Phan Thiet – an ideal winter retreat

If you are displeased with the winter weather in the north and want to try to find a good place to relax and enjoy yourself over the Christmas and New Year holidays, Phan Thiet city in the southern province of Binh Thuan is an ideal location

Ca Ty river

If you are displeased with the winter weather in the north and want to try to find a good place to relax and enjoy yourself over the Christmas and New Year holidays, Phan Thiet city in the southern province of Binh Thuan is an ideal location.

Located 200 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Thiet city is characterised by the romantic scenes of the Ca Ty river which divides the city in half.

Huynh Thuc An, director of the Binh Thuan Tourism Centre, is proud to talk about Phan Thiet city.

"Phan Thiet is a small city with untouched natural beauty," Mr An said. "Visitors can enjoy breathtaking beaches with sand dunes and fishing villages. The city has a 20-kilometre coast line, which photographers love."

Visitors can book a day tour in Phan Thiet to visit the fish sauce village of Phu Hai, or to take a boat trip along the Phu Hai River while enjoying local fruits like coconut and dragon fruit. For those who prefer tranquillity, a cyclo tour of various pagodas, temples and towers with Vietnamese, Khmer and Chinese architecture is a good option. Phan Thiet is also famous for its many festivals, handicrafts and cuisine.

Ha Giang, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, said: "I am particularly impressed by the beauty of the trees along Phan Thiet beach. I often get up very early in the morning and see fishermen just coming in with the sun rising behind them."

A popular beach in Phan Thiet is Doi Duong, where visitors have a broad view of the sea on one side, with the Ong Hoang and Poshanu Khmer Tower on the other.

Phan Thiet city currently has 160 tourism investment projects with a total investment capital of more than US$9 million. As many as 53 projects have been operating successfully, helping develop the coastal city’s tourism infrastructure. "We are seeing an increasing number of foreign tourists coming to the city," Mr Huynh Thuc An said. "Last year, we welcomed 1.3 million tourists, 10 percent of them foreigners. We expect to attract 1.5 million tourists this year and have encouraged tour operators to continue improving their services so as to better serve customers’ needs."

With a beautiful natural setting and incentive policies to promote tourism, Phan Thiet looks set is to become a popular destination for tourists from near and far.

(Source: VOV)