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Practicalities
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Buses terminate at the
bus station
a couple of kilometres north of Phan Thiet. Coming from Ho Chi Minh, you can save yourself a cyclo fare by getting off as the bus passes through the city centre. Traveller cafAŠs' open-tour buses depart and arrive at either
Hoang Yen Restaurant
(tel 062/821614), up towards the bus station; or
My Thuan Restaurant
(tel 062/822908); both are situated on Tran Hung Dao and sell onward bus tickets. The nearest
train station
is Ga Muong Man (tel 062/868814), 10km from Phan Thiet; it's not the most welcoming of places, there's no public transport from here and it's not the place to find yourself stranded at any hour. Alighting here, jump on a Honda Om (if you can find one), or arrange a car in advance with Binh Thuan Tourist, 82 Trung Truc (tel 062/816821); alternatively ring for a taxi (tel 062/821614 or 822646). If you're staying in
Mui Ne
, some of the resorts can arrange shuttle transfers in advance.
Vietnam Airlines has a branch office in Phan Thiet at 15, Nguyen Du; you can change US dollars at the Incombank on Tran Hung Dao; for traveller's cheques and cash advances on Visa, MasterCard and JCB, you'll need to go to the larger branch on Nguyen Tat Thanh, just off Victory Monument. Of the several places to stay in Phan Thiet, local government-run Nha Khach Uy Ban, over the river from the water tower, on Trung Trac (tel 062/818858; $5-15), has a range of simple but well-equipped rooms. Also low-priced is the spartan Nha Nghi Cong Duan (tel 062/821395; $5-10), just off the grubbier end of the city beach at the base of Vo Thi Sau. For a few dollars extra, there are good-value, spacious rooms, with hot water, TV and air-con at the friendly Phan Thiet Hotel, 276 Tran Hung Dao (tel 062/821694; $10-15). If you want to be near the sea, there are a couple of higher-priced hotels situated at the southern end of Nguyen Tat Thanh on the best section of beach, as well as a choice of luxury resorts or guesthouses at Mui Ne .
The
Ca Ty
floating
restaurant
, moored opposite the water tower, gets the bulk of the passing tourist trade, whilst across the road, the
Kim Anh Quan
serves cheap and wholesome Vietnamese staples in no-fuss surroundings. On the square, the bright
Nam Thanh Lau
restaurant serves great seafood and generous portions of a variety of dishes. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Viet Nam,
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