Vietnam Vacations – Phu Yen

Landscape Phu Yen
Phu Yen province under a coastal South Central. The northern border with Binh Dinh, the southern border with Khanh Hoa, the western borders of the provinces Dak Lak and Gia Lai, the east sea borders East. Phu Yen hills and mountains, coastal plain and more than hundred kilometers of coast have been created for the Phu Yen in natural beauty. Where mountain slopes in the long run the sea divided range delta and create lagoon, the Gulf countries worry coastal Bay as Cu Mong, Xuan Dai Bay, salacious Loan, Vung Ro … Phu Yen has 3 main rivers flowing through the provinces: three rivers (Da Rang), rivers and river Lot Ky Ban Thach. Phu Yen is poor province in center of Vietnam, but has great potentials for tourism and don’t forget to visit it during your Vietnam Vacations.

Topography Phu Yen can divide into 2 major areas:

- The mountains and the sale of paint (the west is a row of ribs Truong Son Nam): including the district Son Hoa, Song Hinh, Dong Xuan and the western district of Song Cau, Tuy An, Tay Hoa, Dong Hoa. This mountainous region is the same message, but not very high, with the top highest Vong Phu (2.064m).

- The plain: including the city Tuy Hoa, Tuy An district, River Bridge, West Hoa, Dong Hoa with the rice fields of the province.

Affected by climate ocean climate should Phu Yen hot, humid, more rain. Temp annual average 26.5 º C, high 39 º C and lowest 15.5 º C.

Potential for tourism development

Bai Tien
Phu Yen has many monuments and attractions such as the mountain at the right in Tuy Hoa city, glass ball down rivers Da Rang. From Tuy Hoa city, go north, tourists can visit the river bridge, the tourist beach Thuy Long a natural area extensively with water salacious In Taiwan, the island along the shore Hon Chua, Hon Yen, Tien beach, white pagoda, ghenh Multidisk with the skin on each settlement.

Head south of Phu Yen is Vung Ro port (how thanhp town 25km), beach X?p, Tien beach … Go west forests is prohibited Springs Trai, wood is where Bin recorded evidence of the battlefield of the people in Phu Yen, exploitation Yaly and Hinh river sources, thermae Phuoc Long, Tien springs. The food specialties such as shrimp, crabs, fish, the blood, real estate nhay … of Phu Yen will give visitors the flavor difficult to forget.

Traffic Phu Yen
Transportation

Tuy Hoa City in the way Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh 1.177km. Ho Chi Minh 561km, is the estuaries that the Da Da Rang 21 rhythm, the longest in the Central. Choose the best Vietnam Travel Deals for your vacations.

Bai Tram Bay has it all: mountains, ocean, breakfast at 3pm

Leaving the airport near the city of Qui Nhon, we embarked by car on National Highway 1A southward to Bai Tram Bay in Phu Yen Province, a central coastal area famed for its seductively sandy beaches.
It was early morning and the road was all but deserted. The surrounding countryside was a sparkling, lush green and we could feel the freshness of the ocean air.

Before reaching Cu Mong Lagoon in Xuan Tho fishing village near the bay, we decided to stop at a small roadside restaurant to stifle our hunger pains.

The dishes – green bean and pork porridge, boiled liver, and organ meats served with banh hoi (rice noodle), herbs and sweet and sour fish sauce – were tasty treats that no traveler should miss.

We continued our journey on the 5km road leading to Bai Tram Bay in Xuan Canh Commune about 30km from Quy Nhon. Though the road was steep and winding, it offered a glimpse of the area’s natural beauty and local traditions.

Refuge: Surrounded by mountains on one side and a white, sandy beach on the other, Bai Tram Hideaway is a truly secluded vacation spot.
The surrounding landscape of the village market, rice fields and shrimp and green mussel farms all created a vivid picture of the area’s rural lifestyle.

Here, tourists can sleep overnight in a simple homestay or relax at Bai Tram Hideaway’s luxury villas, a newly opened five-star resort.

From Bai Tram Bay, the entire area below the Cu Mong Pass, which is a gateway to the central coastal region, can be explored.

Overlooking the ocean, the resort Bai Tram Hideaway is nestled inside a 900m crescent-shaped beach surrounded by verdant mountains.

