Things to do in Thanh Hoa
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Thanh Hoa
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall window, with Pu Luong golden harvest, the Lam Kinh Festival and a calmer Sam Son.
Sam Son season opens from late April and Pu Luong turns green then gold, but coastal heat and rain build.
Peak domestic beach crowds and prices, powerful waterfalls, slippery trails and typhoon and flood risk.
The coast is out of season and windswept, while Pu Luong is misty and uncrowded and the citadels are peaceful.
What's on
- Lam Kinh Festival 22nd day of the 8th lunar month, around 22 September in 2027
The province's great historical festival at Lam Kinh, honouring Le Loi with ceremonies, processions and performance.
- Sam Son Sea Tourism Festival from 30 April
The annual opening of the Sam Son beach season, with an opening show, fireworks and sports competitions.
- Cau Ngu Festival second week of June
The Sam Son fishing community's festival praying for safe seas and good catches, centred on the fishing temples.
Best things to do in Thanh Hoa
Citadel of the Ho Dynasty
A UNESCO listed stone citadel from 1397, built from huge fitted blocks without mortar near Vinh Loc.
Lam Kinh Historical Site
The forested Le dynasty second capital, with royal tombs, temples and the Vinh Lang stele under old trees.
Sam Son Beach
Vietnam's classic domestic beach resort, best at sunrise when the fishing fleet lands and crowds are absent.
Ham Rong Bridge
The Ma River bridge defended in April 1965, now the centre of a relic area of hills, caves and temples.
Cam Luong Fish Stream
A clear stream packed with large sacred fish that locals never catch, with an upland forest market beside it.
Doc Cuoc Temple
The fishing fleet's guardian temple at the foot of Truong Le Mountain, with bay views from the cluster above.
Hon Trong Mai
Two eroded rock stacks off Sam Son named for a cockerel and hen, a fifteen minute photo stop on the temple walk.
Puluong Giant Waterwheel
Great bamboo waterwheels turning in the stream at Ban Cong, lifting water to the terraces as they have for generations.
Where to stay in Thanh Hoa
Thanh Hoa city centre
heritage loop, Ben En, trains and flights
The Tran Phu and Vincom area holds the flagship hotel, restaurants and the easiest transport in the province.
Sam Son beachfront
beach first stays, families and golf
Ho Xuan Huong street and the FLC enclave put you on the sand, with the town strip loud and the enclave calmer.
Pu Luong Don Village area
rice terraces, trekking and quiet
Don Village has the densest lodge choice and the classic terrace views, and needs at least two nights.
Thanh Hoa city east
value and domestic chain reliability
The Vo Nguyen Giap boulevard area holds the Muong Thanh Grand, known to every driver in the city.
Think twice about
- Sam Son central beachfront strip in peak summer
Loud, touty and karaoke heavy on summer nights, with peak prices. Light sleepers should base in the FLC enclave or streets back.
- Ben En and Nhu Thanh as a trip base
Lodging near the park is basic and no hotel there could be recommended by name with confidence. Day trip it from Thanh Hoa city.
Best restaurants in Thanh Hoa
Alma Restaurant
The city's best reviewed splurge table near the Vincom centre, with American and Spanish leaning menus.
Nha hang hai san Kando 1
The city's named seafood house, serving grilled squid, oysters and hotpot at the top of the local market.
Hai San Quynh Anh SeaFood
A seafood restaurant and supplier on Tran Xuan Soan, cooking fresh domestic and imported catch on site.
John Peter Pizza
Sam Son's best reviewed restaurant, a pizza place on the beach strip that locals and visitors converge on.
Trau Giat Quan
A cheap brew pub style eatery in Sam Son where local groups gather for beer and shared plates after the beach.
Nem Chua Hanh Kinh
A recognised name for nem chua, Thanh Hoa's fermented pork roll, with grilled rolls and noodles to eat in.
Cha Tom Thao Muoi
The named shop for cha tom, grilled prawn cakes with vermicelli and herbs, by the cathedral on Hac Thanh.
