Word: phan
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Located 200 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Thiet lured us with the promise of culture, beach and comfort, an idyllic mix that seems to be vanishing from other destinations on the Asian travel circuit. As a community known more for its fish sauce than its nightlife, the name of Phan Thiet has yet to enter most vacationers' itineraries, save for those of a few Vietnamese and clued-in French tourists...
...Phan Thiet lies on one of Vietnam's finest stretches of sun and sand, and the French-colonial presence still lingers in the town's slow, relaxed atmosphere. Binh Thuan province, where the town is located, was part of the Cham kingdom until the late 1600s. The Cham Towers, the largest monuments built by the Cham people, still stand on a hill overlooking the town...
...Vietnam's tourism board is hoping Phan Thiet, promoted as the country's Hawaii, will likewise catch on. At the moment, fishing remains the main source of income for locals, who live along prime beachfront real estate and spend their days plying the waters of the South China Sea. Instead of hawking trinkets on the beach, the town's children are commercial fishermen, too, venturing out to sea in thung chai, two-meter-wide circular baskets made of bamboo and pitch that can only be paddled standing up. Old superstitions linger: before a new boat makes its maiden voyage, families...
...Hoteliers have arrived with their eyes on the prize. Resorts are springing up alongside the fish-sauce stalls that line the town's only paved street. While the place may yet become a Phuket or a Boracay, Phan Thiet is currently at the lux-backwater stage, with comfortable hotels that are still relatively affordable. The Victoria Phan Thiet resort offers air-conditioned bungalows, each with a sea view and most with a balcony, for $113-$154 a night; call (84-62) 813 000 or go to victoriahotels-asia.com for reservations. The similarly styled Coco Beach resort, located in the center...
...TRAVEL Vietnam: Unspoiled Phan Thiet Calendar: What's On This Month...