2019 Lunar New Year Road Trip: Tay Ninh – La Gi
This lunar new year’s Tay Ninh – La Gi trip was my most recent road trip (after the epic 6-week tour-de-Vietnam in late 2017) and also the first one after more than a year settling in Tay Ninh as part of Teach For Vietnam’s fellowship programme. It was a 700-km motorbike drive from where I’m living in Tay Ninh (Suoi Day commune, Tan Chau district) to La Gi and back, together with some short excursions around the town and its surrounding areas.
I set off from Tay Ninh and drove across the provinces of Binh Phuoc, Bien Hoa and Dong Nai before I got to Binh Thuan province, where the town of La Gi is located. This route skipped me the hectic Ho Chi Minh City and its lunar new year’s rush and ran past numerous picturesque rubber plantations. On the way back I chose the ocean road passing Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City, which offered absolutely stunning views of Southern Vietnamese coastline.
La Gi is a small beach town in Binh Thuan province and a much smaller and more local version of the famous Phan Thiet. Located about 50 km south of Phan Thiet / Mui Ne, La Gi is a pleasant place for those looking for a less touristy destination while enjoying the sea and blending in local life.
Though considered less touristy, La Gi can be quite packed during weekends as Ho Chi Minh residents flock here to escape the city heat and noise. There are plenty of direct buses to the town of La Gi from both Saigon and Tay Ninh, though the beach is a bit out of the bus routes.
Where to stay in La Gi:
• The most famous destination in La Gi is Coco Beach Camp located on Cam Binh beach. It’s a very popular place for young people, campers and party lovers. I didn’t stay there though.
• In the town of La Gi, I stayed at Tuan Anh guesthouse, an affordable and friendly family-run guesthouse.
• On the beach of Cam Binh, I stayed at Shalom, a lovely guesthouse owned by an ex-chef of an international travelling cruise. Comfy, neatly-decorated, only 400 m from the beach, together with its charming owners, this is an absolute ‘highly-recommended’ from me.
What to do:
• Cam Binh Beach: a beautiful beach about 6 km from the town of La Gi where Coco Beach Camp is. It’s a very local beach with some resorts and few guesthouses which serves mostly local seafood. Vegetarians might find it a bit difficult here. Guesthouses are often full at weekends and on public holidays, and room rates on these days are usually doubled.
• Driving around the graceful little town and its surrounding areas: there are a few landmarks in the town such as Ta Cu Mountain or Thay Thim Temple, but if you just feel like driving aimlessly around like I did, the area is quite nice and green to enjoy the drive.
• Visiting Ke Ga Lighthouse and relaxing by the coconut trees: Ke Ga Lighthouse is about 30 km (1-hour drive) from the town of La Gi. You can rent a boat to get to the Lighthouse, but if not, it’s great to relax in one of the small shady cafes with a book while enjoying the cool breezes and the grand ocean view.
Mien's Blog 