The Southern Central Coast Phan Rang

Phan Rang, the capital of Ninh Thuñn province, is slowly growing into a respectable metropolis, leaving its immediate neighbor, Tháp Chàm, behind. Though they’re set in the sandy and arid southern central coast, Phan Rang and Tháp Chàm are known for their grape production; stalls selling every possible grape product line the roads. The surrounding landscape is unlike any other in Vietnam, supporting only vineyards, salt beds, and the occasional corn field. But like its environment, Phan Rang does not offer much, and Tháp Chàm offers even less. But there are a few noteworthy sights in the area, including one of the finest Chàm towers in Vietnam. There’s also a sizable Chàm population and even a small Muslim one in and around Phan Rang.

Transportation. The bus station is between 228 and 231 Th#ng Nh+t. Buses leave when full for: Bu®n Ma Thut (60,000-90,000); à Låt (20,000-30,000); HCMC (50,000-70,000); Phan Thi€t (24,000-30,000). Minibuses sometimes stop at the gas station, near the market in the center of town. Tourist buses stop at the nearby Poklongarai Chàm tower but bypass the city. The train station is 6km west of Hwy. 1 and is serviced only by non-express trains.

Orientation. Phan Rang is 120km south of Nha Trang, 147km north of Phan Thi€t, and 110km east of à Låt. The town is skewered by Highway 1 and Th#ng Nh+t, which run north-south through the town. At the north end are the post office and bus station; at the south end, a bridge leads out of town. Several east-west streets intersect Hwy. 1 perpendicularly; the intersection with 16 Tháng 4, a main street, forms the heart of town. At the south end, Ng® Gia T™ runs east, then curves up to the northeast, forming the eastern perimeter of town. Tháp Chàm is Phan Rang’s sister city, with 21 Tháng 8 serving as its main road.

Practical Information. The Agriculture Bank, 540-544 Th#ng Nh+t, handles basic banking needs, including currency exchange. (☎824 619; fax 822 716. Open M-Sa 7:30-11am and 2-4:30pm.) Markets are spread along Th#ng Nh+t south of Tr+n H™ng åo. A Western-style supermarket sells everything under the sun (except food) at 251A Th#ng Nh+t. Several pharmacies line Th#ng Nh+t and offer the same selection. The large Ninh Thuñn provincial hospital is at the intersection of Lˆ H®ng Phong and 16 Tháng 4, 50m west of Th#ng Nh+t. Several Internet parlors also line Th#ng Nh+t; most charge 3000 per hr. The General Post Office is at 217A Th#ng Nh+t and offers all basic services, including international calling. (☎824 430. Open daily 6:30am-9:30pm.)

Accommodations And Food. The few accommodations in Phan Rang cater primarily to Vietnamese tourists, but backpackers shouldn’t have trouble finding a decent place to rest. Ninh Tuan Hotel 4, 1 21 Tháng 8, is just west of the intersection of Th#ng Nh+t and Quang Tr™ng. Phan Rang’s premier hotel is ever-mindful of its road-weary clientele, offering a 24hr. check-in. (☎827 100; fax 822 142. Decent rooms all have A/C and satellite TV. Best English in town. Rooms US$25-35.) Th#ng Nh+t Hotel 3, 343 Th#ng Nh+t, another quality hotel, is situated right on Hwy. 1. It provides clean, comfortable rooms but lacks the extras. (☎825 406; thongnhotel_pr@hcm.vnn.vn. Rooms US$12-18.) Trang Hà 2, 562-564 Th#ng Nh+t, is Phan Rang’s budget option for a reason—it’s along a noisy stretch of the highway and the rooms are slowly crumbling away. Nevertheless, it’s very popular with Vietnamese tourists. (☎822 606. Rooms from US$8.)

When in Phan Rang, you have little choice but to do what the locals do. Almost everyone eats at the festive market stalls or at the small eateries lining Th#ng Nh+t that dish out traditional Vietnamese food. For the few who feel the need for a table and service, there are two restaurants near the market offering similar fare. Mostly, though, what you’ll find in Phan Rang are cafes serving highlands coffee. Small cafes line the highway; larger, newer ones are along Ng® Gia T™ to the east. Cafe 407 1, 407 Th#ng Nh+t, is small and simple, serving golden brew from the highlands. It is also one of the few cafes that sells the coffee in bulk (under 10,000). Cafe Uyˆn Trinh 1, 1 Lˆ Li, is one of the two restaurant-type cafes in town. You may savor the pleasant seating more than the typical Vietnamese food and local specialties. (Entrees 15,000-20,000.) Cafe Hoàng Gin 1, near the market on a sidestreet across from the gas station, offers local specialties and shade from the glaring sun. (Entrees around 15,000.)

