Phan Rang is tourist heaven

I have visited Phan Rang several times but each trip gave me a new experience and brought me to new cool places of this coastal central city of Ninh Thuan Province.

 

The memory of passing through a sand dune on the way to Dinh Cape in Ninh Thuan Province will be unforgettable

People who love to swim in the sea, to bathe in a stream, to trek to a mountain, to explore a forest can find all these things in this ideal destination.

Apart from popular destinations in Ninh Thuan such as Vinh Hy Bay, Ca Na and Binh Tien beaches, Poklong Garai Tower, Bau Truc Pottery Village and My Nghiep Brocade Village, tourists are advised to visit Nam Cuong sand dunes, Hanging Lake on Nui Chua National Park, Mui Dinh Lighthouse, Chapor Waterfall, fossilized coral reef and Rai Cave.

To get to Phan Rang, which is about 330km away from HCMC, tourists can either take a train or bus/car. The best option is a two-way journey in an air-conditioned train to Thap Cham Railway Station in Phan Rang which costs VND900,000.

The first destination should be the red Nam Cuong sand dunes in Tuan Tu Culture Village in Ninh Phuoc District’s An Hai Commune. The 700 hectare Nam Cuong sand dunes amazingly shine in different color tones depending on the sunlight. The perfect time to admire the sand dunes is at sunrise when the first rays of the sun from the horizon reflect its light onto the place and gradually spread its light.

A tourist poses in front of a pre-historic fossil reef

Tourists can then visit Nui Chua National Park in Ninh Hai District which is 7km from Phan Rang-Thap Cham City at around 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. to avoid the heat and humidity. The park has a unique semi-arid flora and fauna, sea turtle nesting beaches, protected prehistoric coral reef which faces the sea. Some might think that its surface looks like Mars as there are a lot of holes in different shapes and depth.

Especially, tourists cannot imagine that there’s a Hanging Lake on the peak of the park which is full of water from streams and underground springs in the area all-year round. The diameter of the lake is 80 meters. Its water is blue, and, especially in rainy months, the lake amidst the immense forest creates a beautifully proportioned picture.

The next day you can discover Chapor waterfall which is located in Ma Lam Hamlet in Phuoc Tan Commune of Bac Ai District and is 60km from Phan Rang City. This is a natural waterfall and stream and falls down from a height of 50m to the ponds below. Tourists can freely relax on the pure and cool water of the stream below the waterfall or find a flat rock under a shade to enjoy a meal or take a snap in a very quite and peaceful space.

Mui Dinh (Dinh Cape) in Son Hai Village in Phuoc Dinh Commune which is 40km south of Phan Rang City and 10 km from the popular Ca Na beach is the perfect ending to your trip. However, this is not an ideal place for those who are not physically strong as you have to pass a sand dune in strong winds. The wind power can extinguish even a brave tourist’s will. If you can pass it, you are treated to a fantastic landscape of primitive, beautiful, white sand beach with rock cliffs at the foot of Dinh Mountain and a romantic lighthouse on the peak.

Tourists can buy friends and relatives some Ninh Thuan souvenirs like fish sauce, garlic and products made from grape. As for local specialties, banh can (a cake made from rice flour served with seafood) and banh canh (rice noodles with fish paste) are a must.

A tourist poses in front of a pre-historic fossil reef

A tourist poses in front of a pre-historic fossil reef

   

Chapor Waterfall appeals to adventurers

If you love walking, trekking and swimming, Chapor Waterfall located inside a primeval forest in the coastal province of Ninh Thuan promises an exciting trip.

 

From the main street, tourists have to wade across a stream to walk to Chapor Waterfall 

The waterfall is located in Ma Lam Hamlet in Phuoc Tan Commune of Bac Ai District and is 60km away from Phan Rang City.

The waterfall is full of water all year round, running through villages of the ethnic minority people Raglai. The name Chapor in Raglai people’s language means flying waterfall. People also call it Cha Pang or Piago waterfall.

This is a natural waterfall and stream and falls down from a height of 50m to the ponds below. It looks like a giant white silk cloth covering Ma Lam Mountain’s cliffs.

Tourists cannot resist the pure and cool water in the stream with a depth of about five feet. If tired of swimming, tourists can take some snaps or enjoy food on some huge flat-surface rock on two sides of the stream.

It’s quite difficult for tourists to get to the site as the local authority is currently trying to improve the road’s quality. There’s a bridge under construction, so there is no access to the site by car or coach, so tourists have to be prepared to walk three to four kilometers on a rough red soil street or ask local residents to take them to the site by motorbike for VND50,000 two-way for one person.

Sitting on the back seat of a high-speed bike through dusty roads in strong winds and being chased by barking dogs and tumbling down a sloping street inside the forest can be a thrilling memory to travelers.

It’s recommended to visit the waterfall during the dry season, as during the rainy season the road’s surface will be turned into mud. Tourists should prepare water, light clothes, sandals instead of flip flops to walk on rocks and anti-insect lotion to protect your skin from large leeches and poisonous mosquitoes in the tropical forest.

