Northern Central Vietnam Thanh Hóa

A large, sprawling, and primarily commercial city, Thanh Hóa at first appears to have little to offer to tourists in search of historical or spectacular sights. However, its proximity to S+m S£n’s spectacular beach and B\n En’s amazing natural sights, as well as streets filled with delightful cafes, outdoor markets offering delicious treats, and quality, affordable hotels, merit a stop. Though the city lacks a well-established infrastructure for foreign tourists, those who have the patience and time will find a visit worthwhile.

Transportation. The train station, Thanh Hóa, lies at the western edge of town, at the end of Phan Chu Trinh. Trains to northern destinations leave five times daily; southbound trains leave four times daily. Trains depart for: Hà Nÿi (3-5hr.; 43,000-190,000); HCMC (33-40hr.; 396,000-830,000); Hu\ (9-11hr.; 133,000-275,000); Nha Trang (33-37hr.; 294,000-610,000); Ninh Bình (1-2hr.; 15,000-30,000); Vinh (2-3hr.; 36,000-73,000). If you’re going to HCMC or Hu\, get tickets a day in advance (☎851 527). There is no central bus station. Buses leave from different stops near the edge of town, depending on their destination. A minibus station—locals, for some reason, call it a “car” station—is located at the intersection of Nguy[n Trãi and ình Ngh_, 1km south of Tr<n Phú, and goes to all the major cities. Minibuses to Hà Nÿi leave every 15 to 30min. during the day (40,000). You can also flag one down along Tr<n Phú. There are also frequent minibuses to Vinh (20,000-30,000).

Orientation And Practical Information. Though maps of Thanh Hóa are hard to come by, the city’s grid layout makes it easy to reach your destination, as long as you remember your position in relation to the city’s two main streets, Lˆ Li and Tr<n Phú. Much of the city is concentrated on and near Tr<n Phú (Hwy. 1), which pulses through the city from north to south. Lˆ Li, named after the 14th-century hero who was born in this city, bisects the city from east to west. The two streets intersect at Lˆ Li Square, which has a large statue of the hero and marks the center of town.

While tourist offices in the city are few and far between, one can be found in a small booth at 34 Lˆ Li. The lady inside speaks decent English, sells maps, and can arrange tours within the province. (☎860 384. Open daily 7-11:30am and 2-5pm.) Another tourist office, Trekking Travel, Inc., 25A Quang Tr™ng, is next to Hotel Thanh Hóa, two and a half kilometers south of the city center. (☎758 812. Open daily 7-11am and 1-5pm. Sells open-tour bus tickets from Thanh Hóa to all major cities.) To reach a bank, head from the city center 500m north to the roundabout and take a left on Phan Chu Trinh. Immediately on your left and right, you’ll pass a slew of banks. To exchange money or traveler’s checks, or to get cash advances, stop into a branch of the Incombank, 17 Phan Chu Trinh. (☎852 318; www.icb.com.vn. Open 7am-5pm.) A 24hr. ATM stands outside. The post office (B™u i_n), 33 Tr<n Phú, stands at the intersection of Lˆ Li and Tr<n Phú, near Lˆ Li Square. Telephones are inside. (☎752 700. Open daily 6am-10pm.) There is a pharmacy next to Hotel Thàn C®ng at 27 Tri_u Qu·c åt. (☎836 720. Open daily 7am-11am and 1-9pm.) For Internet access, head west down Lˆ Li, taking your first right onto Hàng D·ng; a small Internet shop can be found right on the corner of the intersection at 132 Hàng D·ng. (☎853 020. 2000 per hour. Open 7-10:30pm.) There are markets scattered all over the city; the largest is Ch Qu=ng Cao, in a huge stadium on Lˆ Li, where everything imaginable is sold. There is also a fish market on Phan Chu Trinh, right across from the Incombank. The most enjoyable market, though, is one along Lˆ Duy Doán that sells fish, fruit, veggies, and local specialties. All markets are open from dawn to dusk.

