The Southern Central Coast Phan Thi€t

This provincial capital, one of H· Chí Minh’s childhood homes, has grown from a fishing port to a small but bustling city and a major production center for n™øc m m, Vietnam’s staple fish sauce. Though it features the scenic Cà Ty River, Phan Thi€t struggles to capture the tourist crowds. It offers relatively cheap accommodations, friendly people, and an excellent beach, but most visitors opt for nearby resort paradise M´i Né . Phan Thi€t serves as a great daytrip from M´i Né for anyone looking to see one of the less touristed parts of Vietnam.

• Trains: Phan Thi€t station, 1 Hoàng Hoa Thám, near the intersection of Lˆ H·ng Phong and Cao Th ng, 1km north of town. Non-express train for HCMC leaves daily at 7:30am (4hr.; 60,000).
• Buses: Buses leave from the station 2km north of where T Vn T™ intersects with Tr<n H™ng åo. Buses to nearby cities like Long Hai and Ben Tr[ leave frequently throughout the day on their own schedules. Buses go only as far south as HCMC and as far north as à Låt. Service to à Låt (6hr.; 4, 4:30, 5pm; 50,000), HCMC (4hr.; every 30min. 2:30-6pm; 38,000), and Phan Rang (3hr.; every 15min. 4:45am-6pm; 30,000).
• Tñm Hanh Travel Company (☎833 277). Open-tour buses leave daily at noon for Hà Nÿi, HCMC, and Nha Trang. They’ll stop at your destination if it’s close to their route. Catch the bus (US$9-12) next to the Phú Gia Hotel on T®n Dc Th¨ng.
• Motorcycle Taxi: You can rent a taxi for about 100,000 per day plus the cost of gas.

Orientation

Phan Thi€t is 200km northeast of HCMC and 100km south of à Låt. It lies just off Hwy. 1, where the Cà Ty River spills into the South China Sea. The city straddles the river, with the more condensed old quarter and the fishing port on the south shore and the sprawling, chaotic new quarter on the north shore. Tr<n H™ng åo runs south into town from Hwy. 1 and crosses the river between quarters. Stretching to the north and then east from Tr<n H™ng åo is Th© Khoa Huñn, which heads toward M´i Né (19km). To the southeast is Nguy[n T+t Thành, which leads to the beachside Lˆ Li (also called Võ Th ¢ Sáu). In the old quarter, Tr<n Phú and Nguy[n Hu_ are the two largest arteries, meeting at the market in the center of town.

Practical Information

• Tourist Office: Bình ThuÆn Travel Service Agency, 82 Tr™ng Tr c (☎816 821; www.binhthuantourist.com). The state-run provincial agency; you can arrange package tours here and get limited walk-in help. The friendly staff can book Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines tickets. City map $1. Open daily 7:30-11:30am and 1:30-4:30pm.
• Banks: Agriculture Bank, 2-4 Tr™ng Tr c, near the center of town. Offers currency exchange and MC/V cash advances. Open M-Sa 7-11am and 1:30-5pm. Industrial and Commercial Bank, at the intersection of Nguy[n T+t Thành and Tr<n H™ng åo, offers the same services. ATM outside. Open M-Sa 7-11am and 1:30-4pm.
• Pharmacy: 29 Th© Khoa Huñn, at the north end of town. Several others are near the market and along Tr<n H™ng åo.
• Hospital: (☎822 733), across from 133 H=i Th™ng Lãn Ông. A large UNICEF-certified, “baby-friendly” hospital. Also look for a newer, shinier version to the north, off of Hwy. 1.
• Internet: 20A Th© Khoa Huñn, at the north end of town. Offers Internet phone. A 2nd cafe at 121 Tr<n Phú, near the post office, has a more convenient location but no Internet phone. Both charge 5000 per hr. More shops along Tr<n H™ng åo have same rate.
• Post Offices: Government Post Office (GPO), at the intersection of Nguy[n Hu_ and Tr<n Phú, in the heart of the old quarter. International phone service. Open daily 6:30am-9:30pm. Provincial Post Office, a bigger building at the intersection of Nguy[n T+t Thành and T®n c Th ng, near the beach.