The resort’s entrance offers guests a splendid view of the entire area, including sandy beaches and green fields.

Developed and managed by the Amsterdam-headquartered La Perla International Living, the resort consists of 200 villas designed in a Vietnamese style, spread over 90ha of land with a secluded beachfront, giving the place a true hideaway sensation.

“All of the villas were designed to ensure that visitors enjoy the ultimate beachfront lifestyle in a tropical ambience, where the daily stress of modern living can be forgotten,” Khanh Van, marketing manager of La Perla International Living (Viet Nam), said.

“We focused on building an environmentally friendly resort so the villas were built with a coconut-leaf roof and clay walls, keeping it natural, though the interior is equipped with modern facilities to ensure the best comfort,” Van says.

Stephen Post, La Perla International Living’s hospitality director, says the concept of Bai Tram gives guests the opportunity “to recharge their batteries in a short time with a long-lasting effect.”

The main building of the resort, which overlooks the ocean, has a lounge, restaurant, bar and swimming pool.

Entering the building, guests walk down a small path that crosses a rice field and fruit and herb garden, which are taken care of by locals and farmers who work as resort staff.

The organically grown rice, vegetables and herbs provide the resort’s kitchen with a wealth of fresh food for use in local and international dishes.

“What you eat in Bai Tram is healthy and of high quality. We use these ingredients in our cooking classes,” Stephen says.

Sascha Spiegel, the resort’s acting general manager, says guests, especially children, can learn more about rural life by working in the fields and garden or taking part in the cooking classes held in a cottage in a rice field.

Bai Tram is famous for its lobster fishing, and freshly caught grilled lobster is a specialty of the restaurant, Sascha says.

Fish food: A floating restaurant in a fishing village near Bai Tram Hideaway serves fresh seafood and local rice wine.
Meal times at the resort are flexible, unlike many other hotels.

“We have a no time limit policy,” says Stephen. “That means if you want to have breakfast at 3pm, it’s not a problem. Guests can choose their favourite location to enjoy a meal. It can be near the mountain, on the beach, in the rice field, or in the villa, the restaurant or beside the lap pool.”

Taking advantage of all the resort has to offer, we warmed up in the early morning by swimming in our villa’s private pool while other guests took to the beach after climbing up the hill to watch the sun rise.

Exploring the bay’s surroundings is an alternative for those who are more physically active.

In the late morning, we chose to walk while other guests rode motorbikes. The trekking offered us interesting insights into the local culture.

By late afternoon, we departed by boat from the beach to view the sea, rocks and shrimp farms around the Cu Mong Lagoon.

We were astonished to see how blue and clean the deep sea was and were excited to spot a few local residents netting fish in the ocean.

Although some of the resort staff were with us, we were still a little frightened as it was the first time that some of us had been offshore in a boat.

In the late afternoon, guests can opt to go fishing in the lagoon while watching the sun set behind the mountains.

The resort’s kitchen staff is available for most of the day and evening to prepare dishes made with freshly caught fish.

Before having dinner, our group visited a small fishing village in Xuan Binh Commune, about a 20-minute drive from Bai Tram, an area famous for its seafood, particularly snails and crabs.

Surprisingly, there were no tables at the floating restaurants in the village, so we all sat down on a floor mat. It was the freshest seafood that I had ever had, two-thirds the price of similar dishes in HCM City.

After a hard, long day of touring and trekking, we opted for a facial and foot treatment late at night. The spa and massage treatments at the resort were a stimulating but soothing end for our weary city souls.

Korean leader extends condolences over flood losses

Forecasters said yesterday that Storm Noul (or Red Sun) was turning into a tropical depression, and it no longer seriously threatened central and southern Viet Nam, although the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, still considered “it complicated”.

Up to now, 14 people have been reported as either dead or missing in Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen provinces because of the storm.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, the tropical depression was travelling west, with a wind speed of less than 39km per hour.
The centre also said the storm would bring heavy rains to the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) and the south-east.

Many places in Binh Duong, Khanh Hoa. and Ninh Thuan provinces have already been seriously flooded by the storm.

As the storm continues to bring heavy rains, to the south-eastern region, water levels have exceeded alarm level three in Dau Tieng Reservoir in Binh Duong Province. The reservoir had to be drained to deal with the storm, which led to the flooding.