Since last year, the local authority has called on investors to develop the venue into a tourist site where travelers can enjoy better road facilities to visit the spectacular landscape of a primeval forest with diversified fauna and floral.

Despite the road’s poor quality, there are busloads of tourists from HCMC, Nha Trang and Binh Thuan rushing to discover the waterfall. So, why do you have to hesitate to make a trip to this new but very cool place with family and friends?

 

Rumbling white water from the lowest level of Chapor falls down a pure lake where tourists can freely swim and relax on some huge rocks 

 

Ethnic minority children swim on a stream on the way leading to the site

Cham culture shines at festival

 

A special sports, culture and tourism festival featuring members of the Cham ethnic group is underway in the central province of Ninh Thuan. The three-day festival, kicked off on October 14, is taking place at the same time as the group's traditional Kate festival.

Various cultural activities like art shows, traditional costume shows, brocade weaving contests, a culinary fair and sports competitions will be organised in the province.

A conference on preserving and developing Cham ethnic culture in parallel with promoting tourism will be the key activity at the event, which will gather both scientists and cultural workers. 

The event is expected to attract Cham people from nine localities including Binh Thuan, Phu Yen, An Giang, Tay Ninh, HCM City and Dong Nai. 

The localities will take turns hosting the event, which will be held every three years. 

According to statistics from 2008, the Cham group was ranked 14th in population size when compared to all 54 ethnic groups in the country, with 145,000 members. 

Source: Vietnam+

 

Awaking Ninh Thuan tourism

Ninh Thuan Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Director Pham Quoc Anh talked about the preparation of the second culture, sports and tourism festival of the Cham ethnic group in an interview with Vietnam Economic News' reporter Thanh Tam.
Which outstanding points will the 2012 culture, sports and tourism festival of Cham ethnic minority group create to attract tourists?
The festival will see provinces and cities where Cham people live, such as Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Phu Yen, Dong Nai, An Giang, HCMC, Quang Nam and Tay Ninh.
The festival will take place from October 14-16, 2012 at four locations. There are two outdoor locations, including the Po Klongirai Tower tourist area and the stadium in Huu Duc Village and two traditional villages, including My Nghiep brocade fabric village and Bau Truc pottery village in Phuoc Dan Town, Ninh Phuoc District, Ninh Thuan Province.
Exciting activities will be included in the festival, such as the opening ceremony associated with art and traditional costume performance programs of Cham people; introducing the Cham food culture; workshops on Cham cultural preservation and development; and promoting tourism in cultural heritages of Cham people.
The festival will be held before the Kate traditional ceremony of Cham people, with the participation of provinces and cities where Cham people live, Cham cultural researchers, artists and intellectuals. The festival continues to be the occasion to honor and promote culture, sport and tourism activities of Cham people to the country as well as visitors.
In addition to beautiful landscapes, Ninh Thuan also has unique Cham cultural treasures. Has Ninh Thuan exploited these potential assets for tourism development?
Nature has bestowed a diversity of natural landscapes on Ninh Thuan with famous beaches, such as Ninh Chu, Ca Na, Vinh Hy and Binh Tien and unique natural landscapes, such as Nam Cuong-Mui Dinh tourist area covering on an area of hundreds of hectares of natural sand dunes, Phuoc Binh National Park with 513 species of plants and 170 species of rare animals, Chua Mountain and South Central Sea. In addition, Ninh Thuan also has a community of architecture and rich cultural festivals of Cham people. However, much potential is still in the form of raw resources and have not been developed. Therefore, although the number of tourists to Ninh Thuan increases by the year, this figure only reached 820,000 in 2011.
The number of tourists to Ninh Thuan in 2011 was low. What is the reason of this limitation?
Ninh Thuan tourism has potential but local government has not paid much attention to the development of tourism. Plus poor infrastructure, inconvenient transportation, monotonous tourism products and limited investment capacity, Ninh Thuan tourism needs to be waken up.
What specific plans will Ninh Thuan implement?
According to socioeconomic development strategy of Ninh Thuan until 2020, with a vision to 2030, tourism is ranked second in the four economic pillars and six key economic sectors. This is a huge advantage. Ninh Thuan targets to reach 1.3-1.4 million of visitors until 2015, of which international visitors account for 14-15 percent; and by 2020 receiving 2.5-3 million of visitors, contributing 8 percent of GDP and solve employment for 10 percent of labor. To achieve these targets, tourism needs to be developed comprehensively to exploit advantages, including marine tourism, eco-tourism, and cultural tourism and travel services. Ninh Thuan tourism in the coming years will develop due to three directions. Firstly, it is necessary to construct and upgrade transport infrastructure connected to tourist areas and train professional human resources. Secondly, the construction of highly competitive and attractive tourist services and the mobilization of investment capital to build unique local products will be focused on. Thirdly, the construction of advanced forms of tourism, such as golf courses, hotels and resorts to attract high-income tourists will be developed.
In addition to three fundamental directions for sustainable tourism development, it is necessary to have the consensus of all involved sectors in the province to build brand for Ninh Thuan tourism. When advantages have been exploited, Ninh Thuan tourism will have opportunities to sustainable develop.
 
Source: VEN