Phan Thiet has an area of about 200 square kilometers, diverse natural landscapes, dozens of kilometers of beautiful coastal roads and historical relics of the once flourishing Champa civilization.
Phan Thiet is located in an arid region with a typical tropical climate, with lots of sunshine and wind. There are still two seasons: rainy and sunny, but the rainy period is not long. This place is also less affected by storms and has no fog, so visitors can come to Phan Thiet at any time of the year. June and July or from December to February are the most ideal times to travel to Phan Thiet.
Move
Phan Thiet is about 1,500 km from Hanoi and about 210 km from Ho Chi Minh City. There is no airport, so you have to travel by means of transport such as passenger cars, self-driving cars, trains...
If using personal vehicles from Ho Chi Minh City, it will take visitors about 2 hours to travel on the newly inaugurated Long Thanh - Dau Giay - Phan Thiet highway on April 30, 2023.
Coming to Phan Thiet from Hanoi, tourists buy plane tickets to Tan Son Nhat airport (HCMC) or Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) and then continue by car to Phan Thiet. Airline ticket prices range from 2 to 4 million VND, depending on the time.
From Saigon station to Phan Thiet station takes nearly 4 hours, train ticket price is 250,000-350,000 VND. Passenger cars from Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet cost about 200,000-450,000 VND depending on the type. Passenger cars from Khanh Hoa to Phan Thiet cost about 150,000-300,000 VND. Bus ticket prices from Hanoi to Phan Thiet range from 1 to 1.2 million VND.
From Phan Thiet City, there are often shuttle buses to hotels and resorts in Mui Ne.
Hotel
The Anam Mui Ne - new resort opening in 2023.
The place where many hotels and resorts are concentrated in Phan Thiet, especially Mui Ne ward. There are luxury resorts here, providing a full range of marine sports services, restaurants, swimming pools, bars and spas. Some famous hotels in Mui Ne include The Anam Mui Ne, Anantara Mui Ne Resort, Victoria Phan Thiet Beach Resort & Spa, Pandanus Resort, The Cliff Resort & Residences, Meraki Oasis.
Besides, visitors can choose to stay at affordable motels right in the city center. Motels with basic standards and full amenities cost from 150,000 to 300,000 VND per night.
Where to play?
The tourist map of Phan Thiet is divided into 4 main areas: city center, Mui Ne, Mui Ke Ga and Hon Rom. Departing from one of these four points, you can explore other famous landmarks in Phan Thiet.
Phan Thiet is often just a stopover for tourists combined with a rest in Mui Ne. Therefore, if you only need 1-2 days in the city, visit the famous spots below.
Doi Duong Marine Park
Doi Duong Marine Park was formerly known as Doi Duong Beach, located in the city center. On the way to the beach, visitors will pass windbreaks planted on both sides. Stepping away from the poplar row is a large white sand beach, stretching into an arc shape, suitable for beach sports activities such as volleyball and sand dunes. Doi Duong sea water is very shallow and calm, with few big waves so it is quite safe. Visitors come to swim for free.
Doi Duong Marine Park (left) and Phan Thiet Water Tower.
Phan Thiet water tower
Phan Thiet Water Tower is a symbol of Binh Thuan province, built in 1928 and completed in 1934 by architect, Prince Souphanouvong (later President of the Lao PDR). The water tower is built of baked bricks, with a height of 32 m. Seen from a distance, the tower looks like a giant lotus flower.
Duc Thanh school relic site
Duc Thanh school relic site. Photo: Nguyen Vu
Located in the center of Phan Thiet city, the Duc Thanh school relic site (1907 - 1912) was born and operates according to the general policy of the Duy Tan movement. This is also where President Ho Chi Minh stopped to teach from September 1910 to February 1911, before going to find a way to save the country.
Today, Duc Thanh school still retains almost intact memorabilia associated with President Ho Chi Minh's time teaching in Phan Thiet.
Van Thuy Tu Palace
Van Thuy Tu Palace is a place to worship the Sea Patriarch of Binh Thuan fishermen. Inside is a place to worship more than 100 whale skeletons, including the largest whale skeleton in Southeast Asia. This is also the place where 24 royal decrees of the Nguyen Dynasty kings are kept.
When coming here, visitors can not only admire the ancient beauty hundreds of years old, but can also learn more about the rituals and festivals associated with fishing beliefs.
Mr. Hoang's floor
Part of the French bunker in the old Ong Hoang building area. Photo: jadenng0
Located at the top of Ba Nai hill, Ong Hoang's Palace is the remnant of the villa built by Duke De Montpensier in 1911. However, currently only the villa's negative base remains. The place tourists often go to is a bunker built by France during the war located nearby.
This was also the place where poet Han Mac Tu (1912 - 1940) dated and watched the moon with his lover Mong Cam. One of the poet's famous poems about Lau Ong Hoang is "Phan Thiet Phan Thiet".
Po Sah Inu Tower
Less than 2 km from Ong Hoang's tower is the Po Sah Inu tower. This is one of the most ancient groups of temples and towers of the Champa kingdom in Binh Thuan, dating from the early 8th to 9th centuries.
Only small and medium in size, this tower crystallizes the quintessence of architectural techniques and decorative arts of the ancient Cham people. Visitors can enter the sightseeing tower with a ticket price of 10,000 VND per visit.
Ong Dia rock sea
Ong Dia Stone Sea. Photo: Manh Huy
About 10 km from the center of Phan Thiet city, Da Ong Dia beach is a clean beach, with fine sand, long stretches and no pebbles, shallow sea bed, clear and very calm water.
Coming to Da Ong Dia beach, visitors can choose the pleasures of walking on the beach, sitting in coffee and checking in with colorful baskets, breakwaters or experience various types of marine sports such as surfing.
Specialty
Banh ask pork intestines. Photo: Phan Thiet Pho
Banh hoi is made from rice flour, through many processing steps, resulting in a cake made from small white noodles, looking like vermicelli noodles. Phan Thiet banh hoi will be eaten with boiled pork intestines. When enjoying, pork intestines are rolled with banh hoi, rice paper, and dipped in sweet and sour dipping sauce.
Rice paper dipped in fish sauce is a rustic dish often sold in the afternoon. The simple dish includes crushed boiled eggs, sour mango, shredded cucumbers, and crumbled grilled rice paper rolled with rice paper. The dipping sauce for rice paper is shrimp paste, often added with chopped fresh chili and a squeeze of lemon and then whisked well. Phan Thiet people use fish meat to make rolls, fish bones to make broth and fish sauce to season.
Fish fried with onion fat. Photo: Phan Thiet Pho
Cut fish into pieces, arrange on a plate or leave whole and steam. Fatty meat is cut into small pieces, fried until golden brown, and green onions are added. When the fish is steamed, pour a layer of onion fat over the fish, then sprinkle with crushed peanuts to enhance the aroma, eat with sweet and sour dipping sauce or tamarind fish sauce. Many gourmets will add a piece of fish liver to the dipping sauce, beat it until smooth, and when eaten, it will have a rich, greasy feeling.
Note
April and May are the peak hot times in Phan Thiet, with temperatures over 30 degrees and intense sunlight. In July-August, the beaches in Phan Thiet will have red tide, seaweed blooms, making the sea water cloudy and unsuitable for swimming.
Phan Thiet is a famous beach resort, so if you intend to come here, you should book a room in advance to avoid hotels and resorts running out of rooms, especially during peak season.
Summer in Phan Thiet often rains in the evening, so take time to visit and have fun in the morning.