OTHER CENTRAL DESTINATIONS

1. CA NA BEACH
35 km South of Phan Rang, and 123 km North of Phan Thiet lies Cana Beach, a great stretch of white sand strewn with boulders. The water is a beautiful turquoise. Onshore, the area has been colonized by prickly pear cacti.

2. DAI LANH BEACH
Located at around 80 km North of Nha Trang, Dai Lanh is a picturesque fishing village with red-tile roofs. There's a high vantage point in the area known as Cap Varella, with sweeping views. Dai Lanh Beach extends along Highway 1, at the southern end it becomes a sand dune area that connects with the 30-km-long Hon Gom Peninsula, another scenic area. Sheltered in here is Vung Co, one of the nicest beaches on the coast. Any bus heading between Qui Nhon and Nha Trang will pass through there.

3. PHAN RANG & THAP CHAM
Phan Rang is actually a twin town, that is known as Phan Rang and Thap Cham. It is a small town on the coast with its main attraction being the Cham history and towers in the surrounding area. The Cham Empire thrived around Phan Rang from around the 8th century until it fell in the 17th century. The Phan Rang region is very dry, as it manages to avoid the summer and winter monsoons, and receives and average rainfall of only 60cm per year. The immediate area around Phan Rang is very beautiful and is spotted with grape gardens, and the best dragon fruit in Vietnam is meant to be grown in this area. Phan Rang marks the intersection of Highway 1 and the best road to Dalat from the coast.

4. PKLONG GARAI CHAM TOWER
The main attraction in Phan Rang is a small group of Cham towers which sit by the roadside 7 km towards Dalat. These towers were built in the early 14 century as Hindu temples during the Cham Empire and they are beautifully preserved. The towers were named after the King who invented a system of irrigation used in local villages. As the tourist buses from Nha Trang to Dalat pass through Phan Rang, the Cham towers are seen as a convenient place to break the journey. The result is that the towers are periodically swarmed by travelers heading north and south. You can enter the largest temple, in the center of which there is an ancient linga (phallic symbol) with a human face painted on it. The other towers still retain their shape and some of the carved details are clearly visible.

5. MY LAI
One of the war vestiges left after the Vietnam War. The destruction of an entire village by Lieutenant Calley’s men is probably the best documented military atrocity on record. The massacre occurred on 16 April 1968, and 504 women, old men, children and babies were mindlessly slaughtered by Company C with almost no resistance. There is a museum here, with photos depicting the series of events on this horrific day. The atrocities occurred over different sites within a two or three square kilometers area. Walking among the fields, you occasionally come across a memorial plaque indicating the number of people that died on that spot. Lieutenant Calley was later court martialled and sentenced to life, but only served three of those years. Following the US Supreme Court’s refusal to hear his case, Calley was paroled. My Lai is about 15 km North of Quang Ngai.

6. HILL TRIBE VILLAGES
If you have some spare time it is worthwhile visiting the hill tribes. To get to the villages, take the road heading to Dalat and the Cham Towers. Before you reach the Cham Towers there is a gas station on the right hand side, turn right onto the dirt road before the gas station. The private road leads to different villages. The irrigation system used by the hill tribe people is interesting and can be seen when you explore the area.

7. SAM SON BEACH - THANH HOA PROVINCE
At the turn of the 20th century, people discovered the priceless geographical treasure of Sam Son. In 1907, the French colonial government started to develop Sam Son into a holiday resort for French civil servants and officials based in Thanh Hoa and northern Vietnam. The area has a long history steeped in legend and mysticism.
In the early days, Sam Son was only a collection of sun-baked sand dunes rising above long pools of blue water. The name Sam Son did not appear in written documents or verbal language until the beginning of the 20th century. At the foot of the mountains, north of the Truong Le Range, there is Sam Village. It is popularly referred to as Nua Village. This is the oldest village in the area.

8. CUA LO BEACH - VINH CITY
Cua Lo Beach is located 18km from Vinh. This 10km sandy beach is outlined by pine forests. Not far from the beach are 3 islands: Hon Ngu, Hon Chu, and Hon Mat with natural and primitive landscape which is attractive visitors. Once in Cua Lo, tourists can visit the islands by boat, climb the mountains, dive, and visit historical and literary sites such as the temple in honor of Nguyen Xi in Nghi Hop Commune, the Trung Kien Pagoda in Nghi Thiet Commune, and the Hoang Van family altar in Cua Lo. Nowadays in Cua Lo, a number of rest houses and hotels, and the modern services system is constructed to meet the need of the travelers.