Endowed with charming landscapes, Vietnam is set to be one of the most attractive destinations in Southeast Asia and Asia. If you long for picture-perfect beaches, white sand and gorgeous sunshine, it is worth listing Phan Thiet in your Vietnam tours. Before going to this beach paradise, you should learn some necessary information to enjoy your trip completely at your own pace. This article will be a useful Phan Thiet travel guide giving you essential tips for a wonderful beach break.
Phan Thiet travel guide
The best time to visit Phan Thiet
You can plan for a trip to Phan Thiet all year round but it should be noticed that it often rains heavily in July and August. If you travel in rainy season, the rain may stop you from going off on your adventures. Because of the rain, sand will gradually slide to the river, turning the water into red as alluvium. That is obviously not a good condition for swimming in the water or taking any selfies with the landscapes. Therefore, the ideal time to visit Phan Thiet is from January to May when nature is in perfect state.
How to get to Phan Thiet
There are many options provided to visit Phan Thiet. But tourists mainly choose to get there by train or by bus.
By train
There is the morning SPT2 train running between Ho Chi Minh and Phan Thiet. The railway from Saigon station to Phan Thiet station is approximately 187 kilometers. The train departs every day and the travel time is nearly 4 hours. Tickets can be bought at Main railway station of Ho Chi Minh at $16-18, depending on hard seats or soft seats. With air conditioner and a comfortable seat, you can read newspapers or simply enjoy magnificent sceneries outside.
Ho Chi Minh railway station
Address: 1 Nguyen Thong, Ward 9, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
Phan Thiet railway station
Address: 1 Le Duan, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan province
By bus
The cheapest way to get to Phan Thiet is by bus. You can easily buy a bus ticket in Pham Ngu Lao District in the center of Ho Chi Minh city. There are both daytime and nighttime buses from Ho Chi Minh to Phan Thiet. The travel time often ranges from 5 to 7 hours depending on the road traffic. The daytime buses offer usual seats at $5 while nighttime ones are equipped with folding seats, but of course, you will have to pay more, about $5-15.
Where to visit in Phan Thiet
Poshanu Cham Tower
Located on Ba Nai Hill, about 7 km northeast of Phan Thiet, Poshanu Tower is one of the most important remains of Cham culture. Today there are only three towers left including the 15-meter-high main tower with 3 floors, facing toward the east, since in Cham culture, it is believed that the east is home of gods. Despite having small size, the tower still proves its brilliance, attracting many tourists across the world. People visiting the tower are intrigued by not only its magnificent architecture but also the sad love story of the princess named Poshanu.
Hon Rom Island
Hon Rom, famous for gorgeous landscapes, is considered one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mui Ne. The island has its name originating from the shape of itself from a distance. In dry season, straw on the island turns yellow at once, making the whole island look like a giant pile of straw (straw in Vietnamese means “Rom”). Hon Rom also manifests its beauty in the pristine seashores in the southwest coast and stones with various shapes lying peacefully in the east coast. Gazing westward from the island, you can see sand dunes hidden behind bushes and cactuses. They all highlight the charm of nature on the island and entirely contribute to the magnificence of Phan Thiet.
Mui Ne Flying Sand Dune
Stretching an area of over 50 hectares formed long time ago, Flying Sand Dune is a second-to-known masterpiece of Mui Ne. While you can descend snow-covered slopes in many Western countries, now in Vietnam, you can smoothly slide on sand. From the top of the dunes, you can peer down far-reaching views covered with turquoise water of the sea and sparkling sand under the glorious sunshine. The most convincible reason for visiting this place may be that the entrance ticket is completely free, the parking fee costs next to nothing and with only 20,000 VND, you can feel free to hire a plastic board to enjoy thrilling moments while performing your cool sliding skills. The destination now attracts not only travelers but also photographers who are inspired by nature’s hidden charm.
White Lake – Lotus Lake
65 km away from Phan Thiet, White Lake and Lotus Lake are simple sketches of the pure beauty of nature. It is not hard to recognize the lake from a far thanks to its crystal-clear water mixed perfectly with the green eco system around. White Lake also has another name which is Lotus Lake because when it comes to specific time of the year, the lake will be covered with beautiful aromatic lotus blossoms and become home to different types of freshwater fish. You can rent a small boat and enjoy fishing while exploring the beauty here at your own pace. Along the bank of the lake are rows of casuarina trees which greatly cool down the heat from sand dunes around.
