We are thinking of including Hanoi into our SE Asia trip in November and want to spend 5 days or so at a beach resort or at least somewhere to get a bit of sunshine and relax.
Mt TA originally mentioned Hoi an but i am nervous that the weather may be too iffy SO....
Has anyone stayed at Phan Thiet (am thinking maybe the victoria) and is there plenty of nice bars and restaurants in the town itself to warrant spending 5 days there (i am considering Phuket but it will be one flight too many)
appreciate your help
x

We have stayed near Phan Thiet at Mui Ne - many hotels are along this area. This was a few years ago and the area was still developing so I'll leave it to others to add futher comment - but we really liked it.

thanks janey

I was in Phan Thiet (Mui Ne) just around New Year. I liked it, peaceful and still very small. BUT the bus trip Saigon - Mui Ne takes up to six hours. If I had known that I would have chosen something else.

We were also in Hanoi and Halong Bay, and the temperature was almost 20 degrees (Celsius) lower than in Saigon. Definitely no beach weather.

If I would go now, and wanted beach, I would choose Hoi An. Warm enough, and only 45 minutes flight from saigon.

Phan Thiet is a faceless provincial town and there is no bar scene at all. Even good restaurants are just a few. Victoria is nice but somewhat secluded. I stayed at Novotel and found it better.
Mui Ne has a better beach and more hotels. But its about 10 miles from Phan Thiet and you need another transportation. Sometimes there are direct minibuses out of Saigon.
The beach outside Hoi An is just medium class. Better ones are close to Hoi An in Danang/China beach or in Nha Trang. Maybe the best of them all can be found on Phu Quoc.
Anyway, if you want beach and action, skip Vietnamese beaches and go to Phuket or Koh Samui.