To Vietnamese, Phan Thiet is synonymous with a special variety of fish sauce, but for tourists the experience is decidedly different.

This laid-back port lies on the fringes of one of the country's most provocative landscapes, and with access to great luxury resorts, golf courses and Champa ruins, Phan Thiet is sure to grow into one of Vietnam's leading holiday destinations in next few years.

The port town itself is ideal for a day visit, but there's little to keep tourists here overnight. The best accommodation is at Mue Ne Beach, where a popular resort welcomes weekenders from Ho Chi Minh City on a regular basis. The list of facilities and services is long, and it's headlined by a world-class golf course. Designed by Nick Faldo, this course offers exceptional value for money.

While Mui Ne has the best accommodation in Phan Thiet, it is still possible to find beaches dotted with bungalows in places less inhabited by tourists. In fact, a tourist armed with a motorbike is only twenty minutes from out-of-the-way fishing villages where life looks a lot like it did a century ago.

There is no airport in Phan Thiet, but the train station is less than ten miles from the city center. Most tourists arrive by bus from Ho Chi Minh City, which can be reached in around two hours.

For more information on hotels and landmarks in the different areas of Phan Thiet,click on the interactive Phan Thiet map on the left-hand side of the page.