Ninh Thuan Travel Guide

Ninh Thuan is located in the South Central region, the provincial capital is Phan Rang - Thap Cham city, 340km from Ho Chi Minh City, bordering Khanh Hoa to the north and Binh Thuan to the south. Ninh Thuan has Nui Chua, which has just been recognized by UNESCO as a new world biosphere reserve.

Vinh Hy Bay - Ninh Thuan . Photo: Nguyen Van Quang

What season is Ninh Thuan beautiful?

Ninh Thuan is often called "the land of sun and wind" because of its dry, hot climate with little rain. The rainy season is usually only about two months, from September to November, the rest is the dry season, with temperatures ranging from 25 to 35 degrees Celsius.

Move

There are many ways to get to Ninh Thuan. If you go by train, you get off at Thap Cham station. If you go by plane, the nearest airport is Cam Ranh ( Khanh Hoa ), nearly 70km from Phan Rang - Thap Cham city. Other means of transport such as cars or motorbikes can move conveniently on Highway 1 or the coastal road.

Accommodation

Ninh Thuan does not have many hotel systems like famous tourist destinations. Some 3-4 star hotels located along Ninh Chu beach such as Hoan My, Saigon - Ninh Chu, Aniise, Long Thuan... have prices from 1 to more than 2 million VND per night. In the center of Phan Rang - Thap Cham city, there are mainly 2-star hotels or budget motels, prices ranging from 300,000 VND to about 500,000 VND per night.

Amanoi Resort. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Tung

However, Ninh Thuan has a 6-star resort called Amanoi in Vinh Hy Bay area, with room rates starting from 20 million VND per night. In addition, if you like to immerse yourself in nature, you can go to Tanyoli tourist area and sleep overnight in Mongolian tents.

Where to play

Nui Chua National Park Nui Chua National Park is located in Ninh Hai and Thuan Bac districts, with a total area of ​​nearly 30,000 hectares. The park has 330 species of terrestrial vertebrates, including 84 species of mammals, 163 species of birds and 83 species of reptiles and amphibians... There are also more than 1,500 species of vascular plants belonging to 5 different plant phyla, many species of flora and fauna listed in the national and world red books. The national park also has hundreds of species of coral, sea turtle populations... Ninh Thuan develops eco-tourism in the Nui Chua area, with mountain climbing and camping activities, with limited number of people and pre-registration required.

Vinh Hy Bay Vinh Hy Bay is a destination not to be missed when coming to Ninh Thuan. This is a place that has just been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Monument and Scenic Landscape. In Vinh Hy, you can rent a motorbike and roam on the Nuoc Ngot road winding around the coast. Glass-bottomed boats are also available for rent here to explore the world of coral. Hang Rai About 35km from Phan Rang city, Hang Rai belongs to Nui Chua National Park, not only has a wave-blocking mountain terrain, overlapping each other to create beautiful caves, but is also a habitat for otters, which is also the origin of the name. This is also the place with the most beautiful coral reef in the region, stretching for kilometers, with many species and colors creating a colorful picture. Hang Rai is a favorite photo hunting spot for photographers. The entrance fee to Hang Rai is 20,000 VND per person.

Dawn at Rai Cave. Photo: Nguyen Van Hop

Sea route

Phan Rang - Vinh Hy - Cam Ranh and Phan Rang - Binh Thuan are two coastal routes with beautiful natural landscapes. From Phan Rang city, running along the coastal road to the North and South, visitors will enjoy the scenery of blue beaches, white salt fields, sheep pastures, vineyards... Part of the Nui Chua biosphere reserve newly recognized by UNESCO is also located on this route. Bau Truc pottery village Bau Truc ancient pottery village, 10 km south of Phan Rang - Thap Cham center. This place is considered a museum of traditional pottery of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan province, a national intangible cultural heritage. Coming to the village, visitors have the opportunity to show off their pottery making skills or buy pottery as souvenirs for 30,000 - 100,000 VND. Poklong Garai Tower and Cham Culture The tower is located on Trau Hill, built by the Cham people in the late 13th century to worship King Poklong Garai (1151-1205), the king who had many great contributions in governing the country. Symbolizing Mount Meru in Hinduism, the tower cluster has a solid architecture despite the many historical ups and downs of the ancient Panduranga land. In the 7th month of the Cham calendar, if you visit the tower, you will immerse yourself in the Kate festival atmosphere with many rituals, traditional Cham dances and music.