Central and southern provinces and cities were trying to cope with the heavy rains and floods.

Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Dong Thap, An Giang, Phu Yen, Soc Trang, Ninh Thuan, Tra Vinh, Ca Mau, Gia Lai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces were calling in their offshore ships, asking fishermen to find shelter, while banning any ships from going out to sea.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also sent messages to China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to ask them to shelter Vietnamese ships and fishermen.

Phat said forecasters had been off the mark lately, in giving incorrect predictions of rains, storms and floods over the last few months, and that they had to work to increase the accuracy of their forecasts.

The minister also said that they had to remain prepared to deal with the depression, in case these predictions were once again incorrect.

Localities prepare

HCM City, which is dealing with the highest tide the city has seen in the past few decades, has already moved more than 2,000 people mostly women, children, the elderly and disabled, to safe areas in the island commune of Thanh An, Can Gio District.

The city had dispatched 200 automobiles to move around 200,000 households with nearly 700,000 people from dangerous areas, said Nguyen Trung Tin, deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee.

Tin said those people would be moved to 330 shelters.

“All buildings under construction must be stopped immediately,” said Tin. The HCM City Committee for Flood and Storm Control advised local people to close all their doors, windows and any holes in their homes.

It also advised that no one leave their homes during periods of heavy rain and strong winds, telling them to find adequate shelter, and keep enough food and supplies for seven to 10 days.

Binh Duong Province had also moved 200 households away from flooded areas to Thuan An District, where authorities had provider them with noodles and necessary supplies.
The district’s chairman Tran Thanh Liem said they would set up another shelter in Lai Thieu Town.

Water levels in the district were as high as 1.2m, flooding hundreds of hectares of fruit trees and fish ponds, said Liem.

Other provinces had urged their residents to harvest crops as soon as possible, and ensure their were ready to deal with emergencies.

Vinh Long Province was carrying out similar preparations, and had urged its officials to stop all the unnecessary meetings to focus on preventing damage caused by the storm.

Students in affected provinces and cities were allowed to stay at home as of yesterday.

Meanwhile, cold spells have been hitting the north, adding to heavy rains and storms in the central and northern areas. Temperatures have dropped below 10 degrees Celsius in some northern mountainous provinces.

The lowest temperature of 5 degrees Celsius was reported in Sin Ho, Lai Chau Province, with temperatures around 7 degrees Celsius in Lao Cai Province’s Sapa Town.

Tran Tony Phuc Thanh, a Viet Kieu in the
US, Director of Asia Hawaii Ventures (AHV), said that he had been panicking since curdled oil had been found on the beach near the company’s shrimp hatchery area.

“One week ago, my workers reported an oil spill and curdled oil on the coast line. I have ordered 200 workers to collect the oil and they have collected 800kg,” he said. Water from the sea gets pumped into the shrimp hatchery ponds; it would cause serious damage if the water became polluted.

Not only AHV hatches shrimp in the area. The Phu Yen Science and Technology Department is also hatching shrimp on 10 ha of coast.

Mr Nguyen Van Do, Head of the Phu Yen Seafood Sources Protection Sub-department, said that a substance in oil called ankyl phenol kills shrimp and lobsters.

Le Van Thung, Deputy Director of the Phu Yen Department for Natural Resources and the Environment, on March 17 said that the department had discovered oil on the coast of many places in the province, including Hoa Tam and Hoa Xuan Nam communes in Dong Hoa district, and Xuan Phuong and Xuan Thinh communes in Song Cau district. The oil has curdled under the sunshine and drifted ashore.

Mr Thung said that provincial leaders were examining tiger shrimp hatchery areas in Xuan Thinh commune in Song Cau district, and the level of damage caused by the oil would be announced later.

According to Mr Thung, the only solution now is to collect the curdled oil and wait for treatment solutions.

When asked why the oil was only discovered in Phu Yen several days ago, while it appeared in other central provinces several months ago, Mr Do said that it was because of the sea current and the wind. He also added that the oil which appeared in the Phu Tho 3 shrimp hatchery area in Dong Hoa district in December 2006 did not cause economic damages to the area.

Meanwhile, the oil continues to hinder tourism development in several other central provinces.