Phan Thiet Strengthens Tourism Links After Merger
Following the merger, Phan Thiet Ward now covers about 446 hectares and it is regarded as the center of Lam Dong Province’s southeastern coastal area. With its established destination brand, strong commercial services, and strategic role as a trade gateway, Phan Thiet is well positioned to connect with Mui Ne National Tourist Area and elevate local tourism development.
From the “Phan Thiet” Brand...
When mentioning Phan Thiet, many visitors immediately think of a coastal destination known for beach tourism, Phan Thiet fish sauce, fresh seafood, and dishes rich in the flavors of the sea. Among them, Phan Thiet’s one-sun-dried squid was once featured by the culinary website TasteAtlas among highly rated squid dishes, helping bring this local specialty closer to domestic and international visitors.
Following its merger into a ward, the locality now preserves the name “Phan Thiet” and serves as a central area in the southeastern part of the province, home to many popular attractions. These include Duc Thanh School Relic Site, Ho Chi Minh Museum, Phan Thiet Water Tower, Van Thuy Tu Temple, Thanh Minh Tu, Thuong Chanh Park, and Doi Duong Beach. In addition, Phan Thiet Port is located in the ward, with high-speed boats taking visitors across the waves to Phu Quy Special Zone, where they can explore and experience the “pearl island” by high-speed boat.
With its central location and role as a trade hub, Phan Thiet also hosts traditional markets, supermarkets, convenience stores, and a wide range of food, transport, and logistics services that support the growing tourism sector. Among them, Phan Thiet Market, Nguyen Hue Street, Trung Nhi Street, the Pham Van Dong riverside food area along the Ca Ty River, and part of Tuyen Quang Street are must-visit destinations for many tourists seeking to shop and enjoy a variety of coastal delicacies.
Nguyen Dinh Quy, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Division of Phan Thiet Ward, said the locality is currently home to many distinctive festivals that reflect the rich cultural life of coastal communities, including the Trung Nguyen Kien Tieu Nghinh Ong Quan Thanh De Quan Xuat Du Festival, the Cau Ngu Festival, and the traditional boat racing festival on the Ca Ty River.
Among them, the ward is coordinating research and gradually working to develop the Trung Nguyen Kien Tieu Nghinh Ong Quan Thanh De Quan Xuat Du Festival of the Chinese-Vietnamese community and the Cau Ngu Festival of local fishing communities into distinctive cultural and tourism products, helping diversify summer tourism activities in the area in 2026.
Toward Stronger Tourism Links
To tap its potential and advantages and promote the comprehensive development of Phan Thiet Ward, the locality has planned to develop trade and services in a modern, friendly, and sustainable direction. At the same time, it aims to diversify marine tourism products and continue studying and orienting the development of a night-time economy model, helping expand development space and increase Phan Thiet’s appeal to visitors. Accordingly, the ward is moving toward forming night-time food, shopping, and entertainment streets, as well as night markets associated with the promotion of OCOP products and renowned local seafood specialties.
With its relatively favorable external transport links, Phan Thiet Ward is also well positioned to connect with Mui Ne National Tourist Area, which covers a total area of about 14,760 hectares, through Phu Thuy Ward and Mui Ne Ward. This is because the area is one of the three main development centers of Mui Ne National Tourist Area, which is oriented under the model of one coastal corridor, three centers, and multiple access directions. In particular, the route from Phan Thiet Ward to the gateway of Mui Ne National Tourist Area at the intersection of Vo Nguyen Giap and Nguyen Thong streets is highly convenient for visitors.
In the other direction, visitors can enjoy high-end stays at 4- and 5-star accommodation facilities, take part in recreational sports on the sea and sand dunes at Mui Ne National Tourist Area, or travel easily from Phan Thiet Airport to the heart of Lam Dong’s coastal area to sightsee, shop, and experience local cuisine.
In particular, Le Duan and Nguyen Tat Thanh streets, which connect with Le Loi Street and the coastal route, have been identified in the master plan as important transport axes. They play a key role in linking the ward’s commercial, service, and tourism center with coastal areas, Mui Ne, and nearby destinations. In addition to land-based tourism routes, sea-based tourism routes are expected to be developed in the future, including the construction of a marina at Phan Thiet Port to connect Mui Ne National Tourist Area with domestic and international sea tourism routes.
Talking about the directions for local tourism connectivity, Tran Nguyen Loc, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Phan Thiet Ward, said: “Phan Thiet Ward has identified that tourism development must go hand in hand with preserving cultural identity, improving service quality, protecting the environment, and building the image of a civilized and friendly coastal urban area. The locality will continue to coordinate with departments, agencies, businesses, and local communities to gradually develop distinctive tourism products, connecting central Phan Thiet with Mui Ne, Phu Quy, and other destinations in the province. Through these efforts, the Phan Thiet brand will spread more strongly within Lam Dong Province’s new development space.”
During the 2025–2030 period, the Party Committee of Phan Thiet Ward has set out several key tasks and solutions to promote rapid and sustainable economic development in association with environmental protection.
In the tourism sector, the ward will focus on mobilizing resources to invest in infrastructure serving its tourism development strategy, especially urban transport connectivity. It will also invest in upgrading seaside parks and public beaches in a modern and environmentally friendly direction.
At the same time, the locality will improve service quality, diversify tourism products, and link tourism development with the preservation of the natural and social environment. It will also coordinate the effective implementation of the marine tourism and sports center project while strengthening communication, promotion, and tourism marketing activities