Accommodations And Food. In Thanh Hóa, there is a variety of lodging options scattered around the city. There is a surprisingly large number of four-star hotels set up for the businessmen and international investors that pass through the city. Though less visible, budget options are around, too. The best value can be found at the sparkling new, family-run Hotel Mi]n Tñy Xanh 2, 212 ình Ngh_, located at the western end of Nguy[n Trãi, right near the minibus station. The rooms are clean and spacious with crisp white sheets, fluffy pillows, TV, and private bath. The family that runs it is extremely kind, helpful, and generous. (☎851 718. Doubles with fan 120,000, with A/C 150,000.) Another inexpensive option is Nha Kach Thanh Bình 2, 2 Nguy[n Du, located at the city center. The rooms are dark and small, but have air-conditioning, TV, and private bath. Going north up Tr<n Phú, take your first left after the post office, and it’s 50m down the road on your left. (☎752 543. Doubles 120,000.) For good quality at a higher price, head to Hotel Thàn C®ng 4, 29 Tri_u Qu·c åt, where the rooms are comfortable, spacious, and spotless, and come with air-conditioning, TV, refrigerator, and tubless baths. The staff is helpful and some speak English. From the post office, head north along Tr<n Phú for 600m, taking a left onto Tri_u Qu·c åt just slightly before Phan Chu Trinh. The hotel is about 50m down, on the left side. (☎710 224; fax 710 656. 1 double bed 170,00-210,000; 2 double beds 230,000-250,000. Prices vary depending on room size.) There is a restaurant 2 downstairs. (Soup 15,000-20,000; crab 35,000; juice 5000-7000; beer 10,000-15,000. Open daily 7am-7pm.) The city’s specialties mostly involve shrimp, shellfish, and fish. Stalls selling shrimp chowder (chau t®m; 10,000) can be found all over the city, especially near Lˆ Hoàn. There are a few vendors in the outdoor market on Lˆ Duy Doán that cook egg pancakes with scallions and shrimp (6000), but the most famous of the city’s culinary specialties is nem chua, pig meat and skin cooked in a banana leaf. It can be found in nearly any restaurant or market for 4000. Wash it down with n™c dau má, a sweet and bitter drink with supposed medicinal powers. One of the city’s few good restaurants is Sÿng Dá 2, 13 Cao Th}ng, a street that runs parallel and 50km east of Tr<n Phú. Their specialties are cá bóng supa (fish soup; 30,000) and spring rolls (4000). There’s good service, too. (☎853 864. Entrees 30,000-90,000. Open 7am-10:30pm.)

Sights And Nightlife. There are no sights of real interest for travelers in Thanh Hóa, save a pleasant park and a gray Catholic church. To reach the park, head west on Phan Chu Trinh toward the train station. The park is across from the now-abandoned movie theater; it’s a beautiful spot for a lazy afternoon walk. To get to the church, go 100m north of Phan Chu Trinh on Tr<n Phú and take a right onto Nguy[n Tr™£ng Tõ when you see the church’s gray steeple looming on your right. In the evening, the city’s residents sit in cafes drinking coffee or sugarcane juice and enjoying kem (ice cream). To mingle with the local night crowd, head to Lˆ Li Square. There are stands all around the square filled with teens and adults eating ice cream and socializing. This laid-back crowd stays until 10:30pm and then heads home. Outside of the square, there is—you guessed it—karaoke.

S+m S£n

Public transportation to S+m S£n is scarce, so most tourists arrive by car or motorbike. However, minibuses make the trip from Thanh Hóa to S+m S£n about 4 or 5 times per day and can be flagged down at the intersection of Lˆ Li and Tr<n Phú. To get there on your own, head east out of the city along Lˆ Duy Toàn. Cross a bridge and continue 16km to the beach.

The most developed beach resort of the north, S+m S£n, which lies 16km east of Thanh Hóa, offers two very different types of beaches. While S+m S£n’s northern beach, where tourists swim and relax on umbrella-covered beach chairs (typically you must buy a drink to claim a chair; sodas 8000), is the more popular, the rocky southern beach is the real jewel. Visitors sit in bamboo shacks built upon the cliffs drinking milk straight out of a coconut (10,000) and watching small fishing boats float around in the ocean. Beautiful and serene though it is, S+m S£n’s waters are not as clear as other beaches, and its views aren’t as stunning—but the cliffside huts along the northern coast make this beach unique.

To reach the rocks, head south along the coast until you see several staircases. As you reach the top of the cliff, you will come across the small and simple Chùa D\n Dòc Cuóc pagoda, where locals come to pray. Past the pagoda are 20 to 25 bamboo shacks offering coconut milk (10,000), beer (10,000), soda (8000), or a chair with a view of the waves and the small fishing skiffs below (5000 per hr. without a drink). Nestled in the boulders is what looks like a museum and park dedicated to the town’s hero, Than oc Choc, which details his adventures with a ride and moving displays. Geared towards Vietnamese children, the short tour has little English and can be boring for those who know nothing about the hero. (Open daily 6:30-11am and 1:30-10:30pm. Tour 19,000.)

