Future Phan Thiet / Mui Ne (Binh Thuan Province – Vietnam)

How a new airport and expressway could make Phan Thiet the next international tourism hotspot in Vietnam.

Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City. Here is this week’s latest post, as well as construction and infrastructure news from around the region.

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Future Binh Thuan - construction and infrastructure projects in Phan Thiet / Mui Ne, Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam.

I visited Binh Thuan province last month mainly to visit the Thanh Long Bay project. On the ride there from Phan Thiet city I discovered more projects that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about by reporting from a desk.

Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan province has been flying under the international radar compared to its more famous counterparts of Da Nang and Nha Trang. Not having an airport makes a big difference. When considering a beach break from Saigon, it’s quicker and more convenient to fly to Da Nang than to drive to Mui Ne. And Phan Thiet also misses out on international visitors, with the likes of AirAsia flying from Bangkok and KL to Da Nang and Nha Trang.

If/when the airport in Phan Thiet is built, then it could become the next hotspot of Vietnam. And the new expressway will also make Phan Thiet a more viable alternative for a quick getaway from Saigon.

Of course I am talking here as if COVID-19 doesn’t exist. On my ride around the coast I saw numerous closed-down resorts and abandoned construction sites. I was surprised that so many construction sites were still active though, so we shall see if they still continue with construction.

Other News

I don’t do listicles at Living In Asia as most of them are obviously made for clickbaiting. That’s not to say I won’t in the future as I have some ideas for future posts, once I know enough about the subject.

Having said that, I was intrigued by this Time Out list of the 40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world. I think this is a better take than the Lonely Planet/NY Times annual lists, which often lists whole countries as an entry.

I know there is no way you can rank neighbourhoods by coolness, but I was interested to see what they picked in Southeast Asia for future investigation. The neighbourhoods (in order of coolness) are:

  1. Chula-Samyan, Bangkok

  1. Bugis, Singapore

  1. Binh Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City

  1. Taman Paramount, Kuala Lumpur

  1. Banjar Nagi, Ubud

Cambodia

“Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng said he has no legal grounds to intervene in a plan by Chip Mong Land to fill more than 10ha of the lake in the Grand Phnom Penh Satellite City because it is not public property.”

China

Indonesia

“Indonesian firm transitions to BIM methodologies and technologies to design 3.95km double-decker bridge in North Jakarta.”

“The $6.5 million proposal has wildlife conservation groups on alert.”

Malaysia

Philippines

Singapore

Amazing time-lapse of Singapore under construction, and you can even see plants grow. Incredible patience and technical skill to make this.

Thailand

“The Thai government has announced a fresh tranche of funding for the high-speed rail line, which has long been plagued by delays.”

“The big and bloated bureaucracy that runs Bangkok is grossly incompetent.”

“Using activism and scientific research, a Thai community stopped a wetland forest from being turned into an industrial zone.”

Vietnam

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