“What is the most beautiful season?“ How do you get here? “Where to eat, rest, and have fun?”… You always have those answers to the above questions when reading the article below from Lily’s Travel!
General information of Phan Thiet travel
Phan Thiet is a city in Ninh Thuan Province, located on 1A, from Ho Chi Minh city about 183 km to the eastern north. With its extensive white sand beaches, clear waters, and towering coconut trees, Phan Thiet has long been a well-known seaside vacation spot in Vietnam. This region is not only home to stunning natural beauty, but it is also a desirable place for cultural tourism, home to numerous communities of Tau and Cham people.
Time to travel to Phan Thiet
All twelve months of the year are suitable for travel to Phan Thiet because of its windy, sunny, and rarely stormy environment. However, the best time for you to visit Phan Thiet is in June and July.
Transportation
Departure from Ho Chi Minh City
High-quality car to Phan Thiet:
Time: from 5:00 am, departing at the Eastern car or De Tham Street, District 1.
Ticket prices range from 150.000 – 170.000 VND depending on the airline.
Passenger buses to Phan Thiet
– Kumho (Tel: 1900 6065, Add: Mien Dong Bus Station): drop off at Phan Thiet bus station. If you want to go down to Mui Ne, you must hire a taxi.
– Phuong Trang (Tel: 1900 6067; Add: Mien Dong Bus Station): drop off at the North of Phan Thiet bus station or Mui Ne office, convenient for visitors who want to go straight to Mui Ne area.
– Hanh Café: drop off at Mui Ne, convenient for guests who want to travel to Mui Ne.
Read more: Phan Thiet travel: All detail for your trip from A to Z (Updated 2023) (Part 3)
Trains to Phan Thiet
– Normal train has a price from 110.000 VND/ticket or more. You buy tickets at Saigon Station – 01 Nguyen Thong, Dist.3.
– High-quality train has a price from 160.000 VND/ticket or more, departs every morning. Tel: 08.35261685 – 08.35262724.
Advice
– To get to Phan Thiet Center: Kumho and Phuong Trang cars should be selected because you can drop off at Phan Thiet bus station and be easy to find out a hotel and resort in Phan Thiet.
– To get to Mui Ne: choose Phuong Trang or Hanh Café, because these cars will pick up you on time to the resort in Mui Ne if you want to stay in Mui Ne almost time.
– To get to Mui Ke Ga: go to Phan Thiet Coop.mart Supermarket, take bus No. 6 (every 30 minutes) from Phan Thiet to Mui Ke Ga, along the way, thanks to the bus stopping at his resort. When you return, ask the resort to watch and catch the bus for you and go in the opposite direction.
– If you ride a train, get off at Phan Thiet station rather than Muong Man station because the latter is farther away from Phan Thiet. On the train, there is a bus ticket from the station to the resort in Mui Ne with a price of 30.000 VND/person.
Departure from Hanoi
– Flying from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is the most practical way for visitors to travel to Phan Thiet. Another way is taking a flight from Hanoi to Nha Trang, then continuing to take a passenger bus to Phan Thiet.
Places not to be missed when traveling to Phan Thiet
Phan Thiet city center area
Duc Thanh school
This is a school founded by patriotic priests in 1907 in response to the Duy Tan movement in Trung Ky. Duc Thanh school also remarked on the teaching time of Uncle Ho before entering Saigon. Today, the Duc Thanh school still has almost intact memorabilia from nearly a century ago.
Van Thuy Tu Palace
On Ngu Ong Street, Duc Thang Ward, Phan Thiet has a temple to worship Nam Hai God – Ca Ong (Whale God). The stone skeleton of Nam Hai God is kept at the palace of Van Thuy Tu, 22m long, weighs 65 tons, is considered the largest skeleton in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Every year at the palace, solemn ceremonies are held on lunar days: February 20, April 20, June 20, July 20 and August 23, During the ceremony, there are also activities such as singing, acting, and boat racing…
Ong Hoang Palace
You’ll be curious to investigate the Ong Hoang palace on the way to Mui Ne because the poet Han Mac Tu is connected to it. Han Mac Tu and Mong Cam, the poet’s partner, used to go on dates at the Ong Hoang palace. The poet Han Mac Tu has many poems about this charming landscape.
