Phan Thiet Travel Guide

Phan Thiet has an area of ​​about 200km2, diverse natural landscape, beautiful coastal roads tens of kilometers long and historical relics of the once prosperous Champa civilization.

What season is beautiful in Phan Thiet?

Phan Thiet Beach. Photo: Crislove97

Phan Thiet is located in a dry area with a typical tropical climate, with lots of sunshine and wind. There are still two rainy and sunny seasons, but the rainy season is not long. This place is also less affected by storms and there is 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 bus, self-driving car, train, etc. If you use a personal vehicle from Ho Chi Minh City, it will take you about 2 hours to travel on the Long Thanh - Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway, which was inaugurated on April 30, 2023. To Phan Thiet from Hanoi, you buy a plane ticket to Tan Son Nhat airport (Ho Chi Minh City) or Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) and then continue by car to Phan Thiet. The airfare ranges from 2 to 4 million VND, depending on the time. From Saigon station to Phan Thiet station takes nearly 4 hours, the train ticket price is 250,000-350,000 VND. The bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet costs about 200,000-450,000 VND depending on the type. Bus fares from Khanh Hoa to Phan Thiet range from 150,000 to 300,000 VND. Bus fares 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 with the most hotels and resorts in Phan Thiet is Mui Ne ward. There are luxury resorts here, providing full services of sea sports , restaurants, swimming pools, bars and spas. Some famous hotels in Mui Ne are 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?

Phan Thiet's tourist map is divided into four main areas: the city center, Mui Ne, Mui Ke Ga and Hon Rom. Starting from one of these four points, you can explore other famous places in Phan Thiet. Phan Thiet is often just a stopover for tourists who combine their stay in Mui Ne. Therefore, if you are in the city for only 1-2 days, visit the famous places below.

Doi Duong Beach Park Doi Duong Beach Park, formerly known as Doi Duong Beach, is located in the city center. On the way to the beach, visitors will pass through rows of poplar trees planted on both sides to block the wind. Stepping out of the poplar trees is a large white sand beach, stretching into an arc shape, suitable for beach sports such as volleyball and sandcastling. Doi Duong sea water is very shallow and calm, with few big waves, so it is quite safe. Visitors can come and swim for free.

Doi Duong Sea 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, 32 m high. 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 established and operated under the general policy of the Duy Tan movement. This is also the place where President Ho Chi Minh stopped to teach from September 1910 to February 1911, before leaving to find a way to save the country. Today, the Duc Thanh school area still retains almost intact the relics 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 Ancestor of the fishing profession of Binh Thuan fishermen. Inside the temple is a place to worship more than 100 whale skeletons, including the largest whale skeleton in Southeast Asia. This is also the place to preserve 24 royal decrees of the Nguyen Dynasty kings. When coming here, visitors can not only admire the ancient beauty of hundreds of years but also learn more about the rituals and festivals associated with fishing beliefs. Ong Hoang's Palace

The French bunker in the old Ong Hoang building area. Photo: jadenng0

Located at the top of Ba Nai hill, Ong Hoang tower is the remaining ruins of the villa built by Duke De Montpensier in 1911. However, the villa now only has a basement. The place where tourists often visit is a bunker built by the French during the war located nearby. This was also the dating and moon-watching place of poet Han Mac Tu (1912 - 1940) with his lover Mong Cam. One of the poet's famous poems about Ong Hoang tower is "Phan Thiet Phan Thiet". Po Sah Inu tower Less than 2 km from Ong Hoang tower is Po Sah Inu tower. This is one of the most ancient groups of towers of the Champa kingdom in Binh Thuan, dating from the early 8th to the 9th century. Only small and medium in size, this tower is the crystallization of the quintessence of architectural techniques and decorative arts of the ancient Cham people. Visitors can enter the tower for a one-way ticket price of 10,000 VND. Ong Dia Stone Beach

Ong Dia Stone Beach. Photo: Manh Huy

About 10 km from the center of Phan Thiet city, Ong Dia Stone Beach is a clean, fine sand beach, long and without pebbles, shallow seabed, clear and very calm water. Coming to Ong Dia Stone Beach, visitors can choose to enjoy walking on the beach, sitting in a cafe and checking in with colorful basket boats, breakwaters or experience sea sports such as surfing.

Specialty

Rice vermicelli with pork offal. Photo: Phan Thiet Pho

Banh hoi is made from rice flour, through many processing stages to create a cake made from small white noodles, looking like vermicelli. Phan Thiet banh hoi is eaten with boiled pork intestines. When enjoying, pork intestines are rolled with banh hoi, rice paper, and dipped in sweet and sour sauce.

Rice paper with shrimp paste is a rustic dish often sold in the afternoon. The simple dish consists of mashed boiled eggs, sour mango, shredded cucumber, and broken grilled rice paper rolled with rice paper. The rice paper dipping sauce is shrimp paste, often with chopped fresh chili and lemon juice, then mixed well. Phan Thiet people use fish meat to make fish cakes, fish bones to cook broth, and fish paste for seasoning.

Grilled mackerel with scallion oil. Photo: Phan Thiet Pho

The fish is cut into pieces, arranged on a plate or left whole and steamed. The fatty meat is chopped, fried until golden brown, and green onions are added. When the fish is steamed, a layer of scallion fat is poured over the fish, then crushed peanuts are sprinkled for aroma, and eaten with a sweet and sour dipping sauce or tamarind fish sauce. Many gourmets will add a piece of fish liver to the dipping sauce, puree it, and when eaten, it will have a rich, fatty feeling.

Note

April and May are the hottest months in Phan Thiet, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees and intense sunlight. In July and August, Phan Thiet beaches will experience red tides, with algae blooming, making the sea water murky 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 the situation where hotels and resorts are fully booked, especially during peak season.

Summer in Phan Thiet often rains in the late afternoon, so spend time sightseeing and having fun in the morning.

Quynh Mai - Viet Quoc

Source