Thanks to its diverse ecosystem, magnificent landscapes and fascinating destinations, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam has become one of the biggest tourist attractions. It is also the land of proud history and cultural traditions. You should read the information below to understand more about this beautiful land and maximize your experience there.

1. Where is Thanh Hoa Province in Vietnam?

Located in the heart of the northern central coast, Thanh Hoa is one of the largest provinces in Vietnam. It has an area of 11,129 square kilometers, being adjacent to Son La, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh to the North, Nghe An to the South, Bien Dong to the East and Laos to the West.

Thanks to the natural beauty of its magnificent mountains, seas and caves, together with historic monuments and valuable cultures, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam attracts a lot of visitors.

2. How to get to Thanh Hoa, Vietnam?

Depending on your location of departure, you can choose to travel to Thanh Hoa by the following means of transportation:

From the North of Vietnam to Thanh Hoa

Thanh Hoa is about 150 kilometers away from Hanoi. You can easily travel by train, car or motorbike from Hanoi to Thanh Hoa. Or you can catch a bus from My Dinh station or Giap Bat station to Thanh Hoa station. The ticket price is around 100,000 – 150,000 VND/person.

From the South of Vietnam to Thanh Hoa

The best option to save your time is traveling to Thanh Hoa by airplane. From Tan Son Nhat airport to Tho Xuan airport, the one-way ticket costs around 1,000,000 – 1,500,000 VND/person, depending on your seat class and the airline.

Tho Xuan airport is approximately 45 kilometers away from the center of Thanh Hoa Province. Tourists will move to the center of Thanh Hoa by taxi or bus, or choose the hotel’s transportation services. Aside from the airplane, traveling to Thanh Hoa by train and express bus are two other options that you can consider.

3. Best places to visit in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam

Thanh Hoa, Vietnam is known as the land of natural masterpieces with beautiful sceneries of the sea, rivers, mountains and hills. This is also home to many prominent historical relics. You should not miss out on the famous destinations below in Thanh Hoa.

3.1. May Waterfall

Address: Dang Thuong Village, Thach Lam Xommune, Thach Thanh District, Thanh Hoa

May Waterfall is located in Cuc Phuong National Park, 100 kilometers away from the center of Thanh Hoa City. Thanks to its majestic and pristine beauty, May Waterfall is considered as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Thanh Hoa.

The water falls from an altitude of 400 meters with 9 small cascades, making a picturesque landscape. Especially, between June and August, the water flows rapidly and splashes white foam like in a wonderland. This area is surrounded by a green forest and clear water, making it an ideal destination to relax and immerse yourself in nature.

3.2. Sam Son Beach

Address: Sam Son City, 16 kilometers away from the center of Thanh Hoa City

Sam Son beach is the most popular destination in Thanh Hoa and one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam. With stretching white sand and blue water, the beach attracts a large number of tourists coming to relax and escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Visitors can enjoy the cool water, listen to the melody of the waves or expose themselves to the sun. Aside from Sam Son beach, Sam Son city also has other famous attractions such as Doc Cuoc Pagoda, Truong Le Mountain and Trong Mai Rock.

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3.3. Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Address: Ba Thuoc and Quan Hoa District, Thanh Hoa

Pu Luong Nature Reserve is 150 kilometers away from the center of Thanh Hoa city to the northwest. This area is well-known for its breathtaking natural landscapes and pristine beauty of majestic mountains. Coming to this nature reserve, you will feel like you are in the middle of a vast Northwestern mountainous space.

Inside Pu Luong Nature Reserve is a diverse ecosystem with primeval forests, a variety of rare animals, birds and reptiles. You should not miss out on the 1700-meter-high Pu Luong peak. Visiting Pu Luong peak, you will admire the magnificent beauty of Kho Muong, Hieu village waterfall and discover the daily lives of the Thai ethnic group.

3.4. Ho Dynasty Citadel – A World Cultural Heritage Site

Address: Vinh Tien Commune, Vinh Loc District, 45 kilometers away from Thanh Hoa City

Ho Dynasty Citadel is a relic of Dai Ngu – the nation of Vietnam during the Ho Dynasty period. The citadel was built mainly from stone with a unique architecture which helps it maintain the structure permanently.

It is the only stone citadel remaining in Southeast Asia and one of the few stone ramparts remaining in the world. In 2011, Ho Dynasty Citadel was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site.

3.5. Ham Rong Bridge

Address: Tao Xuyen, Hoang Hoa Commune, Thanh Hoa

Being the one and only railway bridge crossing Ma river, Ham Rong Bridge has great significance for transportation. The bridge has witnessed many wars in the past and become the symbol of the Thanh Hoa people’s admirable characteristics: willingness, resilience and indomitableness.

3.6. Ben En National Park

Address: Nhu Thanh Commune, Nhu Xuan, Thanh Hoa, 36 kilometers away from the center of Thanh Hoa City

With an area of over 14,305 hectares, Ben En National Park is home to a diversity of mountains, rivers, lakes, streams and a variety of fauna. Due to its rich ecosystem, the park is known as “Ha Long Bay on land” in Thanh Hoa. If you are a nature lover, you won’t regret visiting this place.

Muc Lake is one of the two biggest lakes in Ben En National Park with an area of 3000 hectares and 21 islands. Visiting this park, visitors can join many interesting activities such as motorboat riding, kayaking, swimming in Muc Lake or having a picnic in the forest.