Fairy Spring
Phan Thiet has long been favored by majestic sand dunes, picturesque beaches and tempting seafood. But many may still feel strange to this fantastic spring as it is just a small stream near Hon Rom, partly hidden by huge sand dunes. Countless stalactites with distinctive shapes along the spring bank make the untouched landscapes look like long unforgotten shrines or citadels. All tourists will be intrigued by the feeling of refreshment when soaking feet in the spring. Tiredness and worry from the daily work seem to completely disappear; only joy and peace still remain in the soul.
Mui Ne Fishing Village
As a must when traveling to Phan Thiet, this fishing village will give you a big chance to explore the lifestyle of fishermen. If you have a thirst for seafood, just feel free to buy fresh crabs, shellfish, etc., from local vendors and take away or ask the them to cook for you at a super budget price compared to buying from the market. The noise and the pace at this place probably make people think of a chaotic festival but then it will turn out that people here are extremely friendly and everything just runs in a good manner on a daily basis. Walking further into the village, you can give your eyes a great feast with the picture of locals meticulously making fish sauce or drying fish. Besides, the feeling of refreshment as drinking coconut water with the shining smiles of locals will make you love the nature and locals more than ever before.
Phu Quy Island
Voted as 1 of 5 most beautiful places for beach break in Vietnam along with Con Dao, Cat Ba Island, Vinpearl and Whale Island, Phu Quy Island manifests itself in pristine beaches, untouched nature and simple yet lovely lifestyle of locals. We will stumble upon an island with its paradise-like visage which has various shapes depending on where you stand and look.
120km from Phan Thiet City to the east of Binh Thuan Province, Phu Quy Island can easily be reached by ships which usually depart at 8-11 A.M, but this is not the fixed schedule because it strongly depends on the weather. Most guests often opt for homestay when resting on the island because it is cost-friendly. As it comes to travel on the island, you can rent motorbikes from locals to go around. Apart from distinctive coral reefs, Phu Quy also features glistening beaches, attracting many tourists. For those who are into windsurfing, perhaps they will be ready to pay whatever it takes to leave a footprint on the island.
What to eat in Phan Thiet
Your trip to Phan Thiet will be incomplete without experiencing the local cuisine. This city is famous for not only seafood but also unique dishes which are hard to be found anywhere else. Here are five appetizing foods you should try at least once when visiting Phan Thiet.
Grilled Vietnamese iguana
Considered the best dish in Phan Thiet by many tourists, grilled iguana must be an interesting change for those who wish for something different from an ordinary dish.
Recommended address:
– Vietnam Home Restaurant: 125AB Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne
– Restaurant 49: 49 Pham Van Dong Street
Grilled squid teeth
Depending on your request, you will have grilled, fried or stir fried squid teeth. They are often steamed with ginger and grilled on a kebab.
Recommended address:
– Restaurant 49: 49 Pham Van Dong Street
– Some food stalls on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street (near Doi Duong Beach)
Fried loi fish in pork grease
The simple dish features steamed loi fish is served with rice paper. It is said that you will miss out the best of Phan Thiet unless trying this well-known specialty.
Recommended address:
– Xuan Vang Restaurant: Pham Van Dong Street, Phan Thiet
– Thu Ty, Tu Minh Restaurant: along the bank of Ca Ty River
Can cakes
The cake is a mix of meat, shrimp and green bean. The cake would taste the best when served with seasoning sauce, sweet fish sauce and herbs.
Recommended address:
– 168 Thu Khoa Huan, Phan Thiet
– Lan Nguyet Restaurant: 8 Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street
Quang noodle
The noodle is made from rice flour, usually eaten with pork, shrimp, vegetables and topped with grilled rice paper and spices. Try it and feel the difference between the bowl of noodle in Phan Thiet and Hoi An.
Recommended address:
– 129 Tran Phu Street, Phan Thiet
– Ms Phuong Restaurant: 20 Nguyen Du, Phan Thiet
Besides, there are endless specialties you shouldn’t miss when taking a trip to this gorgeous city. Here are some: spade fish salad, Vietnamese crepe, Quai Vac cake, Nghe cake, sour breadsoup, etc.
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