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seaport serving a big refinery to be built
here by Russian investors. The locals
we talked to were not sorry to see the
beach disappear; in fact, they were ex-
cited at the prospect of job creation and
a boost to the living standards of fami-
lies who survive on fishing incomes.
While we chatted about the devel-
opment, we sat under a small thatched
roof enjoying grilled fished, steamed
squid and shrimps with beer. When the
bill came we were pleasantly surprised
to see it only cost around $6 per person
- for the same fantastic food in Hanoi or
even Nha Trang, we would have to pay
at least triple.
Phu Yen is very cheap, not just
for its seafood, but also for its hotel
accommodation and other services as
well. We stayed in Hung Vuong, a new
three-star hotel with over 50 rooms,
a restaurant, karaoke room, a garden
café and a spa. Surprisingly, the stand-
ard room rate is just $15, while the
VIP room is only $10 more. Truong
Quang Nhat, deputy chairman of Phu
Yen People’s Committee told us that in
the province we could enjoy four and
five-star accommodation for two and
three-star prices. We later checked in
at Viet Star Resort, the only resort in
Tuy Hoa with over 80 rooms. It is on a
small hill with some modern pool vil-
las, while others are designed as Rong
Houses of the ethnic group in the Cen-
tral Highlands of Vietnam. The cheap-
est room here is about $75, while a
two bedroom villa runs from $220, or
just half the price of the equivalent in
Danang or Nha Trang.
But it’s not all cheap. The airfare is
quite expensive. For a two-hour flight
from Hanoi to Tuy Hoa, it costs up to
$300. At present, there is one flight
from Hanoi and one from Ho Chi Minh
City each day. The airport terminal is
small, with a small restaurant serv-
ing coffee, energy drinks and coconut.
However, a new, modern terminal
is expected to open this September,
which will be able to accommodate
bigger aircraft such as the Airbus. That
will surely help tourism in Phu Yen
take off.