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3.7. Cam Luong God Fish Stream

Address: Luong Ngoc Village, Cam Luong Commune, Cam Thuy District, 60 kilometers away from the center of Thanh Hoa City

Cam Luong God Fish Stream, also known as Ngoc Stream, is home to a variety of fish of different sizes. Although the stream is over 150 meters long and 3 meters wide, it is a densely populated area with thousands of fish.

According to the local myths of the Thai and Muong ethic groups, the density of fish there will lead to a well-off life for the people, thus no one is allowed to catch and eat them or else misfortune will come. If you visit Cam Luong God Fish Stream, you should only take photos or feed the fish.

4. Famous festivals in Thanh Hoa Province

With a long history and rich cultural tradition, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam has many special festivals. Tourists should travel to Thanh Hoa on these special occasions to engage in the vibrant atmosphere and understand more about Vietnamese culture.

Ba Trieu Festival: February 20th -23rd on the lunar calendar
Poon Poong Festival: Full moon days in January, March, July or in the harvest season
Dong Son Ancient Village Festival: March 2nd – 3rd on the lunar calendar
Lam Kinh Festival: August 22nd on the lunar calendar
Xuan Pha Festival: February 10th on the lunar calendar

5. Top must-try Thanh Hoa specialities

To maximize your experience in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, you should experience the diversity of local cuisine. Below are some famous dishes you should try when visiting Thanh Hoa.

5.1. Thanh Hoa fermented pork roll

Thanh Hoa fermented pork roll is known as a signature dish of Thanh Hoa cuisine. The main ingredients are pork rind, pork, ground roasted rice and ming aralia. It is easy to find fermented pork rolls anywhere in Vietnam, but Thanh Hoa fermented pork roll has a unique flavor.

A harmonious combination of the sweet pork, the mild sourness, the spice of garlic chili and the crunchiness of pork rind makes an unforgettable flavor. It will be even more delicious when you dip the roll in sweet chili sauce.

Recommended restaurants:

Loi Lam Fermented Pork Roll: 105 Le Thanh Tong, Dong Ve Ward, Thanh Hoa City
Thang Tuyen Restaurant: 409 Le Hoan, Ba Dinh, Thanh Hoa City. Price: 20,000 – 50,000 VND
Cuong Dung Fermented Pork Roll: 151 Tan An, Ngoc Trao Ward, Thanh Hoa City. Price: 50,000 – 150,000 VND

5.2. Nam Ha bread

Address: 284 Doi Cung, Lam Son, Thanh Hoa
Price: 10,000 – 20,000 VND

Nam Ha bread on Trang Thi Street is a famous traditional family restaurant in Thanh Hoa with an age of 20 years. The bread is crispy and hot with a variety of different fillings, but the most delicious fillings are fried spring rolls, beef jerky and roast meat.

A unique feature of Nam Ha bread is the sauce with an extraordinary smell that you can not find anywhere else. Despite being a famous dish, the price of the bread is very affordable which is around 10,000 – 20,000 VND depending on your choice of fillings.

5.3. Plain rice flan with sauce

This is a delicious and simple snack associated with the childhood of many Thanh Hoa people. Unlike the plain rice flan in the north of Vietnam, Thanh Hoa’s plain rice flan is made from rice flour and green beans to have an eye-catching green color and sweet taste.

Plain rice flan with sauce is often sold in the afternoon. There are not many sellers for this flan remaining in Thanh Hoa, and you can only find it at some street vendors. Nevertheless, you can go to Flower Garden Market or Nam Thanh Market to try the dish once.

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5.4. Thanh Hoa grilled shrimp roll

Thanh Hoa grilled shrimp roll is a rural dish of which the preparation process is very sophisticated. After being grilled, the shrimp roll has a golden brown color and is covered with a layer of fat to make it eye-catching and fragrant. The dish is most delicious when the shrimp roll is still hot and crispy.

You should enjoy the dish with sour cucumber, a little hot pepper, fresh vegetable salad and sweet and sour sauce. The rich flavor will make anyone who has ever tried the dish remember it forever.

Recommended restaurants:

Ba That Shrimp Roll: 9 Le Thi Hoa, Lam Son Ward, Thanh Hoa City. Price: 10,000 – 50,000 VND
Thao Muoi Restaurant: 14 Nha Tho, Truong Thi Ward, Thanh Hoa City. Price: 5,000 VND – 28,000 VND

5.5. Ca Nhech salad

Ca Nhech salad has a unique flavor coming from an ingenious mix of ingredients: marinated sliced fish, roast sticky rice, deep-fried fish skin and sauce made from crushed fish bones. The salad is served with a variety of fresh vegetables such as fig leaves, lemon leaves, perilla, basil, mint and so on.

Recommended restaurants:

Vu Bao Restaurant: Highway 47, Quang Hung Commune, Thanh Hoa. Price: 50,000 VND – 200,000 VND
Thinh Lich Restaurant: Village 8, Nga Lien, Nga Son, Thanh Hoa
Cuong Tue Ca Nhech Salad: Nga Lien Commune, Nga Son Ward, Thanh Hoa

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Thanh Hoa, Vietnam is a not-to-be-missed destination with spectacular natural attractions, historical monuments and rich cultural tradition. Coming to this land, you will experience the true moments of relaxation and have a better understanding of the nation’s history.

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