Poshanu Cham Tower
Poshanu Tower is located on Ba Nai hill, Phu Hai ward, 7 km northeast of Phan Thiet center. The Poshanu Cham Tower is the remains of the ancient Cham pa Kingdom. The tower has the architectural style of Hoa Lai – one of the ancient art styles of Cham Pa people. Although only medium and small in size, it distills the architectural and decorative techniques of the Chăm people to create majesty and mystery.
Ho Chi Minh Museum
Ho Chi Minh Museum – Binh Thuan Branch was founded on May 19, 1986, this is where President Ho Chi Minh lived and taught in 1910 before he entered Saigon to go to find a way to save the country.
The area around Mui Ne
The Circus Land Amusement Park
Circus Land is an American-style coastal amusement park located in Tien Thanh commune, Phan Thiet City. Coming to Circus Land, visitors will have unique experiences, from exciting winning game booths to challenging, thrilling, adventurous games.
Inspired by the American traveling circus model, Circus Land offers a colorful, unique space, with new virtual living check-in corners for visitors, as well as colorful shows. Tickets are sold for a combo of games, starting from 50.000 VND/ ticket. In order not to queue up to buy tickets, you can buy tickets online on reputable booking websites.
Rang Beach
Rang beach is the most beautiful beach in Phan Thiet City. Rang Beach, which is 15 km to the north of Phan Thiet City’s center, is hidden beneath a canopy of dense coconut groves that resembles a stunning coconut jungle. In the summer, Rang beach is busy every afternoon to swim and enjoying the grilled blue flying fishes.
Rom Island
Hon Rom Island is the name of a tiny, pristine mountain in Phan Thiet City’s Long Son hamlet, Mui Ne district. Here, the water is clear blue, the waves are smooth, there are no reefs. In the morning or the afternoon, you can sit to watch the sunrise or sunset; in the evening watch the rising moon or go camping. In Hon Rom, the beach cluster has many islets such as Hon Rom 1, Hon Rom 2, Thuy Trang…
Ghenh Island
Less than 1 km from Mui Ne, Ghenh Island or Lao Island is quite pristine. To get Ghenh Island, you can follow the shuttle service from the hotel or hire a fisherman’s boat for about 200.000 VND/round-trip boat ticket for 10 people. After about 10 minutes of boating, you will set foot on the island. The first impression is the water is so clean that you can see the coral at the bottom with the beautiful, large and small rocky rapids piled up on each other.
Sand Dunes in Mui Ne
Mui Ne sand dunes, located near Hon Rom, are one of the landscapes that have captivated the footprints of poets, painters, and photographers. The sand dunes not only attack people for their beautiful shape but also for the 18 different colors of the sand. If you go by motorbike, you can park at the water stairs opposite the sand dunes (remember to lock the car and remind the owner to note). Up the sand hill, you can rent a board to play sandboard, only about 5.000 VND/sheet. After playing, you can enjoy coconut water, Phan Thiet flour cake…
Bau Trang – Bau Sen
Bau Trang – Bau Sen is far 18 km from Hon Rom. These are two natural freshwater lakes located among the immense white sand dunes. Bau Trang is also known as Bau Ong, where you will admire the lotus flowers blooming in the middle of the white sand dunes in the summer. Bau Sen has another name Bau Ba, this place is a vast lake with the deep blue water surrounded by beautiful sandy caves with pure white, smooth.
Suoi Tien/ Tien Stream
Suoi Tien is a place that is favored by Mui Ne tourists as a fairy place. Suoi Tien is a small water gap located next to Hon Rom, this is a walking stream with a very beautiful sand valley. Next to the stream are natural stalactite hills that are red and white. Due to the erosion of time, stalactites have a strange natural shape.
