48 hours in Ninh Thuan

Ninh Thuan, located in the South Central region of Vietnam, is a suitable destination for nature lovers and those interested in learning about Cham culture.

This Ninh Thuan experience was shared by Ms. Thu Dung, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, during her trip in early March, coinciding with the Cham New Year, and based on a suggestion from Mr. Nguyen Nam, from a travel company in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 1

Morning

Have breakfast in downtown Phan Rang - Thap Cham with local specialties such as banh can (rice flour pancakes) or banh canh cha ca (fish cake noodle soup). Banh can can be found at many eateries in the city, while banh canh cha ca has some famous addresses such as Xuan Huong, banh canh 79, Co Nam, and Ba Bon Phan Rang.

Ninh Thuan fish cake soup. Photo: Moon

Visit Vinh Hy Bay, located about 35km from Phan Rang city center. From the city, travel along the coastal road – which offers many beautiful landscapes. Along the way, you'll find several famous attractions such as Nui Chua National Park, Ninh Thuan Stone Park, Rai Cave, My Tan fishing port, and vineyards. "Usually, you won't have time to visit all of these places in one day, so choose your favorite destinations," Nam said.

My Tan fishing port and Ninh Thuan rock park are two places you should visit first. The fishing port is where you can witness the daily activities of fishermen and take photos with the moss-covered rocks (especially abundant at the end of the year).

As for the rock park, you'll have to walk nearly 2 km from the main road. This place used to be a very large rocky area, and over time, erosion and weathering have caused the rocks to pile up, creating many unique shapes. The park is also a favorite camping spot in the evening to watch the sunset.

Ninh Thuan Stone Park. Photo: Thu Dung

"There are no services around the rock park, and the weather is quite hot, so you need to prepare plenty of water and food if needed," Ms. Dung said.

midday and afternoon

Have lunch and enjoy a meal in the Vinh Hy Bay area. You can choose Vinh Hy floating restaurant or a restaurant within Vinh Hy resort. The seafood here is all fresh and delicious, prepared simply by steaming or grilling to preserve its natural sweetness.

On their way back to the city, tourists stop at the Hang Rai area. This is a popular destination for many photographers.

A sunrise view of Hang Rai cave, captured by the photographer. Photo: Nguyen Van Hop

Sunrise at Rai Cave. Photo: Nguyen Van Hop

According to Mr. Nam, many photographers come here and sit for hours just waiting to capture beautiful photos at sunrise. If you can't come early in the morning, visitors should visit in the afternoon when the sun sets. "The best photo spot is the rocky area, with the sea waterfall rising with each wave," Mr. Nam said. Hang Rai is located quite close to the main road, making it convenient to get to.

If time permits, visitors should stop by one of the vineyards such as Thai An, Xuan Truong, Be Diem, or Ngoc Nga. Visitors can experience picking and tasting the produce, and buy items to take home such as grapes, wine, and syrup.

Evening

Ninh Thuan is famous for its sheep farming in Vietnam, so if you have the chance to eat lamb, don't miss this opportunity. Many people recommend restaurants like Cuu O Vuong on Tran Quang Dieu Street, A Loc on Pham Ngu Lao Street, or Dong Duong on Ngo Gia Tu Street. Popular dishes include grilled lamb ribs, lamb hot pot, lamb porridge, and roasted lamb leg.

Ninh Thuan-style grilled lamb leg. Photo: O Vuong

Spend the night at Ninh Chu beach, about 4 km from the city center. Along this beach there are many hotels and resorts with prices ranging from 1 to 2.5 million VND per night such as TTC Ninh Thuan resort, Saigon Ninh Chu, Hoan My Resort, Gold Roaster, Long Thuan Hotel & Resort.

Day 2

Morning and noon

If you visit in March, you should take the time to attend a ceremony during the Cham New Year, when families go to the graves to invite their ancestors, grandparents, and parents home to celebrate the New Year, similar to the Tomb Sweeping and Year-End Offering ceremonies of the Kinh people.

Early in the morning, family and relatives go to the communal graves to clean, weed, and rearrange the sand around the "home" of the deceased. Each deceased person is marked by two large stones, with their heads facing north. There are no tombstones with names inscribed on them like with the Kinh people; instead, the family remembers the names themselves. Each row of stones represents a grave.

Activities of the Cham people leading up to the New Year. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Families visit the graves, cleaning, weeding, and rearranging the sand around each "home" of the deceased. Photo: Provided by the family.

The grave is marked with stones. Photo: Provided by the author.

A tray of betel nuts and leaves is brought to the grave. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Each family prepares a tray of betel nuts and leaves. Each tray contains 20 portions, arranged beautifully. If a son or grandson gets married, he will add his portion of betel nuts and leaves to the tray as a sign of the marriage. The prayer and ceremony only lasts about 5-10 minutes. The betel nuts and leaves are then scattered at the grave. Each family member takes a small amount of sand from the grave, puts it in an incense burner, and brings it home to place on the offering tray.

The Cham people do not have altars or incense burners. They only prepare offerings during festivals and holidays, placing incense cones on charcoal to create smoke. Because of their matriarchal system, the most experienced woman in the family is in charge of the rituals. Siblings gather at the ancestral temple (the youngest daughter's house) to prepare the offerings and perform the ceremonies together.

Throughout the year, the Cham people in Ninh Thuan also have many festivals such as Ranuwan, the rain-praying ceremony, the opening ceremony, the biggest of which is the Ka-te Festival in September-October every year.

We had lunch with the Cham people, enjoying dishes prepared by our families before the ceremony.

Afternoon

Visit Bau Truc pottery village, located 10 km from the city. This is one of the oldest pottery villages in Southeast Asia that still exists today.

Products from Bau Truc pottery village. Photo: Provided by the owner.

Bau Truc pottery village. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

While other pottery villages in Vietnam such as Bat Trang ( Hanoi ), Chu Dau (Hai Duong), and Phuoc Tich (Hue) have adopted many high-tech methods in production, the potters of Bau Truc still maintain the ancient method of making pottery entirely by hand and using their own mobile kilns. The kilns are open-air and fueled by wood, straw, and rice husks. Visitors can experience making pottery themselves, buy souvenirs, and take photos.

Alternatives

Nui Chua National Park, Ba Moi vineyard, Thanh Son lake area, sheep grazing fields, Ninh Thuan salt fields, and Mui Dinh are all beautiful destinations. These places are scattered throughout the province, with different routes, so more travel time is needed.

VnExpress

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