Binh Thuan Province is for lovers of the great outdoors. Binh Thuan is a place of paradises, excursions, and sights. There are endless stretches of white sand beaches with loads of water-based activities. There are also bike and hiking trails, camping, waterfalls, fairly streams, and sand dunes. Binh Thuan contains all the elements needed for an epic outdoor adventure.
If you’re the type who eschews the ritzy resort scene and prefers a more tactile, back-to-nature experience, then camping on one of Binh Thuan’s vaunted beaches may be just the ticket. Here are a few options.
Coco Beach Camp (in Lagi) is a popular, hip hangout. The camping options vary from tents to beach huts to small wood houses (there are even camper trailers available). Coco Beach has a Bedouin vibe—an oasis, where beachcombers converge. Lots of outdoor activities: parasailing, diving, fishing, boating. You’ll find folks engaged in yoga on the beach or playing volleyball or soccer in the sand. The nearby fishing village provides fresh catch and barbequing on the beach is encouraged. Despite the caravan atmosphere, the beach and surroundings are well-maintained and clean. Saddle up around the circular tiki beach bar and meet folks from around the world.
Son My Beach (also in Lagi) is a laidback version of Coco Beach, a sprawling, spacious white sand beach surrounded by palm trees. You can pitch a tent right on the beach (there are multiple varieties available for rent). If a tent is a bit too outdoorsy for your tastes, there are small wooden A-Frame bungalows also available. Sleep to the sound of waves and wake up to the sight of the sunrise. It’s a festive vibe with campfires, sing-alongs, and barefoot dancing in the soft sand. There are palm-thatched beach huts to hunker down after swimming, fishing, or four-wheeling. Swing on rope chairs or laze on hammocks. You can bring your own food or buy fresh seafood from the local fishermen and grill right there on the beach. There’s also a hut-styled commissary offering up Vietnamese classics (hotpot, spring rolls, and lots of fresh catch).
Lu Glamping is a recent addition to the Binh Thuan beach camping scene. 33km from Phan Thiet, on Ke Ga Beach, Lu Glamping provides plenty of water-based activities. You can stay in modern designed, honeycombed modules that offer a unique beach lodging experience. Of course, you can go old-school with tents or containers. Lu Glamping is chill, you can sway the day away in a hammock or visit the seafood market and barbeque on the beach. Nearby Ke Ga lighthouse is renowned for its extraordinary sunrise views. Built in 1897, this granite, functional art piece is famous throughout Southeast Asia.
While the beaches of Binh Thuan provide plenty of delicious options: surfing, snorkeling, jet skiing, kayaking, paddle and kiteboarding, windsurfing, and banana boats, Binh Thuan has much more to offer the outdoor enthusiast. There are lakes (Ham Thuan and Da Mi) and the La Ngau Stream, (for boating and fishing). There are forests and jungles to explore, mountains to hike, vistas with awe-inspiring views, coffee plantations, and orchards loaded with exotic tropical fruits. You can slide down the lunar-esque landscape of red sand dunes and immerse yourself in the cultural traditions of the local ethnic groups.
If hiking is your thing, options abound. Ho Tien (near Tanh Linh District) is a 15.3km out-and-back trail. Ta Cu Mountain hosts the famous reclining Buddha statue. The hiking trail takes you to the site.
Nui Tau or Tau Mountain (Tuy Phong District) is a modest 0.6km loop trail. The hike can be completed in less than a half hour. A purple-ish scenic from crape-myrtle trees is the one and only reward for hikers.
Fairy Creek Falls a.k.a Suoi Tien (near Phan Thiet) is a 2.3km trail. This trail provides an easy walk through a sandy creek bed leading to the falls. A comfy nature stroll, ideal for all ages.
These are but a few of the plethora of hiking options. Others include Lotus Lake Sand Dune Trail, Crocodile Lake, Cat Tien National Park, and Mr. Dia Rock (Bai Da Ong Dia)…
If you were “born to be wild” and are “looking for adventure” then Binh Thuan Loop is for you—a 340-km roundtrip motorbike adventure that kicks off in Mui Ne. Once you hit the coastal town of Phan Thiet the loop heads inland to fruit plantations and rice fields.
As you continue this two-wheel excursion you’ll find villages with mud huts, roaming goats, and Cham farmers. You’ll continue into the famed coffee plantations of the Central Highlands. Onward, you’ll take in lakes and mountains and the city of Bao Loc (Dambri Waterfall is a suggested side-trip). Bao Loc Pass takes you to the village of Da M’ri with its orchards of tropical fruit and then beyond through cashews and eucalyptus forests. There’s La Nga River with its fertile valley (and more orchards of myriad tropical fruit), Tanh Linh, and the nearby Thac Ba Waterfall. You eventually find yourself back on the coast in the town of Lagi. Simply follow road signs and don’t be afraid to ask if you get lost.
Yes, Binh Thuan Province offers the best of all possible worlds—from beach to mountains—from water sports to dry land adventure. Trek to waterfalls with fanciful legends and fabulous names like Buffalo Head, Fairy Stream, and Lady. Visit nature reserves, pagodas, and temples—canvas jungles and the manicured fields of myriad crops. Binh Thuan Province provides a bounty of outdoor activities with plenty of cultures included.
cre: Vietnam.travel