Tourist’s guide to Phan Thiet, Vietnam – beach holidays

Today, the Vietnamese resort of Phan Thiet, which will be discussed in this article, is gaining more and more popularity.

Phan Thiet, Vietnam

general information

Sea coast Phan Thiet

Phan Thiet Resort in Vietnam is a city with a population of about 400 thousand people, located in the south of the country on the shores of the South China Sea, about 220 km from Ho Chi Minh City. This resort attracts tourists with its unique microclimate and sea coast. The coastal landscape is also interesting, which is represented by sandy beaches and dunes, as well as flat territories located along rivers.

The main river of the city – Sa Tu – divides Phan Thiet into two districts, interconnected by Chan Hung Dao Bridge.

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Resort area Phan Thiet: infrastructure, entertainment

Despite the fact that historically the city of Phan Thiet as a settlement arose as far back as the Middle Ages, it became a world-famous resort quite recently, about 20 years ago. And this event is connected with the total solar eclipse that occurred on December 24, 1995. It was then that thousands of people in Vietnam, as well as foreigners came to enjoy the eclipse … and at the same time they chose the city itself, more precisely, its fine sand beaches.

At the same time, the first hotel was built, which became a haven for fans of kiting and windsurfing, and a stream of tourists rushed to the new resort.

Photo: central beach
Mui Ne Central Beach
Beach infrastructure

Interestingly, on the longest beach of the resort – Tien Tan – from the tourist infrastructure there are only hotels. The bulk of people come to rest in the neighboring village of Mui Ne, where you can find inexpensive guest houses and five-star hotels, shops, cafes and restaurants.

The main difference between the beaches of Phan Thiet from the resorts of Hoi An and Nha Trang is more calm weather. Therefore, when heavy rains rage in Nha Trang, waves only rise in Phan Thiet, which plays into the hands of windsurfers.

Dragon Beach Night Club
Dragon beach
 

The beach is quite comfortable – vacationers can rent kites or boards, use sun loungers. Golf is a fairly popular sport, and at night, nightclubs, such as Show Club, Dragon Beach, Wax Bar (located right by the sea, on the beach), Ocean Republic, are warmly welcomed by vacationers.

Purchases

Shopping at this resort, as well as throughout Vietnam, has a rich assortment and more than low prices. The best souvenir brought to their homeland can be called local products from natural silk, as well as flip flops. Often, tourists purchase crocodile and snake skin products, the price of which in Vietnam is 2-3 times lower than in Russia. There are several large supermarkets in this resort town: the most famous are COOP Mart and Lotte Plaza.

Supermarket Coop March

The busiest shopping spot is Phan Thiet’s main street, Nguyen Dinh Hieu, which stretches along the coast. Here you can find cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, trays with exotic fruits, pharmacies that sell herbal preparations and therapeutic ointments.

Especially popular is the ointment “Cobratox”, which helps with a variety of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

What else can be brought from Vietnam? High-quality varieties of coffee, tea, alcohol, sun sprays and creams, excellent baby clothes.

sights

Travelers who have arrived in Phan Thiet, in addition to relaxing on the sea, should see the following natural and historical-architectural sights.

Water tower
Water tower

The main attraction of the city is the water tower, built in 1934. For almost 50 years, it served as a reservoir for collecting and storing water. The height of this structure is equal to the height of a seven-story building, and the tower looks more like a fortress.

Chama towers
Photo: Chamov Towers

Of the historical sights, the Cham Tower is worth noting. This is an ancient architectural complex consisting of three buildings of the 7th century. Interestingly, the two towers are solid, i.e. they do not have a hollow space inside, but the third structure can be explored from the inside. The Cham Towers were once part of numerous structures that symbolized the power of the Cham empire dating back to the early Middle Ages.

Ke Ga Lighthouse

Another architectural attraction is the 60-meter Ke Ga lighthouse, located on a separate small island. You can get to it on any fishing vessel.

Ke Ga Lighthouse
Red creek
Photo: red creek

Among the natural beauties you definitely need to see the “Fairy Stream”. Locals call this small pond a “magic river” or a “red stream.” It is very quiet and peaceful, and if you walk along the channel against the current, you can see a small waterfall, from which the “fairy stream” begins.

White dunes
Photo: White Dunes

For romantics in the vicinity of Phan Thiet, Vietnam (photo) there is also a special attraction – these are the white dunes and the Lotus Lake. It represents a whole conglomeration of three large lakes (“female”, “male” and “mango”) and many small ponds framed by blooming lotuses. Usually people come here at sunset.

Mount Taku
Statue of a reclining Buddha on Mount Taku

A rare tourist denies the pleasure of climbing Mount Taku 700 meters high, which is a natural viewing platform. It is from here that the best views of both the popular resort of Vietnam Phan Thiet and its surroundings, and the 49-meter statue of the reclining Buddha open. This statue, by the way, is the largest in the country. You can climb Taku on foot or on the funicular.

Fish Sauce Plant
Barrels in which fish sauce is infused, Phan Thiet

Industrial Attraction – Fish Sauce Factory. True, only one who can easily tolerate the stagnant fish spirit, with which everything is saturated here, can visit it. Despite the peculiar smell and sanitary conditions far from ideal, foreigners visit this place in droves. Perhaps because of curiosity, because the quality of the fish sauce produced here is considered very high.

Fishing harbor

Fans of the marine atmosphere are usually in a hurry to see the 5 km long fishing harbor. Here you can leisurely wander along the coast, looking at a variety of boats, rafts and even large motor ships used to transport the catch. In addition, people come to Fishing Harbor to meet the dawn, and at the same time buy the freshest fish.