Photo: Bao Nghi

Stone Park In the Nui Chua National Park complex, there is a stone park, located in Thai An village, Vinh Hai commune, Ninh Hai district, about 30km east of Phan Rang city. The entire park has an area of ​​2 hectares, was only discovered around 2014, and still retains its wild beauty. The park is located close to the coast, in the middle of a low thorny forest. There is a ranger station here, so you need to register in advance to visit. Ninh Thuan is a province with hot weather all year round, but it is suitable for growing grapes and apples. In addition to the two main grape varieties, red and green grapes, Ninh Thuan people also grow black grapes to make wine. On the Ninh Thuan - Nha Trang route, visitors will see vast vineyards and apples, where they can rest, visit An Thai and Ba Moi vineyards... take photos, pick fruit and buy grape products.

Thai An Vineyard. Photo: Huy Khang

Nam Cuong Sand Hill Located about 8km southeast of Phan Rang - Thap Cham center, covering an area of ​​nearly 700 hectares, Nam Cuong Sand Hill is likened to a small desert. This place is almost untouched, curled up in the silence of heaven and earth. Coming here, visitors can choose to transform into Cham girls to have beautiful photos. Mui Dinh Due to its quite remote location, difficult road, Mui Dinh has only been known in recent years, so the scenery still retains its pristine features. At Mui Dinh, there is a lighthouse built in 1904, an ideal place to watch the sunrise and sunset on the sea. When you reach the top of the lighthouse, you will admire the majestic natural scenery. On the way to Mui Dinh, you will pass by the pristine Ca Na beach and can check-in with the unique precariously stacked rocks.

What to eat

Banh Can

A specialty of Ninh Thuan, banh can is made from rice flour with "toppings" including eggs, meat, shrimp, fresh squid... Depending on the taste of the person enjoying it, the cake is taken when it is just cooked, put into a bowl with finely chopped green onions. In Ninh Thuan, diners can enjoy banh can with a bowl of light fish sauce (cooked from fish, onions and pickles) or fish sauce, different from the way people in Da Lat eat it.

Lamb

Sheep are one of the animals raised a lot in Ninh Thuan. Their food is natural grass. Ninh Thuan lamb meat is soft, sweet and delicious. There are many diverse dishes from lamb that you can enjoy such as grilled, fried, steamed lamb...

Fish cake noodle soup

In the morning in Ninh Thuan, enjoying fish cake noodle soup is suitable. You will feel the natural sweetness of the clear broth cooked from the bones of different types of sea fish. The fish cake is soft, chewy, rich, and stimulates the taste buds.

Phan Rang Chicken Rice

Phan Rang chicken rice is one of the popular dishes for locals and tourists. The special thing about this dish is that it is cooked with sticky, fragrant rice mixed with a little turmeric powder for color. The chicken meat is firm and naturally sweet due to being raised freely. Before cooking, the rice is washed, seasoned with ginger and crushed garlic to create a fragrant aroma. The special dipping sauce is made with crushed chili and garlic or with dry roasted chili salt.

Seafood

Ninh Thuan has sea and seafood that are as delicious as any other region in the country. There are all kinds of snails, squid, shrimp, crab, sea urchin... at quite cheap prices. Fresh seafood, steamed or grilled, more elaborately, add a little scallion oil for the best taste. It is best not to add too many side ingredients, it will lose the fresh and unique flavor of each type.

Mai fish salad

Wet anchovy salad in Ninh Thuan. Photo: Tam Anh

Mai fish is a type of transparent fish, about the size of an index finger, similar to anchovies but less fishy, ​​so it can be used to make salad. There are two types of Mai fish salad: dry and wet. When eating the salad, squeeze lemon juice to cook the fish, mix it with herbs, roasted peanuts and scoop it with grilled rice paper. As for wet salad, soak the fish in a special sauce made from peanuts and some spices, roll it in rice paper and eat it with vegetables.

Featured activities

- Rent a boat to visit Vinh Hy Bay, with glass bottom or snorkeling to see coral - Trekking and camping on Nui Chua for 2 days and 1 night - Take photos at Rai Cave, stone park, wind power field, coastal road... - Visit vineyards, sheep fields, Poklong Garai tower, salt fields, green moss fields... - Camping at Binh Tien beach

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