Developers are flocking to Binh Thuan province with plans to develop tourist resorts, turning the area into a popular seaside destination, eager to market the area for its picturesque beaches and not just its famed fish sauce. This 700sqm site provides an exciting opportunity for tourism development.
Price: 150 USD/m2

Mui Ne is a bit like the western coast of Kho Samui in Thailand, offering vast stretches of white sand, clear blue skies and a plentiful supply of coconut trees. Situated just a short distance from Ho Chi Minh City and its international airport, the area boasts an ideal location that makes it easy to tap into the resort market. Once considered an untouched backwater, Binh Thuan is emerging as a resort hub with new developments opening every month, not only in Phan Thiet, but also in other regions. Devel­opers are coming with numerous large ­scale resorts and tourism projects planned for the future.

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"We have already completed 78 tourism projects, and most of them are resorts," said Nguyen Van Thu, vice chairman of Binh Thuan People's Committee. The province has lured 337 projects with registered capital of $600 million so far, yet this just seems to be the start of something bigger as the real growth is still to come. While Binh Thuan has yet to transcend the status of its counterparts, resorts are continu­ously springing up alongside the fishing vil­lages, sand dunes and unspoiled beaches, help­ing the province achieve its target of building 200 to 250 resorts by 2010, more than double the current number.

Foreign tourist figures in Binh Thuan have steadily grown to reach 150,000 in 2005, and rooms have grown in line with demand. The province now has 3,000 hotel rooms and this figure will grow significantly in the near future since a handful of new resorts are under construction. Tourism in Binh Thuan posted an annual growth of 30 per cent, earning revenue of $30 million last year. However, Vietnamese tourists remain the main feeder market for the expand­ing number of resorts in the province. As living standards improved on the back of a national economy growing at an average 7.5 per cent over the last five years, hordes of tourists are willing to drive for five hours from Ho Chi Minh City to Binh Thuan for a weekend holiday. The province attracted over 1.6 million Vietnamese tourists last year, becoming the hottest tourist destination in central Vietnam and outperforming rivals Quang Nam province, Hoi An and My Son. Binh Thuan is determined to improve its foreign arrival numbers as interna­tional visitors only account for 10 per cent of total tourist volume in the province.