lively beach and the solemn memorial — make for a deeply layered and emotional day in the Tinh Khe area.
My Khe is not a swimming beach — it is the village's daily meal.
Ngư dân xã Tịnh Khê
Highlights not to miss.
From 4:00 to 8:00 AM, My Khe Beach becomes a living stage of traditional fishing: basket boats launched in the pre-dawn darkness, fishermen hauling nets in teams from sea to shore, and a spontaneous fish market springing up on the sand as the sun rises. This is the kind of intact fishing life almost impossible to find on any beach close to a city. Arrive before 5:00 AM — ideally at 4:30 — so you are on the beach while boats are still launching in darkness, and have your camera ready for the sunrise light that follows.
From April to August, the southeast monsoon generates consistent 1–1.5 metre swells at My Khe Quang Ngai — ideal for both beginner and experienced surfers. There is no board rental or instructor service on-site, so bring your own board or arrange rental from a shop in Quang Ngai city beforehand. This is one of the few remaining natural surf breaks in the South Central Coast that is still entirely undeveloped.
My Khe Beach lies adjacent to the Son My Memorial — the two sites less than 5 kilometres apart in the same Tinh Khe commune. Many visitors devote a full day to both: early morning at My Khe watching the fishermen and eating fresh seafood; then a quiet afternoon at the Son My site in a spirit of remembrance. The contrast between the vitality of the sea and the weight of history creates a day of exceptional emotional depth.
Arrive at My Khe Beach at 5:00 AM while fishermen are still hauling nets. When the catch is sorted (around 7:00 AM), you can buy fresh fish directly from the fishermen at beach prices — much cheaper than the city market and fresher than any restaurant.
How to visit & get there.
Getting to My Khe Beach, Quang Ngai **From Quang Ngai city**, take National Highway 1A northward for about 8 km, then turn right following signs to Tinh Khe commune. **Motorbike** is most convenient; **cars** can park near the beach. No direct bus service — rent a motorbike or drive from the city.
Ideal Itinerary **Arrive before 5:00 AM** to witness fishermen launching boats and hauling nets — the defining experience here that cannot be missed. **Combine with Son My Memorial** in the afternoon — about 3 km from the beach. **No tourist infrastructure** (no restaurants, no chair rental, no lifeguards) — bring sufficient water and food, and do not swim far from shore alone.
Sources
- 1.Biển Mỹ Khê Quảng Ngãi hoang sơ đẹp
Tạp chí Tổ Quốc · 2026-06-26
- 2.Biển Mỹ Khê Quảng Ngãi
VietnamPlus · 2026-06-26