Phan Thiết: Chasing Salt, Surf, and Stolen Moments
okay so i landed in phan thiết thinking it'd be just another sleepy fishing town. turns out it's a whole mood. the air smelled like dried seafood and motorbike exhaust-classic vietnam, right? i just checked and it's 25°c there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. perfect for wandering around without melting into a puddle.
walking along the coast felt like stepping into a faded postcard. *mui ne dunes were just a short ride away, and lemme tell ya-those red sand hills glow like they're lit from within at sunset. someone told me that the dunes used to be way bigger, but sand mining's been eating them away. sad, but still worth seeing before they're gone.
food here? oh man. grabbed banh can from a tiny cart-mini rice cakes with quail eggs, charred to perfection. the lady running it laughed when i burned my tongue. "slow down, tourist!" she said in vietnamese. i heard that the best banh xeo in town is at a place called quán gióng on nguyễn Đình chiểu street. locals swear by it, and after one bite, i get why.
the fishing harbor in the early morning is pure chaos. boats painted in blues and reds bob in the water, and the shouts of vendors selling the morning's catch echo everywhere. if you get bored, lagi and la gi are just a short drive away. quieter, but with their own charm if you're into empty beaches and zero tourists.
random tip: skip the fancy resorts along the main strip. stay in the city center. you'll save cash and get way more character. plus, the street food scene is unreal. i overheard some backpackers saying they found a guesthouse with hammocks on the rooftop-sounds dreamy, right?
phan thiết* isn't trying to be anything it's not. it's raw, a little gritty, and totally alive. i kinda loved that about it.
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