Mui Ne fishing village
There are two renowned temples on the mountain, Linh Son Truong Tho Pagoda and Long Doan Pagoda, the most famous of which is the statue of Duc Thich Ca, which is 49m long. Not far from the port is a colorful small market with the peaceful beauty of the surrounding coconut trees. Walking along the beach covered with sea shells during the fishing, especially the pier area and the south of the town, you will see how the fishermen classify the fishing.
Other attractive tourist attractions
Hon Ba Island
Hon Ba is a small island located nearly 2 km east of the coast of Lagi, Ham Tan district, about 70 km southeast of Phan Thiet. Hon Ba has the shape of a giant turtle raising its head to stretch itself on the waves of the sea. On the island, there is a temple to worship goddess Ya Ana – the god of the ancient Champa Kingdom.
Read more: Phan Thiet travel: All detail for your trip from A to Z (Updated 2023) (Part 1)
Ke Ga Lighthouse
From Phan Thiet city, you can take bus 6 (operating time: 5:30 am – 6:00 pm), take a length of 30 km to Ke Ga lighthouse (Ham Thuan Nam district, Binh Thuan). If you ride a motorbike, you will follow Highway 1 to Phan Thiet from Saigon, near the Phan River toll station (Ham Minh commune, Ham Thuan Nam district), there is a small fork. Turn right in this direction, go straight to Nhum stream, you turn right to go to Ke Ga peak. The majestic Ke Ga Lighthouse stands among the pristine beaches, clear water. To visit the Ke Ga lighthouse, you can contact the the locals to rent a circle boat. Usually, circle boats are not equipped with life jackets, you should prepare by yourself or rent from homestays on Ke Ga beach.
Ta Cu Mountain Pagoda
Stay from 30km to the south of Phan Thiet City, Ta Cu Mountain amusement area is located close to Highway 1A, in Thuan Nam Town. If you like adventures and have good health, you can try trekking to the mountain. The second way is faster, you can take the cable car to the top of the mountain in 15 minutes, priced at 90.000 VND/ round-trip ticket. On the top of the mountain, there are two famous temples, Linh Son Truong Tho Pagoda and Long Doan Pagoda, the most famous is the statue of Duc Thich Ca located 49m long. This is the largest statue of Buddha in Southeast Asia. Then, some visitors continue their journey to explore the mountain cave.
Co Thach beach and sea
A 7-color stone beach situated in the Co Thach tourist area stretches along a section of the beach of Binh Thanh commune, Tuy Phong district. Stones have many different sizes, large and small shapes. This rock has been recognized by the Vietnam Book of Records Center (Vietbook) as “the rock with the most shape and color in Vietnam”. Between the spies and the vast white sand, the appearance of the rock as a pink point has attracted more and more visitors to the exhibition. Co Thach rock beach is an interesting place to visit when traveling to Phan Thiet or Binh Thuan tourism.
Co Thach Pagoda
Hang Pagoda, whose name is Co Thach Pagoda, was built in the first half of the nineteenth century, located in the cave on Co Thach mountain, at an altitude of over 64m over the sea, in Binh Thanh commune, Tuy Phong district. The pagoda was built in a large cave by Bao Tang Zen master. Visitors can combine visiting this ancient pagoda with the 7-color stone beach above.
Ganh Son
Go to Co Thach, turn right through Binh Thanh fishing village along the sea about 5km, you ask the locals the way to Ghenh Son, in Chi Cong commune, Tuy Phong district. In the morning of the mist or the quiet afternoons, the sea is calm, from the edge, you can see the whole scene of cozy and bustling activities of the fishing village. The red of the stone, the blue of the sea blend to create a harmonious shade that is both near and far, both damaged and real… Ganh Son is a natural gift that has been not found by many people.
