Where to go - Nha Trang or Phan Thiet (Mui Ne)

Vietnamese resorts Nha Trang and Phan Thiet (the resort area of Mui Ne) are without a doubt the most popular and visited places in Vietnam, especially among Russians. This is not surprising, because both resorts have good beaches and well-developed infrastructure. Prices, both for package tours and the cost of an independently organized trip, to one or another resort are about the same. There is only one problem-to choose one of them correctly for yourself, if it is not possible to visit both in one trip. Below we tried to objectively compare these two places, so that it would be easier for you to decide. But, for starters, brief information about these resorts in a few sentences:

Nha Trang

This is a fairly large, by Vietnamese standards, City and the capital of the province. Located in South Central Vietnam. Therefore, it is simultaneously referred to both South Vietnam and central Vietnam. The city has a well-developed infrastructure: many hotels, restaurants, cafes, shops. There is a compact tourist area with a large number of hotels. In the city and nearby there are many attractions and entertainment. The beach is mainly in the city, but there are beaches in the distance from the city, where there are also hotels.

Detailed information for tourists about Nha Trang here.

Phan Thiet

Phan Thiet is located in the southern part of Vietnam. This is also a fairly large city. But for tourists, the city itself is of little interest, since there are no beaches there. The bulk of tourists are located on vacation in the resort area of Mui Ne, which belongs to Phan Thiet. This zone stretches along the beaches in the form of a long chain of hotels, cafes, restaurants and shops. Local residents in this area almost do not live, there is almost everything built for tourism and comfortable rest. There are no attractions in the resort area itself, but there are several interesting places in the vicinity (quite far), where you can get with a tour or on your own.

Detailed information information about Phan Thiet is here.

The distance between Phan Thiet and Nha Trang is 230 kilometers.

Where are the best beaches

In both resorts, the beaches are considered to be of good quality (but far from ideal). Do not expect from any of these places a beach in the style of "bounty": they are far from it.

• Nha Trang

  

  Nha Trang is a fairly large city, and its main beach lies within the city limits. It is long, the sandy coastline is quite wide. Clean it can only be called a stretch, although the beach is constantly cleaned and cleaned. On the beach there are sun beds for rent, some standard water activities in the form of a banana, a parachute, jet skis. In addition to the city beach, there are several other beaches remote from the city with hotels. They are cleaner, but there is no infrastructure there. Learn more about the beaches of Nha Trang here.

• Phan Thiet

  

  In the city of Phan Thiet there are no beaches at all. The resort area of Mui Ne stretches along the beaches for almost 10 kilometers. Throughout its length, the quality of the beaches varies greatly. In some rare places, there is no sandy beach at all, and instead a reinforced concrete descent into the water, so carefully choose hotel in Phan Thiet, then do not walk far to the nearest sandy beach. Also, the cleanliness and quality of the beaches here strongly depends on the season: in the low season, the beaches are cleaned worse, and strong winds and waves bring a lot of garbage. However, almost at any time of the year the water here is still muddy, and there can be no question of any diving and snorkeling. Large waves make the beaches in Mui Ne sometimes unsuitable for swimming, but ideal for surfers and kiters.

  In the south of Phan Thiet there are several more Beaches (resort areas). These beaches are considered cleaner, because there are expensive hotels and they are constantly cleaned. But the atmosphere here is almost rustic, there is no infrastructure outside the hotels.

Russian and Russian tourists

Mui Ne (Phan Thiet) has long been the most Russian resort area of Vietnam. There are almost more Russians here than all other tourists combined. There are many cafes, restaurants, shops, travel agencies focused on Russian tourists and belong to Russians. There is even a supermarket "Crossroads". Those who do not speak foreign languages at all will feel almost at home in Mui Ne.

Nha Trang is not yet so Russian-speaking, but in recent years the situation has changed dramatically: there is a huge influx of Russian tourists, many Russians come to Nha Trang and start a business (including illegal). As a result, there are many institutions focused exclusively on Russians, but so far they are still smaller than in Mui Ne. Without knowledge of a foreign language in Nha Trang, too, there will be no difficulties.

Entertainment. Where is more fun

A difficult question. Because it all depends on the point of view. Mui Ne is a great place for water sports (kiting, surfing) and there is a corresponding hangout from all over the world. But, if you are just a tourist, Mui Ne will appear before you in the form of a resort village, which, in fact, is. It seems that everything you need for recreation is here, but for serious purchases you will have to go to Phan Thiet (5-15 kilometers from the resort area), and many kilometers to get to the sights. In the evenings in Mui Ne, except for going to a cafe or restaurant, there is absolutely nothing to do. There is no entertainment for children either.

Nha Trang is much more active and fun, because the tourist area here is located right in the city. Everything is constantly on the move, and even late at night. You can find something to do almost at any time of the day. Many excursions of an informative and entertaining nature are offered. Still near Nha Trang is the island of Hon Che (Hon Tre), on which is located the amusement park VinWonders (Vinpearl) Land, where it will be fun for adults and children. Yes, and in the city for children a lot of interesting things.

Where the weather is better

Despite the proximity of the cities (they are separated by only 230 kilometers), the tourist seasons during the year in them vary greatly. In general, both resorts are comfortable for recreation all year round, but less comfortable low seasons stand out:

More about weather and seasons in Nha Trang.

More about weather and seasons in Phan Thiet.

Attractions in Nha Trang and Phan Thiet

There are almost no attractions in Mui Ne. Between Phan Thiet and the resort area are the Cham towers, which should be viewed no more than 20 minutes. Also in Mui Ne there is a small river with picturesque banks, called "Red Creek". That's probably all. Other interesting places are already far outside the city, and in most cases you can get there only with an excursion. From among them: Mount Taku and the Reclining Buddha statue; Ke Ga Lighthouse; red and white dunes; Red Canyon. All these are rather modest sights. Read more about Phan Thiet attractions here.

In Nha Trang, the sights are much better. In the city itself there are several museums, many interesting architectural structures, temples. You can go with an excursion to the "Monkey Island", to the waterfalls, visit the hot mineral springs and much more. Learn more about attractions in Nha Trang here.

Where easier to get

This is a particularly important question for those traveling on their own. However, it is impossible to answer it unequivocally, you will have to try it on individually for yourself.

You can get to Phan Thiet (Mui Ne) via Ho Chi Minh International Airport, which is quite far (a few hours drive) from the resort. In Nha Trang, the International Airport is very close, just half an hour away. Moreover, recentlyNha Trang airport began to operate direct flights from Moscow, and, accordingly, to fly to Nha Trang airport and then get to the resort from the airport by taxi or bus can be with minimal inconvenience.

On the other hand, a direct flight to Nha Trang is more expensive than flights to Ho Chi Minh City (some flights to Ho Chi Minh City with transfers are much cheaper, besides, there are often promotions), and planes fly to Ho Chi Minh City much more often, so you can choose any date and time.

At the same time, having arrived even on a very cheap ticket to Ho Chi Minh City airport, you will face the task of getting to Phan Thiet (Mui Ne), and inexpensive public transport is completely absent there. It remains either to hire a taxi (from $ 100 per car), or to take buses or trains through Ho Chi Minh City, which, of course, is much cheaper, but will require a lot of time.

Learn more about how to get to Phan Thiet and Muine here, and how to get to Nha Trang here.