First published February 2024 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
Tom Divers is the founder and creator of Vietnam Coracle. He’s lived, travelled and worked in Vietnam since 2005. Born in London, he travelled from an early age, visiting over 40 countries (he first visited Vietnam in 1999). Now, whenever he has the opportunity to make a trip, he rarely looks beyond Vietnam’s borders and his trusty motorbike, Stavros. Read more about Tom on the About Page, Vietnam Times and ASE Podcast.
One of the most sparsely populated, least industrialized and driest provinces in Vietnam, Ninh Thuận is a rugged region of rocky mountains interlaced with blue rivers and streams falling over giant boulders. This is wild camping country. Over 50% of the province is forested and there are two national parks (Phước Bình and Núi Chúa). Ninh Thuận’s coastline is beautiful, boasting two of the best coast roads in the country (Dragons’ Graveyard and Núi Chúa). But the best wild camping opportunities are found inland, due west of the seaboard, where multiple rivers meander through forested valleys and clear-running streams cascade off the mountains. There are few settlements inland and the higher ground creates cooler temperatures, especially at night when breezes blow from both east (off the coast) and west (off the mountains). The nights are dark without any electric light pollution, leaving you to sleep out surrounded by silhouettes of mountains under a canopy of stars and a bright white moon.
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WILD CAMPING IN NINH THUAN
Sleeping out in Rugged Landscapes Interlaced with Blue Rivers
Potential camping spots can be found throughout the province. On my map I’ve plotted nine different campsites that I’ve visited over several years of sleeping outdoors in Ninh Thuận, but there are many more out there. Use Google Maps satellite view to find rivers with lanes or tracks running parallel and follow their course as far as possible upstream beyond any settlements or dams: this is usually where the best campsites can be found. Weather conditions are best from January-April. If you’re concerned about rain, use Windy.com and select the ‘rain, thunder’ option from the menu, zoom in on the region and run the satellite for the next 48 hours: it’s generally very accurate. Inland, the Chàm and Ra Glai ethnic groups dominate the population. Indeed, Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm, the provincial capital, was formerly Panduranga, capital of the Kingdom of Champa from 1471, whose legacy manifests itself today in about a fifth of the province’s population being either Hindu or Muslim. In some areas, Vietnamese is only spoken as a second language. As with all wild camping, there are potential risks and hazards, some of which are specific to this region: please make sure to read the Safety & Hazards section of this guide before camping in Ninh Thuận Province. (Check out my other camping guides in Related Posts):
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Wild Camping | Ninh Thuận Province
*Respectful Camping: If you wild camp in Vietnam, please do so respectfully & safely. Be prepared, be sensible, be conscious of the people & natural environment around you. Please read the Safety & Hazards section.
Location & Things to Do:
Located in south-central Vietnam, Ninh Thuận Province stretches from the coast in the east to the lower slopes of the Central Highlands in the west. Characterized by arid hills, rivers, forests and farmland, inland Ninh Thuận is also a renewable energy powerhouse. The province has the lowest annual rainfall, highest solar heat radiation and fastest average wind speed in Vietnam, and there are solar fields, wind farms and hydroelectricity dams throughout the province. The key to finding good potential camp sites is to follow rivers upstream of villages and dams, where the water runs clean and clear, and agriculture fades into forest cover. My map highlights several such campsites that I’ve stayed at over the years, but there are many more to be found in the province, providing you have a motorbike, camping equipment and all necessary supplies. Come prepared and spend a few days riding around, finding suitable camping spots and exploring the landscape. You don’t have to camp by water, but it makes the camping experience so much more pleasant if you can find a clean body of freshwater in which to bathe.
I find inland Ninh Thuận to be a particularly captivating landscape. I enjoy the dry heat, the rocky hills, the freshwater springs flowing down mountainsides over giant boulders, collecting in pools perfect for bathing, the groups of goats and cattle and sheep roaming the countryside accompanied by herdsmen (often children), the cash crops and plantations growing on the hillsides and river plains – cashews, grapes, tobacco, corn, cassava, jackfruit, mango – and the wind turbines scattered across the arid lowlands, rising from the green rice paddies as if they were part of the crop waiting to be harvested. People seem friendly and, in the case of the Chàm, they have inhabited this region for over a millennium, far longer than the ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh). Evidence of this historical connection to the land can be seen in the ancient red-brick Chàm towers that dot the province, some without attracting any attention from passersby or travellers alike. A few nights camping out in the landscapes of Ninh Thuận can be magical.
How to Get There:
For the purposes of wild camping in Ninh Thuận Province, a motorbike is by far the best mode of transportation, although technically a car or bicycle is also a possibility. Road conditions in the province are generally good and always improving. Some previously dirt tracks have now been paved, and off-road sections are quite easy to ride providing the weather is dry. Near the coast, Highway QL1A is a busy major artery but in good condition, and the two coast roads either side of the provincial twin-capital city of Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm are both incredible: Dragons’ Graveyard (south) and Núi Chúa (north). To get inland, several good roads lead into valleys and up mountains, including QL27, QL27B and DT656, all of which have smaller paved roads leading along waterways and connecting to even smaller lanes which will eventually lead to potential camp sites. If you don’t ride to Ninh Thuận Province with your own motorbike, you can find rental in Phan Rang or nearby Ninh Chữ beach without too much effort.