Cu Lao Cau island
Cu Lao Cau is located in Phuoc Can commune, Tuy Phong district, and appears from afar to be a huge warship surrounded by tens of thousands of stone blocks of various hues and shapes. This is a deserted island, located about 9km from the coast, about 1 hour and 30 minutes by train from the mainland. On the island, there are thousands of stones with a very unique shape, alternating with smooth green grasses. This place is planned as a marine life reserve and a very attractive marine ecotourism destination.
Phu Quy Island
100 km from the coast of Phan Thiet, on Phu Quy island, there are large pagodas such as Linh Quang pagoda, Cao Cat pagoda… which are recognized as historical and cultural relics. The island’s coral reef vegetation is varied and rich, and there are numerous beaches, including Trieu Duong Bay, Doi Dua Beach, Ganh Hang Beach, Mo Thay Beach, and Trieu Duong Bay. If you have the chance to go to the small islands around Phu Quy island such as Hon Tranh, Hon Dong, Hon Egg, you will surely see how attractive Phan Thiet beach is.
Food to try in Phan Thiet
Rice paper rolls
This dish is sold along with baked fish rice paper rolls with fishing sausage. The ingredients are very simple, including rice paper, fish sauce, grease, quail eggs. Everything is rolled up and very delicious. This dish is usually sold every afternoon.
Address:
– Banh Trang Co Lien: Nguyen Sat Kim Street, opposite Phu Thuy Kindergarten
– Banh Trang Phung: 267 Ngu Ong Street, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan
Banh Canh
Banh Canh is a simple, nutritious dish. You can dip bread in this soup. There are many types of Banh Canh which is a mixture of fish or shrimp… Especially, this dish at Phan Thiet is a little sweet. In addition, you can also eat bread dotted with Vietnamese meatballs.
Address:
– Banh Canh Co Si: 298 Huynh Thuc Khang, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet.
– Banh Canh Co Ly: 566 Tran Hung Dao, Lac Dao, Phan Thiet.
Seafood rolls
Seafood rolls is considered a dish you must enjoy when traveling to Phan Thiet. Fish rolls are made from apricot fish, stream fish or fresh opaque fish served with raw vegetables, vermicelli and a special sauce.
Address:
– Bi Bo Mui Ne Restaurant: 191 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Ham Tien Ward, Thien An Hamlet, Thien Nghiep Commune, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province
– Vietnam Home Restaurant: 125a Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan.
My Quang
A very typical noodles of Phan Thiet, try it once to see the difference between My Quang and Phan Thiet noodles!
Address:
– No. 129 Tran Phu, Phan Thiet City
– My Quang Phuong Phan Thiet: No. 29, Nguyen Du street, Duc Thang Ward, Thien An Hamlet, Thien Nghiep Commune, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province
Banh Can Phan Thiet
It is not too difficult to find a cake shop on Phan Thiet street, this dish is often sold in the evening with a cheap price.
Address:
– Banh Can Lan Nguyet: 8 Hai Thuong Lan Ong, Phan Thiet City
– Banh Can Duyen Phan Thiet: 80 Vo Van Kiet, Phu Thuy ward, Phan Thiet
Read more: Phan Thiet travel: All detail for your trip from A to Z (Updated 2023) (Part 1)
Banh Re Phan Thiet
This is a special street food of Phan Thiet, the taste and color of the cake are very attractive. This dish is available at Phan Thiet Market and specialty stores along the Ca Ty River and in Mui Ne.
Ca Loi xoi mo
Ca Loi is a species of fish that resembles a ray but is smaller and is a famous fish in Phan Thiet. Traditionally, this dish is presented with rice paper. If you go to Phan Thiet without enjoying this dish, it is considered a pity.
Address:
– Restaurants along Pham Van Dong and Phan Thiet streets
– Seafood shops along the Mui Ne embankment
Quai Vac Cake
This is a very popular dish, but the taste is unique. This cake is sold by many street shops in Dao Duong beach or you can enjoy it at the food market in Phan Thiet.
