Phan Thiet is a town of abou 100'000 inhabitants with a large
fishing industry. Located 20 km from the ocean, the Ca Ty river
near the town is full of fishing boats during the fishing season
in summer. The fishing industry causes the pungent odor caused by
the production of Nuoc Mam, the famous fish sauce.
Located
in Binh Thuan province, Phan Thiet is 200 km from Saigon and lies
south of Cam Ranh bay on the southernmost stretch of Central Vietnam.
Binh Thuan was once a part of the Cham kingdom. In 1692, Lord Nguyen
Phuc Chu captured the area and named it Binh Thuan Dinh. Binh Thuan
is quite important in Vietnam's history, as it was because of this
area that in 1306 King Tran Nhan Tong agreed to the marriage of
princess Huyen Chan to King Jaya Sinhavarman III of the Cham Kingdom.
During the revolution against the French, it was in this area that
the two patriots Phan Chu Trinh and Tran Quy Cap had their start.
Furthermore, according to local lore, the area around Phan Thiet
is where Han Mac Tu, the disfigured poet, spent his time forlornly
as he waited for Mong Cam, the lady of his dreams.