Accommodations

The accommodations in Phan Thi€t are segregated geographically: cheap hotels, mostly used by Vietnamese tourists, are in the crowded city center and to the north, near the train and bus stations. Posh resorts catering to foreign tourists are along the beach. There’s also a string of nearly identical budget guesthouses along Tr<n H™ng åo, between Th© Khoa Huñn and Nguy[n T+t Thành.

• NhÄt Linh, 337 Lˆ Li (☎831 141; fax 823 473; nhatlinhhotel@pmail.vnn.vn). A clean, spacious hotel lacking in character. It makes up for its average interior, though, with a prime location: only 1 block from the beach, it’s the closest non-resort accommodation to the sand. Singles 200,000; doubles 300,000.
• Phan Thi€t Hotel, 364 Tr<n H™ng åo (☎819 907; fax 815 930). With its tropical courtyard, cavernous conference rooms, and attached restaurant, this attractive hotel is a popular Vietnamese wedding spot. The rooms are cheap, and it’s one of the few hotels located near the city center. Singles 150,000; doubles 210,000.
• Hotel 19/4, 1 T Vn T™ (☎821 794; 19-4hotel@hcm.vnn.vn), next to the bus station. The largest hotel in the city that isn’t on the beach. With its long halls and spacious rooms, it’s the closest thing in the city to a Western inn. Staff is friendly and helpful. Rooms have A/C, fridge, TV, and small lounge area. Free luggage storage during the day. Perfect if you pull into the city on a late bus. Singles 200,000; doubles 250,000.
• TÆy H·, 401 Tr<n H™ng åo (☎821 710). A short walk from the city center. One of the least expensive accommodations along the strip of budget hotels. Staff is friendly, and there is an array of tropical trees growing in the lobby. Rooms are small and quiet, but may have slightly musty smell. Doubles 140,000.
• Ph™£ng H™ng, 166 Tr<n H™ng åo (☎825 619; fax 825 300), near the bus station and easily accessible from Hwy. 1. This modern hotel offers standard rooms bathed in fluorescent glory, along with a discotheque, massage services, a sauna, and rental cars. Helpful staff. Clean but plain rooms, many with balcony, though the hotel is situated on a noisy road. Singles 170,000; doubles 250,000; triples 350,000.
• H=i Vãn Hotel, 102 Th© Khoa Huñn (☎823 783; fax 832 028). Large, comfortable, nondescript rooms and a friendly owner (fluent in German). Rooms have A/C, TVs, and small fridge. Spacious garage is convenient for drivers. On the road to M´i Né, but not too close to the beach or the city center. Doubles 200,000.
• D%i D™£ng Hotel, 403 Lˆ Li (☎821 579; ksdoiduong@vnn.vn), right across from the beach. Great rooms, great views, and great sunbathing. Beautiful swimming pool and tennis court. Stellar English-speaking staff. A towering, upscale hotel with all the expected amenities—a good value in Phan Thi€t, but you can do better in M´i Né. Rooms US$26-48. Breakfast buffet included; expensive but tasty restaurant attached to hotel.

Food

Although Phan Thi€t has been a successful fishing town for years, it has yet to discover seafood restaurants. Most of the day’s catch is bought and sold at the port and goes directly to private homes or roadside vendors. You can check out the numerous stalls along Ng™ Ong, or those on Tr<n H™ng åo between Th© Khoa Huñn and Nguy[n T+t Thành. Many of the city’s restaurants are attached to hotels; beyond that, bún and ph shops can be found on every other block. For even cheaper food, the indoor and outdoor market is along Nguy[n Hu_ at its intersection with Tr<n Phú, where inexpensive fruits and vegetables can be found.

• OShin Cafe, on the beach at the end of Nguy[n T+t Thành. The largest and most popular of a string of open-air, beachside ice cream and drink shops. The perfect place to let the hours slip into the sea. Drinks from the extensive menu 6000-14,000. 1
• Kim Son Lñu, 34 Nguy[n Th¢ Minh Khai. Located near the city center. One of only a handful of sit-down restaurants in Phan Thi€t. Serves a variety of dishes including seafood. Friendly atmosphere. Beautiful view from the second fl. Extensive English menu with a great selection of vegetarian options. Dishes 20,000-80,000.
• Nam Thanh Lñu, 50 Nguy[n Th¢ Minh Khai. Two doors down from Kim Son Lñu is another full-fledged restaurant serving excellent seafood and good Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. Extensive English menu and fast service. Dishes 12,000-50,000.