Bun bo (beef noodles)
Bun Bo Phan Thiet is not like Bun Bo Hue. With a smaller noodle and a completely different taste, Bun Bo Phan Thiet is not as big as Hue beef noodles
Address:
– Restaurant 77 – Bun Bo & Bun Mam Phan Thiet: 56 Tuyen Quang Street, Binh Hung District, Phan Thiet
– Beef vermicelli: No. 180 Vo Van Kiet Street, Phu Thuy, Phan Thiet
Grilled teeth squid
A very popular dish for young people when traveling to Phan Thiet
Address:
– Rang muc Loan: 202 Vo Thi Sau Street, Phan Thiet.
– Rang muc Hanh: Nguyen Tat Thanh street, Phan Thiet.
Drop Hot pot
For many visitors to Mui Ne, Drop hot pot is a typical favorite dish. Hot pot is cooked with opaque fish, apricot fish – one of the specialty fish of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan.
Experiences not to be missed when traveling to Phan Thiet
Explore by motorbike
With its vast sand dunes, clear, poetic turquoise beaches, and picturesque fishing villages at dusk, Phan Thiet is an appealing destination for visitors to discover by motorcycle. With about 200.000 VND/day for renting a vehicle, visitors can enjoy the feeling of discovering the nooks and crannies of the city.
Experience the feeling of sandboarding
Located in Mui Ne ward, the “flying” dunes always attract tourists. The unique point here is that every time there is a big wind, the appearance of the sand dunes is different from the previous shape and the colors also change, sometimes yellow, white, gray-white, dark red… blending to create a beautifully natural picture. Sliding from the top of the dunes to the bottom is also an interesting experience. With a plank, many adventurous visitors slide from high slopes down. The screams and laughter will bring you moments of relaxation.
Watch Fishermen Show
Fishermen Show is a unique art space about the cultural interference of Kinh and Cham ethnic groups in Phan Thiet. The content of the program is inspired by the fishing village of Phan Thiet in 1762. This is the only show in Vietnam where professional contemporary dancers and local artisans use traditional musical instruments and sing along with water technologies, swing trusses, led screens, sand dunes, including oxen pulling carts are brought to the stage to make the show both monumental and very lively.
With Fishermen Show, the audience can both access to experience the cultural identity of Phan Thiet and enjoy the art methods that are not inferior to the famous shows in the world, deserving of a “must-see” show when coming to Mui Ne and Phan Thiet. The show was on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 10.30 am.
Enjoy the moment of the sunrise and sunset
Finding a quiet place, watching the sunrise or sunset on the golden sand hills on windy days is wonderful. You can relax to hear the high-sky kites or the waves of the sea that slow down life, all the worries dissipate.
Immerse yourself in a quiet beach
There are many beaches where you can enjoy playing with the waves here. But more interesting is finding a deserted beach, free to enjoy a vast space with land, sea and waves and do what you like.
Windsurfing
With a long, windy coastline, it has become an ideal place for sports, especially windsurfing. Using a dedicated kite, with a dedicated team of guides, it’s fun to be able to comfortably ride on top of the waves.
Rowing to see the lotus in Bau Trang, Bau Sen
If you come to Phan Thiet, you must go to Bau Trang, Bau Sen. These are two natural freshwater lakes located between immense white sand dunes, about 60 km from Phan Thiet. In the lotus season, the lakeside blooms a large area that adorns the white sand hill with colorful colors. You can rent a small boat to walk on the lake, pick a lotus, fish and feel the poetic nature of the lake in the middle of the white sand, watch the beautiful sunset on the lake.
Visit the seafood market at dawn
Exploring and learning about the lives of fishermen in coastal fishing villages is also an interesting experience. Every morning, each night fishing boat comes ashore, everyone rushes together to bring fish and seafood to the shore, trading busily.
Capture beautiful moments
The scenery of small fishing villages, sunrises falling on the sea, on rocky rapids or white sand dunes have become beautiful places to take pictures.
Read more: Phan Thiet travel: All detail for your trip from A to Z (Updated 2023) (Part 2)
The best center Vietnam tour: Tour in Vietnam
