Thanh Hoa is a city in the Central Coast region of Vietnam. It is a major crossroads for buses to the Lao border at Na Meo, but otherwise the town has little of interest to the average tourist.
You can get here by bus or by train from Hanoi. The city is 153 km south of Hanoi, about 3 hours by bus or 3½ hours by train. Bus tickets are 100,000-120,000 dong for a seat on air-con bus. The road is good. Train tickets from 100,000 dong for air-con hard-seat class.
You can also get in from Xam Nua (Sam Neua), Laos for 180,000 kip via the Na Meo border crossing. It takes about 10-12 hours along winding mountain roads in a small bus with padded seats. The aisle will be full of rice bags.
Best choice in every town in Vietnam to get around is "xe ôm" (moto-taxi). Negotiate price before you ride. For a trip of 5 km, pay 50,000 dong. Meter taxis are available with the same price throughout the country, call +84 37 858585 or dial 858585 if using a land line phone in town.
There are town buses you can use to get to the bus station and other areas around town.
Sam Son Beach is located in Sam Son town, a small provincial town 16 km from Thanh Hoa. The beach is crowded from Apr-Sep. There are buses from Thanh Hoa to the town, departing every 30 minutes from the bus station.
Ben En National Park is a good destination for eco-tours. This park is 46 km southwest of Thanh Hoa. It is 16,000 ha of mountains and jungles with many kinds of wild animals and tropical trees. There is a big lake in the park, covering 4,000 ha containing 21 islands.
Come to Thanh hoa, you can walk around and see the city, a typical city of central Vietnam with an economy growing strong.
Hotel rooms average 200,000 dong per night.
Primary administrative division