Photo: fishing harbor
Dragon Fruit Plantations
Dragon Fruit Plantations

Plantations of pitahaya, an exotic plant that yields very tasty fruits called dragon fruit, are also interesting. By the way, this fruit is one that you should definitely try if you come to Vietnam.

There are plantations along the road on the way to Mount Taku (QL1 highway), so it would be reasonable to combine a visit to these two attractions.

Beaches in and around the city

Tien Tan Beach
Photo: kitesurfers on the central beach

The main attraction of this resort are, of course, Phan Thiet beaches. The largest of them is Tien Tan Beach. It is not crowded and located southwest of the city of Phan Thiet. The beach is relatively well maintained – hotel workers clean up near their territory. But during the tides, the sea still brings garbage, so you can not call Tien Tan perfectly clean.

All tourist infrastructure here is concentrated on the territory of hotels. Outside, finding a restaurant will be problematic.

Ham Thien
Photo: Ham Thien

Another beach, Ham Thien, is located to the east, is not crowded, and the developed infrastructure also cannot boast. The beach is not very actively looked after, be prepared to see garbage on the shore. But from here you can walk to the Red Stream and the large market. There are a lot of budget housing in the beach area.

Puhai beach
Puhai Beach, Mui Ne

The third beach, Puhai, is located to the west of Central and is a calm and quiet place for a comfortable expensive vacation. Here you will not find cheap guesthouses and simple eateries. Near the hotels the beach is cleaned, therefore, relaxing on the sea will be pleasant.

Tourists who come to Vietnam are usually interested in what kind of sea is in Phan Thiet, what kind of sand, what is the temperature of the water and the height of the waves, etc.

So, the features of the beaches in Phan Thiet:

White sand beach in Phan Thiet
  1. the sand here is very fine, almost like flour;
  2. you won’t call it snow-white either; rather, it is light golden (this can be seen in the photo of Fantiet beaches);
  3. the beaches are not the cleanest, with windy weather the waves bring garbage ashore.
  4. well-maintained beach areas are located near expensive hotels;
  5. water in the sea is warm, warms up to + 26C- + 28C;
  6. conditions on the coast are favorable for practicing a wide variety of water sports;
  7. Despite the positioning of these beaches as ideal for families, swimming with children is problematic due to the large waves, not too clear sea waters and sand, swelled by the wind and striving to get into all the pores;
  8. the most optimal time for swimming is morning, since quite high waves rise already in the afternoon;
  9. on the network there is information about sand fleas on the beach.

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Weather and climate

Air temperature in Phan Thiet

A unique feature of this resort is its microclimate, because the rainy season, characteristic of this region, is practically absent. Therefore, if in August and February in the central regions of the country are raging tropical showers paired with typhoons, in Fantiet things are much more optimistic.

The temperature in the resort of Phan Thiet rarely reaches extreme values, ranging from +20 ° C at night to +35 ° C in the daytime. Humidity is usually 79-81%. The sea in Phan Thiet is always warm – the water temperature throughout the year is in the range + 25 … + 30 ° C.

Sea temperature, Phan Thiet

When is the best time to go on vacation in Phan Thiet? The high season for rest is considered to be the period from November to March inclusive. But in April-May, the air temperature reaches maximum levels, which in combination with high humidity is quite difficult to tolerate, especially if there are problems with the heart or blood vessels. Only in August-October there are short-term rains, moreover, not daily, but a couple of times a week.

How to get from Ho Chi Minh City

To get to Phan Thiet, you must first fly to Ho Chi Minh City or Nha Trang, since this Vietnamese resort does not have its own airport.

The easiest way to fly to Ho Chi Minh City, and from here you can get to Phan Thiet in several ways.

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On a tourist bus

Travel time is about 6 hours. Ticket price – $ 8-10 per person.

There is no direct connection from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to Phan Thiet. First you need to get to the city center, to district 1. This can be done by bus number 152, mototaxi or an ordinary taxi, and already here at the tour desk you can buy a ticket for a special tourist bus, following the flight to Mui Ne and passing through Phan Thiet. One of them is located at the address that you can see in the photo.

Agency where you can buy a bus ticket Ho Chi Minh City-Fantiet

However, keep in mind that buses generally depart before lunchtime or very late in the evening.

By bus
Meing Dong Bus Terminal Road Station

First you need to get from the airport to the Meing Dong Bus Terminal Road Station. To do this, on the same bus number 152 you need to get to the Ben Tan market (this will take 20-25 minutes), and then transfer to bus number 26, which goes straight to the bus terminal. From here, every half hour throughout the day, buses leave for the Fantiet bus station.

Ticket price – from $ 10.

By taxi

Travel time is 4-4.5 hours. You will have to pay $ 90-120 for the fare . This way to get to Phan Thiet will be beneficial for those traveling in a small company.

By train

The train leaves for Phan Thiet from Ho Chi Minh Railway Station twice a day – at 6-40 in the morning. Address: 1 Nguyen Thong, 9 Ward, 3 District, Ho Chi Minh City.

The journey takes 3 hours 45 minutes.

Schedule and cost of railway tickets Ho Chi Minh City

The fare on a soft spot is $ 18, on a hard one – $ 16. For children under 9 years of age discounts are provided. You can book tickets online on the Vietnam Railway website (vietnam-railway.com) or purchase a travel document at the box office.

Prices and timetables are valid for May 2018.



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