Daytrips From Phan Rang. The sights in Phan Rang are not in the city itself, but on the outskirts. To reach most of them, you’ll need your own transportation—most likely a motorbike (2-3hr.; 50,000). Tour buses do, however, stop at the most striking sight, the Poklongarai Chàm Towers.

The  Poklongarai Chàm Towers are possibly the most spectacular Chàm site in all of Vietnam. Set upon a hilltop amidst otherwise-drab country roads, the four towers of Poklongarai have been well-preserved for eight centuries and are an awe-inspiring sight. The most spectacular view in the complex is the entrance to the central tower: the doorposts are covered in ancient inscriptions, and above the entrance is a bas-relief sculpture of a dancing Shiva. Just inside the entrance is a statue of the bull Nandi, the overseer of local agriculture and Shiva’s celestial vehicle. The inside shrine honors King Poklongarai (AD 1151-1205), the Champa ruler credited with constructing the local irrigation system. Remove your shoes before entering. Outside, spend a few moments appreciating the skill needed to construct the elaborate tower caps. The ornate multi-tiered towers rival anything else in Southeast Asia. Several of the groundskeepers, who can be found at the booking office, are themselves Chàm descendants; they will happily speak of their ancestry and write for you in the Chàm script. For a more personal account of this experience, see “Heritage Hunting,”. (Poklongarai is on Trau Hill 7km northwest of Phan Rang, north of Hwy. 20. Most tour buses from à Låt to Nha Trang or Nha Trang to M´i Né stop there. Pay at the booking office at the end of the compound. 5000.)

The solitary P® R® Mˆ Chàm Tower is off the tourist radar. Situated on a long hilltop near a mud-and-brick Chàm village, P® R® Mˆ is the center of Chàm New Year celebrations. The tower is beautiful in its peaceful surroundings—a windswept hill alone in a shrub desert—but unremarkable in itself, except for the curious bas-relief sculpture of a mustached man that adorns the tower’s terraces. The inner sanctum remains locked shut, awaiting the New Year. The most interesting part of the tower, however, is getting there. A lone road twists and turns through the arid landscape, past fields of cacti and small Chàm villages, with road signs written in both Chàm and Vietnamese scripts. A single sugarcane juice (1000) stand is on the access road, and it’s a traveler’s best bet for refreshments out here. (To reach P® R® Mˆ, head 15km south of Phan Rang on Hwy. 1. After Ninh Ph™øc village, take the last right immediately before the bridge, a few meters short of mile 1567 on Hwy. 1. Take the next immediate right, then the first left. After a few kilometers you’ll see a school on the right and a blue sign on the left. Take the first left after the sign. Continue on this cement road past a Chàm village until the P® R® Mˆ sign. From here, turn onto the dirt road on the right. Take a left where the dirt road forks; you will see the tower 500m ahead, a total of 7km from the highway.)

Thu+n Tú Hamlet is a village living in grinding poverty and struggling to survive. The only thing that distinguishes this from Vietnam’s countless other such villages is that the residents are Muslim—an extreme rarity in this country. In fact, with the hamlet set among sand dunes and shrubs, and the residents wearing headscarves and herding sheep, Thu+n Tú seems to belong thousands of kilometers away on the shores of the Mediterranean. There is not much to see except a small, plain mosque—any visitor, to the people living here, is the real sight. A more elaborate mosque sits on Hwy. 1, 1km south of Ninh Ph™øc village. (To reach Thu+n Tú, take the first left off Hwy. 1, just before the bridge leading out of Phan Rang. This same dirt road will continue through a few villages until a gate announces your arrival at Thu+n Tú, 8km from Hwy. 1.)

The lonely Thàp Chàm Towers have been abandoned to the elements. Overgrown and decaying, they are nonetheless worth a visit because of their massive size. Indeed, their empty bellies are cavernous. The south tower is decayed almost beyond recognition, but the north one still displays beautiful, intricate carvings on its brick walls. (Right on Hwy. 1, 15km north of Phan Rang.)