Adam Bray Takes You on a Walking Tour of Phan Thiet

To Vietnam With Love

View Photos (2) Image © 2008 To Vietnam With Love

Excerpted from To Vietnam With Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur, available from ThingsAsian Press. 

Associated by the Vietnamese with the production of nuoc mam and dragon fruit (originally imported by the French from South America), Phan Thiet is often dismissed by travelers as a resort town with a nice golf course. In truth, I’m happy that the capital city of Binh Thuan Province has been overlooked by visitors in favor of nearby Mui Ne Beach. Easily reached from my home in Mui Ne, Phan Thiet has been a quiet getaway from crowds of tourists, both foreign and domestic.

My favorite time to explore Phan Thiet is early morning, and the best place to start is the central market. Beginning in Mui Ne, head west on Nguyen Dinh Chieu/Thu Khoa Huan Streets, straight through Phan Thiet and across Le Hong Phong Bridge, which is suspended across the Ca Ty River. The other side of the river affords the best view, looking back, of the Phan Thiet Water Tower. This elegant symbol of the province is incorporated into numerous local emblems. It was designed in the 1930s by Prince Suphanouvong of Laos who was the chief engineer of the Nha Trang Public Works Bureau under the French Indochina government. Continue past the square on Nguyen Tri Phuong/Tran Phu Street, around the roundabout, stopping at the city market for breakfast. My top picks here are banh xeo (crispy seafood crepes), cha gio (fried spring rolls), sinh to sau rieng (durian shake), and che buoi (pomelo pudding). Prices are very cheap because the market isn’t a common stop for foreigners.

Once you’ve eaten and browsed through the market, head back to the river on Nguyen Hue Street, and take a left on Trung Noi Street, passing Duc Thanh Bridge, to arrive at the Ho Chi Minh Museum and Duc Thanh School. In 1910 Ho Chi Minh taught at the school for a year, before leaving to pursue more revolutionary endeavors. The school was abandoned but later rebuilt in his honor, along with a new museum on the site of his former home. The museum contains some of his personal effects, dioramas from the revolutionary period, and some local natural history displays and wildlife specimens. This museum is not yet on the tourist circuit and for that reason offers a unique view of Ho Chi Minh’s very humble past, without the overwhelming propaganda found in other national museums intended for foreign visitors. That’s not to say there isn’t propaganda present, but that message is intended for local visitors and so foreigners won’t come away feeling like they’ve been preached at.

Wandering back along the riverfront, you’ll pass vendors selling candied fruits, dried squid, and peanut brittle, and eventually come to the Tran Hung Dao Bridge. From here the Ca Ty River flows into Phan Thiet’s harbor, with its brightly colored fishing fleet and small lighthouse beyond. I’ve watched all the major festivals and parades culminate in this area, including celebrations for Nghinh Ong and the Mid-Autumn Festival; Phan Thiet is nationally recognized for both. The riverfront is especially beautiful during evening festivities when there are elaborate fireworks shows.

Passing Tran Hung Dao Street, the road becomes Trung Trac and leads to the seaport. This area is always crowded with restaurant owners shoving each other to get to the best seafood right off the boat. Other vessels also dock here to buy supplies for far-off islands and oil rigs. After turning right on Ngu Ong Street, you can visit the Van Thuy Tu Temple dedicated to whale worship. The ancient religion is believed to originate in the Cham and Khmer cultures. Built in 1762, the temple contains skeletons of more than 100 whales, including one more than twenty-two meters long.

Back at Tran Hung Dao Bridge, you’ll arrive at a park by the same name on the opposite side of the river. Tran Hung Dao was a revered Vietnamese military leader who led armies to defeat three Mongol invasions during the thirteenth century. Statues of the general and other great historical leaders guard the park, which is also overlooked by palatial capital buildings.

Continuing up the street you’ll pass the sizable Duc Thanh Bookstore. Bookstores are Vietnam’s best-kept shopping secret, as they often double as gift shops. You can find Cham textiles, ceramics, lanterns, chimes, maps, dictionaries, and more—all for rock-bottom prices. And no haggling is involved because the prices are set.

Farther up Tran Hung Dao Street and to the right, Nguyen Tat Thanh is a grand boulevard divided by immaculately kept gardens. On the left you’ll pass the provincial performing arts center. I’ve spent many evenings here for concerts, traditional operas, and patriotic spectacles. I once parked my motorbike under some trees near the center, only to realize that four of the trunks belonged to elephants. I discovered that there was a circus in town and there would be Chinese acrobats, fire dancers, and magic shows that night. Events are rarely advertised more than twenty-four hours in advance, so it always pays to swing by in person and see if there is a show that evening. Ticket scalpers are the norm, and while they may have some good seats, they don’t necessarily offer the best ones—and they’ll be expensive. Even with tickets in hand, you should arrive very early. Although seats are numbered, there are never enough, as it’s common practice to let small children in without tickets.

Behind the center is a welcoming café and Phan Thiet’s famous “Banh Xeo Street” (Tuyen Quang Street), lined with restaurants. Phan Thiet is a city of cafés, and there are numerous distinctive choices in the city center, many with gardens, waterfalls, and fishponds. The hot afternoon is a great time to stop in one, as most shops and restaurants are otherwise closed for the customary “afternoon nap.”

At the end of Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, you will finally arrive at Doi Duong Beach, lined with inexpensive cafés full of young Vietnamese lovers sitting in the shade of pine trees. East of the beach, you can play a round at the Ocean Dunes Golf Resort. Designed by Nick Faldo, it was ranked among the “Best 500 Holes in the World” by Golf Magazine. As for me, I head to the west end where I often enjoy a delicious and relatively cheap lunch of seafood hot pot. The seafood restaurants on Doi Duong Beach are also some of the few restaurants in the city that are open for lunch. After a big meal, I find that the recliners at the beach cafés are a perfect place for a nap, lulled by the crashing waves.

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Getting from Mui Ne to Phan Thiet
There is a shuttle bus between Mui Ne and Phan Thiet for less than $1. Another option is a motorbike, at $5-$7 per day. Most travelers will drive west on Nguyen Dinh Chieu/Thu Khoa Huan Street into Phan Thiet from their accommodations in Mui Ne. I’ve made the drive to and from town more than 2,500 times (really, I’ve counted), and I never grow tired of the coastal scenery, which includes the ancient Thap Poshanu Cham Towers, rainforest covered mountains, two river systems, cashew farms, and immense sand dunes.

Getting around Phan Thiet
Unlike in other cities in Vietnam, xich lo (cyclos) and taxis are hard to come by in Phan Thiet, so a tour around town is usually by motorbike and on foot. Once you arrive at the central market, you can leave your motorbike with a parking lot attendant for 1,000 VND and spend the day walking the town.

Dining details
Breakfast at the central market should be less than $1 (4,000-7,000 VND). Coffee with milk will also be in that range at any given café, depending upon how extravagant the place is. Seafood hot pot on the beach will start around $3, plus drinks. Please use sound judgment when ordering your lunch. If you see sea turtles in the seafood tank, don’t order them. Better yet, move on to the next restaurant.

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Published on 4/14/08