Bai Nho
Phu Quy Island, Lam Dong, Vietnam
Bai Nho, or Nho Beach, is a small crescent of white sand wedged between dark rocky cliffs on the southwest side of Phu Quy Island, Vietnam, in the shadow of the island's flagpole hill. The water clears to the point where you can watch your feet on the sandy bottom, and because so few boats pass through, it stays calm and quiet for swimming.
Some of the clearest water on the island and genuinely peaceful thanks to the lack of boat traffic, but the steep unmarked path down keeps it from being an easy stop for everyone.
The path down is steep and grassy rather than a proper trail, so wear shoes with some grip, especially if it's rained recently.
A rented scooter from wherever you're staying on Phu Quy is the standard way in, following the main road southwest and then a steep path down from it.
There's no paved or stepped access, just a steep grassy path down the cliffside to the sand, which rules out strollers and makes for slow going with limited mobility.
The calm season runs roughly February through August, ahead of the northeast monsoon that brings rougher water and a bumpier ferry ride from Phan Thiet later in the year.
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