Those wanting to spend a night at the beach will have no problem finding a hotel—the northern part of the beach is a jungle of hotels and restaurants. It is nearly impossible to distinguish between the sea of hotels, both private and government-run. Finding a specific hotel can be even harder, as the numbers on streets are not very well marked. Hotels with up-front views of the beach are generally priced higher; cheaper rooms can be found in the numerous hotels farther from the shores. Some of the best deals in town can be found near the southern tip of S+m S£n. There, you will find a cluster of 200,000 options along Trung TÆm Bãi T m. Hoa H·ng I 3, almost directly behind the rocky shore, has bare, clean rooms with air-conditioning, fan, TV, private bath, and views of the ocean. (☎821 459. Bargain doubles to 200,000.) Another group of relatively inexpensive hotels can be found one and a half kilometers north along Bà Tri_u, the main drag running alongside the coast, perpendicular to H· Xuñn H™£ng. Th\ Anh 3, on Nguy[n Vn C, offers small, simple rooms with air-conditioning, TV, wooden furniture, and small private baths. (☎821 459. Doubles 200,000.) To get there from Lˆ Lai, take a left onto H· Xuñn H™£ng when you arrive at the ocean. Continue straight for one kilometer; turn left onto Bà Tri_u and left again onto Nguy[n Vn C. The hotel will be 20m up on your left. Just north of Th\ Anh, at the intersection of Bà Tri_u and Nguy[n Vn C, is Hotel Tùng Lñm 3, 4 Bà Tri_u. Though beginning to reveal its age, clean and colorful doubles with air-conditioning, fan, private bath, and a balcony with a pleasant view make this a pretty good choice. (☎821 479. 200,000 per person; doubles 250,000.) The restaurant 3 downstairs serves set menu meals of fish, beef, and chicken with very generous portions to the tune of 50,000 per person. (Open daily 6am-11pm.) There is a grouping of clean and friendly seafood restaurants along Bà Tri_u on the walk from Hotel Tùng Lñm to the beach. (Shrimp chowder 8000-10,000; rice with fish 30,000-40,000; beer 8000-10,000.) You can buy snake wine about anywhere for 150,000 per kg or dried octopi for 30,000 per bunch.

If you visit this beach during the summer, expect to share the it with a lot of Vietnamese tourists, especially on weekends. However, as the beach is large, you should be able to find a quiet spot for yourself on the northern or southern edge of the beach, even at the height of the season. Be prepared for intense heat as well.

B\N En National Park

Situated down 60km of bumpy roads and 10km from the closest bus stop, B\n En is most easily reached by motorbike or car (80,000-100,000 one way). To get there, head south on Tr<n Phú for 3km, continuing straight as the road turns into Quang Tr™ng. Shortly after passing Thanh Hóa Hotel, turn right onto H=ì Th™ng Lãn Ông. Continue on the main road as it winds for 35-40km and slowly approaches the mountains. Expect some very bumpy stretches of road. When you reach a junction with a sign pointing to B\n En, veer left onto the small paved road that ascends into the mountains. To reach the lake by bus, go to the minibus station on Nguy[n Trãi and jump on a bus heading to B\n Xung (1-2hr.; 3 per day; 15,000). Make sure to hop out when you reach the junction with the sign pointing to B\n En. You’ll have to walk the last 10km or bargain with a local for a ride to the top (120,000-150,000). Grab a ride back to the city as well, as the returning public bus is extremely unreliable. You can rent boats to tour the lake (groups of up to 8 people 100,000 per 1hr., 180,000 per 2hr.; up to 18 people 150,000/250,000; up to 40 people, 400,000 per hr.

At the heart of B\n En, perched on the top of a slowly ascending mountain, is a gorgeous lake surrounded by luscious woodlands and decorated with tree-capped islands. Forty-five kilometers from Thanh Hóa, the nature preserve attracts a small number of Vietnamese weekenders ready to relax on the lake’s serene shores or to take a peaceful hike on a lazy afternoon.

Those who want to stay overnight can do so easily at the park’s lone hotel, creatively named B\n En Hotel 1. Old rooms with fans, outdoor baths, and indoor bugs run 60,000. (☎848 091.) A floating restaurant 2 is at the boat-launch, selling fresh fish for 30,000-50,000. Trekking Travel, Inc., 25A Quang Tr™ng, next to the Thanh Hóa Hotel, organizes car trips to the lake.(☎758 812. Open daily 7-11:30am and 1:30-5pm. 4hr.; US$12 per person, lunch included. US$2 per person per hr. for a trip on the lake.) Bring water, sunscreen, and bug repellent.