Archived News

	Web MuiNeBeach.net

Binh Thuan to Award Top Resorts

24.08.07 The Department of Tourism in Binh Thuan will meet with other relevant organizations to plan the tourism festival next year, and identify the resorts which will receive awards during the bi-annual tourism festival.

The organizers will vote for awards in the following categories: Oldest Resort in Mui Ne, Biggest Resort, Resort with the most Attractive Design, Resort with the Best Service and Resort with the most Romantic Sea View, among others (obviously the outcome of many of these resorts can be predicted with some accuracy!).

The tourism festival, which will take place from October 24 to 26, 2008, is a chance for local and international travelers to enjoy typical dishes prepared by resort chefs as well as enjoy local delicacies and learn more about local craft villages. Last years festival, while it did receive a great deal of press, also received some criticism for focusing on VIP's rather than luring foreign and domestic tourists.

Local Man Dies During Race

27.10.05 Thai Tien Son, age 30, collapsed in mid race at the red sand dunes during the Binh Thuan Tourist Festival. At the time of the incident he was immediately given emergency aid and taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Thai Tien Son worked at Sao Bien resort in Mui Ne.

Binh Thuan Festival a Success

25.10.05. The Binh Thuan tourism festival this past weekend was a great success. Local estimates put the crowd at 50,000 visitors (though this enthusiastic estimate is likely a little high due to known limitations on the number of available rooms and resources to support the visitors--it definately did draw a large wave of visitors). During festivities down town, attendees participated in the Nghinh Ong ritual, popular in the Chinese-Vietnamese community, enjoyed live performances and fireworks.

Visitors observed folk dancing, Kate rituals of the Cham Balamon religion, Ramadan rituals of Muslims, and traditional crafts. The three-day event is the biggest tourist festival held in Binh Thuan to date. Also on display was a photo exhibition with over 600 pictures on display, which showcased the province's beauty spots, and sites of historic and cultural interest.

During the festival it was announced that Binh Thuan will devote funds to upgrade the Van Thuy Tu temple on Ngu Ong Street (Duc Thang ward), which is the oldest temple dedicated to whale worship. Built in 1762, the temple now contains over 100 whale skeletons and other strange species of fish, most of which are 100-150 years old. Most noteworthy is a 22 meter whale skeleton, which is estimated to have weighed 65 tons when alive. The temple was recognised as a national relic site in 1996.

This Week's Festival is Gearing Up

18.10.05 Binh Thuan - Hoi Tu Xanh (Binh Thuan - Green Convergence) will take place in Phan Thiet from October 22 to 24. The festival marks the ten-year anniversary of the full solar eclipse on October 24, 1995, when thousands rushed to Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, after scientists announced Binh Thuan would be the only place in Vietnam where people can perfectly observe the full eclipse. It is said that this is the day the tourist industry in Binh Thuan began.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, water-skiing and windsurfing competitions at the Trang Tron Tourism Park will precede the main festival. More than 40 athletes from Canada, France, England, Italy, Russia, and the United States have registered to join the competitions at the park at Mui Ne Beach.

Then traditional boat races on Ca Ty River will kick off the festival on October 22. Athletes from eight provinces (Binh Thuan, Quang Nam, Danang, Phu Yen, Binh Duong, Tra Vinh, Can Tho and Bac Lieu) will compete.

The opening ceremony that evening will feature miniature interpretations of Binh Thuan’s beautiful sand dunes and sea on the open-air stage.

The following nights models will take the catwalk on Nguyen Tat Thanh Square. Another fashion show, titled Hoi Tu Cua Song (Converging Waves), will take place on Le Hong Phong Bridge on the Ca Ty River.

Photographs of the province’s landscapes and people will be on display from October 22 to 24.

The Kate Festival of the ethnic Cham people will be celebrated at the Poshanu Tower, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on October 22 and ending 10 p.m. on October 24.

It is expected that many of the 500 Cham people living in the province will come to the festival. There will also be exhibitions of tho cam (ethnic fabrics) and pottery made by Cham.

Along Tuyen Quang Street and throughout Phan Thiet, visitors will be able to taste regional specialties like goi ca (fish salad), muc mot nang (fresh squid dried in the sun for one day), banh re (deep fried pancake) and banh quai vat (fan-shaped flour cake). While visitors eat they will be able to listen to tai tu music and tuong (traditional central opera) performances. Thanh long (dragon fruit), nuoc mam (fish sauce), and dried seafood, will be on display and for sale at the Binh Thuan Children’s House.

On one of the tours, visitors will have opportunities to bathe in mineral water and mud, and scuba dive at the Tourist Park at Ca Na Beach.

Update on This Month's Festival

10.05 "Green Convergence," a new Binh Thuan Province festival aimed at promoting tourism in Phan Thiet will be held October 22 – 24 in Phan Thiet City. The latest news is that it will include dragon dances, and Truong Long, South-East Asia’s longest dragon, coracle boat races (traditional boats) on Ca Ty River, and from October 14 – 16, water-skiing will be performed at Trang Tron, Ham Tien (Mui Ne Beach), and Phan Thiet City.

At Hon Rom and Mui Ne beaches, lanterns and air ships will be launched into the sky. An airship competition will be held, and photographers will fly with the balloons to photograph them.

Fans of folk and traditional singing will enjoy performances at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Crossroad and the Chien Thang Statue, and a new festival market called "Phan Thiet Dish Street" will offer local traditional food and provincial specialties.

Highlights of the festival will be a fashion show called "Convergence of Wave;" presented on Le Hong Phong Bridge, Ca Ty River, on October 23, and a performance presented at Nguyen Tat Thanh Square (to be broadcast live on Vietnam Television) on October 24. A conference titled "Developing Tourist Villages" will also be held.

New Fall Festival in Phan Thiet

09.05 Binh Thuan Province will be holding a new festival titled “Binh Thuan - Hoi Tu Xanh” (Binh Thuan - Green Convergence), scheduled for October 22-24, in Phan Thiet. It will be a festive event characterised by entertainment and cultural activities. The event will feature the Kate festival and the Cham Culture Day, a tourism photo exhibition, a conference , and a Binh Thuan Trade Fair. Binh Thuan authorities will also commission 10 to 15 tourist projects.

Phan Thiet became well known ten years ago when thousands rushed there to view the full solar eclipse. Binh Thuan has 102 hotels and resorts with 3,000 rooms and 2,000 guest houses, and has issued licenses to investors to build around 365 projects with total investment of 8.5 trillion VND. This year Binh Thuan has already welcomed 1.3 million guests, earning a revenue of 405 billion VND.