Top 5 3-Star Hotels and Resorts in Phan Thiet

Last year Binh Thuan online published an article entitled “Strategy for Development of tourism in Vietnam to 2020” and “Master Plan for tourism development Vietnam to 2020 and vision to 2030”. The article concerned the government’s plans to boost tourism into the area, and to cooperate with the tourism officials in Ho Chi Minh City and Lam Dong (Dalat) to set up a “tourism development triangle”.

The goals sound lofty, but the reality is a long way from that ideal. The government officials who created these plans start with a number of premises that show a lack of understanding of the needs or desires of foreign tourists who visit the area, as well as the needs of tourism establishments outside of the Ham Tien/Mui Ne core area. For example, they have held what they refer to as “cultural events”, such as a hot-air balloon festival and two food festivals that have had no effect on the advancement of foreign tourism. I was one of only a handful of foreigners who attended the balloon festival and the most recent food festival was held in the center of Phan Thiet. It attracted many locals but few tourists.

Rather than informing tourists about everything that Phan Thiet area offers and giving them choices of where to stay, the plan exacerbates the misunderstanding of both tourists and tourism companies that think Ham Tien and Phu Hai are part of Mui Ne. This adds to the confusion of tourists, concerning the actual location of their hotels and the establishments they wish to visit and does a disservice to the rest of the Phan Thiet area.

Additionally, the plans do not address or even mention the most glaring deterrent to future tourism into the area; The article talks about an investment in cultural events, road construction, signage, parks, markets, cable television, training of workers, an airport, promotions and trade shows, yet not a dong for cleaning up the area so that it is a pleasant oasis for visitors.

Since the plan was written, tourism into Binh Thuan has dropped significantly. Some of that drop can be attributed to the deterioration of the Russian ruble and the riots against the Chinese in 2014, but much of it can also be attributed to the internet posting of tourists who come here and are disappointed by the amount of garbage at the sand dunes, the fairy stream, Taku mountain, along the sides of the roads and most disturbingly, on Binh Thuan’s beaches.

As for the programs that are mentioned in the plan, little has been done in the past year. After an initial burst of activity, construction of the new airport has either slowed or stopped altogether. Improvement along Nguyen Dinh Chieu, the main street through Ham Tien, has consisted of filling in some potholes usually about three months after they appear. The plan to build an oceanfront park and promenade at the Bo Ke area of Ham Tien consisted of the police tearing down some of the makeshift structures which have since reappeared and multiplied. 

Binh Thuan has yet to promote tourism at any major tourism fair. They have finally, however, attended ITE in Ho Chi Minh City, but have not yet gone to the ASEAN Tourism Forum, or to ITB; the largest tourism fair in the world. However, the authorities are very good about sending out directives and printing banners in Vietnamese. They also produced a promotional video, also in Vietnamese.

If the first year of the program is any indication, tourism growth into Binh Thuan will either stagnate or deteriorate, while private investment in the area waits for a government that understands the priorities of international tourists and acts to address them.

By Rob van Driesum

Our family – Jan, myself and five-year-old Matilda – was long overdue for a short holiday at the beach. The plan was simple: book four nights in the off-season at the Sunsea Resort in Phan Thiet/Mui Ne, Wednesday to Sunday, and take the train from Ho Chi Minh City (the most hassle-free, comfortable and quickest way to get there). What could go wrong?

Well...

I tried to book train tickets online but the options were confusing. There were several websites with different trains, different schedules and prices, and click-throughs that didn’t seem to work. I knew there was one train a day in each direction, and I just wanted three simple soft seats on the standard train for the four-hour trip. Why was that so difficult

On Monday morning I went to the ticketing office at Ga Sai Gon (which would have to be one of the world’s most cunningly hidden central train stations), took a number and awaited my turn.

“Seats to Phan Thiet on Wednesday are no problem,” said the lady behind the counter in impeccable English, “but we only have two tickets for Sunday return. We have plenty of seats on Saturday.”

Oh dear! I should have realised that August may be the off-season for foreigners, but it’s also the Vietnamese school-holiday season when HCMC locals descend en masse onto the lovely beach between Phan Thiet and Mui Ne during the weekends. An expat in Phan Thiet told me later that it’s wise to book train tickets to/from Phan Thiet one month ahead during the school holidays.

So, we had to return on Saturday, which meant three rather than four nights at Sunsea. That was not the end of the world of course, but still a bit of a disappointment.

Sunsea Resort

Fortunately Sunsea Resort itself was far from disappointing. I had already investigated it during an earlier visit to the area, and knew to expect a recently renovated, wonderfully quiet resort with tasteful stonework imported from Italy. I admired the round, private cottages near the beach that were works of art, incorporating beautiful, local timbers and furniture custom-made to follow the curves of the rooms.

Instead of a private cottage, however, we booked a more affordable Pool View Double Room for $80 a night including service charge, taxes and breakfast. There was no extra charge for our daughter because she was still under six years old.

The room exceeded our expectations. It was tastefully appointed with all the mod cons (although the DVD player refused to accept our Europe-coded DVDs), and the “Pool View” moniker lived up to its name – we could walk straight into the pool from the private patio.

Matilda could not have been happier. We kept an eye on her from the comfortable couch on the patio where we caught up with a few books we hadn’t got round to reading. Bliss!

Sunsea has a beautiful infinity pool at the beach as well, next to its beachfront bar and Sukhothai restaurant, which serves a range of Vietnamese and Western dishes as well as excellent Thai specialities (the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city of Sukhothai in central Thailand was the capital of the first kingdom of Siam back in the 13^th century). The restaurant would have to be one of the most pleasant spots along the beach strip for breakfast in the gentle, morning breeze. Lunch is on offer as well, and coloured lighting creates a magical and stylish ambience for the evening meal.

Off-Season

The Phan Thiet-Mui Ne beach is quiet in the off-season, especially during the week. In the high season (roughly from October to April), it’s a mecca for kitesurfers and windsurfers when scores of them catch the consistent breeze. Some resorts – including Sunsea – have high poles on the beach to keep the kitesurfers at a distance for safety reasons.

In August, however, you don’t see any of them. There’s the odd wave-surfer and jet-skier, and a few people try and fly recreational kites in the fickle breeze until the afternoon showers set in. Perfect for rest and relaxation, in other words.

There are, of course, other attractions in the area – see here.

If there was a downside to staying during the week in the off-season, it was the fact that Matilda had no-one of her age to play with. This changed on Friday when families with kids began to arrive from HCMC, but unfortunately we had to return to HCMC on Saturday morning.

So, if you plan to follow our example with a child in tow, book your weekend train tickets a month in advance!