Sights

Phan Thi€t offers only a few things to see or do, but its sights are a nice alternative to the beach. Two of the city’s most interesting sights are free: the century-old watertower, built in a distinctive Chinese pagoda style, stands on the north shore of the Cà Ty River, and the river itself teems in spring and summer with an armada of primary-colored wooden fishing boats.

  Úc Thng Temple. Hidden inside this seemingly ordinary temple is Southeast Asia’s largest preserved fin whale. The enormous 20m long whale skeleton has been held intact for 200 years. The adjoining building houses the typical array of Buddha sculptures and incense, but tucked behind these statues are tons of enormous whale bones. In the mornings, local fishermen pray to the “sea genie” for good luck. The temple is well worth the visit while you are in the old quarter of the city. (54 Nguy[n Du. Open daily 7-11:30am and 1:30-5pm. 3000.)

H· Chí Minh Museum. Yet another monument to Uncle Ho, who lived in Phan Thi€t for a short time back when he was called Nguy[n T+t Thàn. The exhibits in this two-story museum have aged and are not entirely tourist-friendly—the few English captions don’t adequately explain why preserved octopi belong underneath pictures of H· Chí Minh . The museum’s gems include the original handwritten statutes of the Vietnamese Communist Party and old photos of H· Chí Minh’s early life. Across the street is a well-preserved schoolhouse where H· Chí Minh taught in 1910. (At the end of Trúng Nhi, on the river. Open Su, Tu-Sa 7:30-11:30am and 1:30-4:30pm. 5000; 3000 for groups.)

Ông Pagoda. Located on Tr<n Phú three blocks north of the market, this colorful and elaborate pagoda is the city’s finest. Four distinct chambers—particularly the middle two—are filled to the brim with ornamentation and have altars in every corner. Watch locals’ worship and be sure to examine the craftsmanship of the large Ddragon head inside. (Open daily 5am-5pm.)

Entertainment

Phan Thi€t’s biggest tourist draw is its top-notch golf course. The Ocean Dunes Golf Resort is attached to the Coralia Ocean Dunes Resort, 1 T®n c Th ng, but it’s open to walk-in guests. This 18-hole course is set along the beach and almost doubles the size of the city. (Weekday 9-hole US$35, 18-hole US$65; weekend US$50/US$85; driving range US$5-15; lessons US$30 per hr.; caddie or cart US$15; equipment rental US$5-25.)

Daytrips From Phan Thi€t

Tà Cú Mountain. This mountain, 28km southwest of Phan Thi€t, is one of many extinct volcanoes that dot the landscape of Bình ThuÆn Province. The pagoda built into its side, dating from 1861, holds Vietnam’s largest Buddha statue. At 49m long, the sleeping Buddha is truly awesome. Unfortunately, huge crowds of Vietnamese and foreign tourists have created an amusement-park atmosphere, especially on weekends, making this distant daytrip more suitable as a stop on the way into or out of Phan Thi€t. A shuttle brings visitors from the entrance gate to a cable car that heads up the mountain. You can choose to hike up instead: bear left at the only fork in the road leading to the cable cars. The rocky and steep 2500m trail is a neat hike overlooking a beautiful green, brown, and blue patchwork landscape, but the garbage along the trail is distracting. (Tà Cú is 3km south of Hwy. 1; turn off the highway at the large billboard. A round-trip motorcycle taxi ride to the mountain from Phan Thi€t takes about 45min. each way and costs 60,000-80,000. 5000.)

Pôshanu Chàm Towers. Some 12km down Th© Khoa Huñn (the road to M´i Né) are two Chàm towers set on a seaside hill. They’re easily visible from the road, and the walk to get closer is probably not worth it. They’ve fallen into disrepair, and much of the sculpture and ornamentation have eroded away. Nonetheless, the area around the towers is appealing, offering spectacular views of the coastline and Phan Thi€t itself. But many more spectacular Chàm towers await in the north. (A round-trip motorcycle taxi ride takes about 30min. each way and should cost you 40,000-60,000. 2000 to hike up to the towers.)