Banh Trang Thit Heo
Rice paper pork rolls with herbs and dipping sauce on Ngo Quyen, a filling and popular cheap lunch.
Outdoor things to do in Thanh Hoa
FLC Sam Son Golf Links
An 18 hole Nicklaus Design links by the Ma River mouth, windy and open with sea views and a sunset clubhouse.
Kho Muong Village
An isolated Thai village in a limestone valley, reached by a guided terrace trek from Don Village with its Bat Cave.
Bat Cave
The largest cave in Pu Luong above Kho Muong village, visited with a local guide on the Don Village trek.
Hieu Waterfall
A terraced limestone waterfall above Hieu Village with swimmable pools, strongest after spring rain.
Ben En National Park
A lake and forest park for a boat among more than twenty islands and a gentle walk through primary forest.
Cham River
Calm bamboo rafting on the Cham River past waterwheels and terrace villages, starting from Ban Cong.
Pu Luong Nature Reserve
Valley lanes between Don and Ban Cong make hilly cycling through terraces, arranged through your lodge.
Best hotels in Thanh Hoa
Melia Vinpearl Thanh Hoa
The city's 34 storey five star flagship, with indoor pool, spa and the best reviewed breakfast in Thanh Hoa.
FLC Luxury Hotel Samson
A 300 room beachfront hotel in the gated FLC enclave, with huge pools, spas and the golf course beside it.
FLC Grand Hotel Samson
The FLC enclave's larger mid price hotel, a pragmatic base for families and golf groups using the resort.
Muong Thanh Grand Thanh Hoa Hotel
A large domestic chain hotel on Vo Nguyen Giap, with big rooms, a big breakfast buffet and a pool.
Pu Luong Retreat
Bungalows and an infinity pool above the Don Village terraces, famous for dawn cloud seas over the valley.
Pu Luong Eco Garden
A small resort with pool and mountain view rooms in the Bang area, a good value base for the same treks.
Palm Hotel Thanh Hoa
A clean, simple central hotel a short walk from the Vincom tower, the best evidenced budget base in the city.
Is Thanh Hoa expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₫600,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₫1,200,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₫3,000,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Sam Son Beach: a few days ahead
- FLC Sam Son Golf Links: weeks ahead
- Kho Muong Village: a few days ahead
- Bat Cave: a few days ahead
- Cham River: a few days ahead
- Pu Luong Nature Reserve: a few days ahead
- Melia Vinpearl Thanh Hoa: a few days ahead
- FLC Luxury Hotel Samson: weeks ahead
- Book Pu Luong Retreat and Eco Garden weeks ahead for harvest season weekends in May to June and September to October.
- Book Sam Son beachfront rooms days to weeks ahead from late April through July.
- Book FLC Sam Son golf tee times days ahead, and weeks ahead for summer weekends.
Is Thanh Hoa safe?
- Swim only in marked, lifeguarded bathing areas at Sam Son, as the coast has rip currents.
- Take Pu Luong hill roads slowly and never at night in heavy rain.
- Carry cash in dong for markets, small restaurants and park boats, as cards work mainly in city hotels and malls.
- Emergency numbers in Vietnam are 113 for police and 115 for ambulance.
Thanh Hoa travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Agree the per kilo price and cooking fee before any Sam Son seafood is weighed or cooked.
- Avoid Sam Son at noon in July, when peak prices buy a crowded beach in brutal heat.
- Do not do Pu Luong in one night, as the transfers alone take eight hours or more.
- Treat Hon Trong Mai as a fifteen minute photo stop, not a half day tour.
Getting around Thanh Hoa: public transport and more
- Thanh Hoa city is about 153 km south of Hanoi, about three hours by train or expressway car.
- Tho Xuan Airport is about 45 km west of the city, with domestic flights but no Hanoi flight.
- Pu Luong is about four hours by car from Hanoi and should be its own stay, not a city day trip.
- Use Grab in the city and Sam Son, and hire a car with driver for the citadels and Ben En.
Who Thanh Hoa suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Thanh Hoa your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store