The main interprovincial transportation hubs are Tháp Chàm train station (Ga Tháp Chàm) and the provincial bus station (Bến Xe Ninh Thuận). Although the province does have an airport, it is currently restricted to military use. The nearest civilian airport is Cam Ranh (Sân Bay Quốc Tế Cam Ranh), just 1-2 hours north of Phan Rang.
Equipment Check-List:
Below is a brief (far from exhaustive) equipment check-list for camping in Ninh Thuận Province. I’ve written this assuming that most travellers will bring their own equipment, but there’s also the possibility of renting a tent somewhere in Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm or Ninh Chữ beach (ask around). To a certain extent, the success of your camping trip hinges on how prepared you are. I haven’t covered everything here – just some essentials and optional extras which I personally like having with me. If you’ve camped in other places in Vietnam, you’ll already have the equipment down to an art. It certainly isn’t necessary to have all the modern, trendy camping gadgets and accessories in order to have a highly successful camping trip. In fact, to a certain degree, you can end up making yourself too comfortable if you bring too much equipment, and then it doesn’t really feel like camping anymore. However, having the basics does make all the difference – being too cold at night or only eating instant noodles and Pringles, for example, is pretty miserable. The following list is rambling and in no particular order (the annotated picture below might also be helpful):
Check-List: Tent or camping hammock (I much prefer the former, but both available to buy in Vietnam; try the FanFan stores in several cities), cell phone, Viettel SIM card and data (best coverage in the boonies), pre-load Google Maps satellite view of potential camping areas before departure, USB power-bank, flashlight (with extra batteries or a USB-charged flashlight is a good option), money stashed in three different places (in your luggage, your motorbike, and about your person), a camp stove, firelighters (cồn khô in Vietnamese; available in most local countryside stores), a couple of cigarette lighters, food and snacks (dried and tinned food is easiest, but you can be surprisingly creative when it comes to camping food), big bottles of water (5-6 litre bottles are available in most stores), a water filter (optional but useful, especially if camping next to a clean river or stream), thermos flasks (for storing boiled water), coffee and tea, local liquor (rượu), light-weight warm clothes (it can be cool during the night, but not cold), socks (underrated camping asset – great for walking around your campsite without getting sandy or dirty feet), a mat for sitting on, sandals and a pair of decent shoes (for hiking), motorbike check-up prior to departure (you don’t want to breakdown in the middle of nowhere; punctures are common – I use tubeless tyres that have served me well for years), reading material or a Kindle, long-burning candles (comforting at night, safer, less effort and less attention-drawing than a campfire), mosquito coil and bug spray, guitar/ukulele (optional), cutlery, a good knife, waterproof rain-suit, sunscreen, toothbrush, towel, GIVI box or bungees for securing your luggage on your motorbike, inflatable sleeping mat or yoga mat (makes all the difference if you actually want to get any sleep), sleeping bag, wet ‘baby’ tissues (great for cleaning utensils), hand sanitizer, passport, lots of common sense.
Safety & Hazards:
Camping in Ninh Thuận Province is a lot of fun, but there are several precautions to take and potential hazards to be aware of. Camping is an increasingly popular activity across Vietnam, but it is not that common in inland Ninh Thuận. Anyone who decides to camp should do so as responsibly as possible. Below are a few things to keep in mind when camping in this region:
- Fires
- Rivers & Dams
- Trash & Environment
- Personal Safety & Possessions
- Animals & Wildlife
- People & Authorities
- Riding Off-Road
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Fires: It should go without saying that if you make a campfire, you need to be extremely careful, especially in the dry season, when everything is crisp, brittle and easy to ignite. At this time of year, the forests are very arid and fire can spread quickly and easily. Be sensible: if you make a campfire, keep it small and under control, and don’t take anything for granted.
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Rivers & Dams: In Vietnam, almost every river of any size is dammed at some point along its course – indeed, often at multiple points. This means that the water flow of many rivers is regulated by dams upstream. If so, the water level of the river changes dramatically at least twice every day when the sluices of the dam are opened and closed. As a result, you must be extremely careful when choosing a campsite next to water or when bathing in a river. Make sure you pitch your tent above the high water mark, not on a ‘beach’, because the latter may be flooded under a metre of water if the sluices are opened upstream. Likewise, when swimming in rivers be careful of a sudden change in flow and volume if the dams open their gates. What’s more, if you’re camping in the rainy season (May-November), heavy rainfall upstream will swell the rivers considerably downstream, often resulting in dangerous flash floods. In addition, some of the larger rivers may have very strong currents, so be careful if swimming or bathing.
