Phan Rang & Thap Cham
If you’re travelling Vietnam from north to south you’ll notice a big change in the vegetation as you approach the twin cities of Phan Rang and Thap Cham, joint capitals of Ninh Thuan province. The familiar lush green rice paddies are replaced with sandy soil supporting only scrubby plants. Local flora includes poinciana trees and prickly-pear cacti with vicious thorns. Famous for its production of table grapes, many of the houses on the outskirts of town are decorated with vines on trellises.

The area’s best-known sight (and a common stop on the Dalat–Nha Trang route) is the group of Cham towers known as Po Klong Garai, from which Thap Cham (Cham Tower) derives its name. There are other towers dotted about the countryside. This province is home to tens of thousands of Cham people, particularly in the vicinity of the twin cities. The Cham, like other ethnic minorities in Vietnam, suffer from discrimination and are usually poorer than their ethnic-Vietnamese neighbours. There are also several thousand Chinese in the area, many of whom come to worship at the 135-year old Quang Cong Pagoda (Ð Thong Nhat), a colourful Chinese temple in the town centre.

Getting there & away
Contents

Land
Bus
Phan Rang bus station (Ben Xe Phan Rang; opposite 64 Ð Thong Nhat) is on the northern outskirts of town. Regular buses head north to Nha Trang (24, 000d, 2½ hours), northwest to Dalat (40, 000d, 4½ hours), and south to Ca Na (10, 000d, one hour) and beyond.

Car & motorbike
Phan Rang is 344km from HCMC, 147km from Phan Thiet, 32km from Ca Na, 104km from Nha Trang and 108km from Dalat.

Train
The Thap Cham Train Station (Ga Thap Cham; 888 029; 7 Ð Phan Dinh Phung) is about 6km west of Hwy 1A, within sight of Po Klong Garai Cham towers. Destinations include Nha Trang (35, 000d, 1½ to 2½ hours, eight daily) and HCMC (120, 000d, six to 10 hours, eight daily).

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