Fly over Vietnam's coastal town in a hot air balloon

By Vy An May 8, 2017 | 08:14 pm PT

For the first time tourists can travel around Phan Thiet City in the province of Binh Thuan, high up in the air. But it's not cheap.

Hot air balloon tours are popular in Vietnam recently, mainly for some festive occasions in Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Moc Chau. , Visitors can book this service more easily on any day of the year, when the weather is favorable.

Visitors to the central town of Phan Thiet can now take a one-hour hot air balloon ride to see everything from a different vantage point.

According to experts, Phan Thiet is the ideal place to fly balloons. This place is known as the paradise of surfers, but the surprising thing here is that the winds of the early morning are very quiet, so its safe to fly the airship, said Arturas, said. On the picture is a fishing boat parked closely together on the branch of Ca Ty river viewed from a height of 300 m.

According to experts, Phan Thiet is an ideal place to fly balloons. This place is known as the paradise for surfers, but the surprising thing is that the winds here in the early morning are very quiet, so it's safe to fly balloons, said Arturas, a balloon pilot. In this photo are fishing boats along the bank of the Ca Ty River, as viewed from a height of 300m.

There are 2 types of 6 or 8 balloons, costing 7 million VND per guest. Depending on the direction of the wind, the balloon may come from one of two points, in the early morning.

There are two types of balloons for 6 or 8 passengers, costing VND7 million ($310) per person.

The first point comes from Nguyen Tat Thanh Square, the hot air balloon will reach 300-500 meters to see the panorama of the city at dawn, then fly along the coast to welcome the sunrise at the sea and watch the sunrise. Trains return fishing.

The coastline as seen from a balloon.

fly-over-vietnams-coastal-town-in-a-hot-air-balloon-4

A street of Phan Thiet in the morning

Eventually, the balloon will land in Tien Thanh commune with its sprawling fields of dragon fruit.

Eventually, the balloon will land in Tien Thanh Commune with its sprawling dragon fruit gardens.

An alternative starting point is from Hoa Thang gas station in Hong Lam Commune. From there, the balloon will fly on the surface of Bau Ong, Bau Ba Lake and glide over the sandhill around Bau Trang, a fresh-water lake formed long ago and located amid endless sand hills, before landing at White Sand Dunes, a famous landscape located about 30 km North East of Mui Ne Center. It is a fresh-water lake formed long ago and located amid endless sand hills.

Another view of the coastal town from above.

The tranquil view of countrysidearea inf Phan Thiet from a height of 500m

The countryside area in Phan Thiet from a bird’s-eye view.

The hot air balloons take off around 5:30a.m to 6a.m., a great time to catch the dawn.

The hot-air balloons take off between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m., a great time to catch the dawn.

The journey will typically last for one hour in the air and land at 7a.m.. After landing, there will be a traditional First Flight Ceremony which provides a memorable finish for first-time balloon passengers. Total time for the whole tour will range from 3 to 4 hours.

Phan Thiet is the first city in Vietnam to launch this tourist service, which is run by Vietnam Balloons.