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Trash & Environment: It is a sad fact that litter is a huge problem in the Vietnamese countryside, especially ‘casual items’, such as instant noodle packages, soft drink cans, water bottles, candy wrappers, and little sachets of shampoo. Trash is not only discarded by people living locally but also by travelling visitors: indeed, some of the worst-affected areas in Vietnam are the most-popular tourist destinations, including camping spots. Set an example by making sure you leave your campsite spotless. Try to limit the amount of single-use plastic you consume while camping by bringing along items such as flasks, reusable food containers, and a water filter. Any litter you do generate, tie up in a bag and dispose of properly in the nearest town the next day. When going to the toilet outside, dig a little hole in the ground and cover it up again. This serves two purposes: it will enrich the soil and won’t ‘disturb’ any passersby.
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Personal Safety & Possessions: Vietnam is generally a very safe country in which to travel. But it’s still wise to be careful with your most valuable possessions. At night, lock the wheel of your motorbike and keep it close to your tent. I also leave my bike facing in the direction of ‘escape’, if for some reason I need to make a quick exit during the night (bad weather, perhaps, or some unforeseen circumstance). When you go to sleep, make sure you have all of your most important and valuable possessions with you inside the tent, such as money, passport, phone, etc. I also keep my knife at arm’s reach in the tent at night. UXO (unexploded ordnance) leftover from the wars of the last century is still a danger in Vietnam (although generally not is this particular region). Use your common sense: don’t forge a path into untrodden forest and jungle, don’t dig deep holes in the ground, and don’t touch any metallic object you see in the earth.
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Animals & Wildlife: Most of the big animals and predators that used to roam this region – tigers, white rhino, elephants, black bears – are now long gone: hunted and poached to near extinction. Nonetheless, nighttime can still be a scary and sobering experience: the darkness belongs to animals, not humans. You get a real sense of this as you lie in your tent, listening to the chorus of animals and insects outside in the big, black landscape. Don’t leave food outside your tent at night: clean your utensils, stash your food in a container, and tie up your litter in a bag. Snakes and mosquitoes are probably the most dangerous animals you’re likely to encounter, neither of which like fire. Snakes, apparently, don’t like heavy footfall and are unlikely to seek out a place of human activity. (I’ve seen many snakes in Vietnam, but none when I’ve camped.) For mosquitoes, burn a coil throughout the evening and night, and bring bug spray if you need it. In the night, there are occasional howlings, animal calls, and rustling in the trees and brush. It takes some getting used to, but after a few camping trips, these nighttime sounds become a comfort rather than a concern.
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People & Authorities: I’ve camped dozens of times all over Vietnam: I’ve never been told not to camp and I’ve never had any major problems with people or local authorities. However, as a general rule, try not to draw attention to yourself: wild camping is still quite unusual in this part of Vietnam, so anyone who sees a traveller (especially a foreign one) setting up their tent in the middle of nowhere will naturally be curious or even, in some cases, suspicious. Try to be as inconspicuous as possible: it’s best to make sure no one sees you setting up camp and that you aren’t visible from any road, lane or pathway. This is because you don’t want to attract the curiosity of any passersby. If you do encounter anybody, the right thing to do is to ask permission to camp: in almost every situation in my experience, people will be happy to let you (albeit confused as to why you’d want to). And, obviously, pay attention to your surroundings: make sure you’re not camping on someone’s farmland or close to a military post or a national border. In some parts of Ninh Thuận Province you may encounter local authorities who question you if they find your campsite. In general, this is just because they’re incredulous as to why you’d choose to camp out rather than staying in a nice hotel by the beach. If this happens, be polite, smile, try to explain that you just love the landscape and being outside and that you have no intention other than to sleep out and maybe bathe in the river. In most cases, you will be given permission; in some cases you might be asked to register at the local authority with a photo of your passport; in rare instances, or if you behave insensitively, you could be asked to leave.
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Riding Off-Road: In order to find the best possible camping spots in Ninh Thuận Province, it will almost certainly be necessary to ride off-road for some distance. Paved back-roads turn into pot-holed lanes, dirt roads into rocky goat paths and narrow footpaths. Riding off-road can be tough, slow and dangerous, especially if, like me, your motorbike wasn’t designed for such use. However, with care and patience even an old automatic like my motorbike can do it. Ride slowly and carefully, because punctures and falls are highly likely if you ride recklessly off-road. Also, riding on dirt roads is much easier in the dry season (January-April): the same roads when wet can be extremely difficult and treacherous.
*Respectful Camping: If you wild camp in Vietnam, please do so respectfully & safely. Be prepared, be sensible, be conscious of the people & natural environment around you. Please read the Safety & Hazards section.
*Disclosure: I never receive payment for anything I write: my content is always free and independent. I’ve written this guide because I want to: I like camping in Ninh Thuận and I want my readers to know about it. For more details, see my Disclosure & Disclaimer statements and my About Page
