Sunrise over a sandy beach on the Phan Thiet coast, with a swing set in the foreground
Photo: MinhVN123 / CC BY-SA 4.0

Resort town · private transfers

NovaWorld Phan Thiet

NovaWorld Phan Thiet is a 1,000-hectare resort development on the Tien Thanh coast south of Phan Thiet, with international hotels, two golf courses, theme parks and a beach. By private car it is typically 3 to 3½ hours from Tan Son Nhat airport, 20 to 35 minutes from Phan Thiet and 40 to 60 minutes from the Mui Ne strip. It is open and busy, and still being finished.

  • From SGN3–4 hours
  • Private car from$65
  • WhereTien Thanh ward, Phan Thiet (Lam Dong province since 2025), on the Lac Long Quan coast road
  • SizeAbout 1,000 hectares and 7 km of coast (the developer's figures)
  • From Saigon airportAbout 3 to 3½ hours by private car
  • To Phan Thiet centreAbout 15 km, 20 to 35 min
  • To the Mui Ne stripAbout 30 km, 40 to 60 min
  • Open in 2026Radisson, Mövenpick, Wonderland and K-Town resorts, villas, PGA golf, NovaDreams parks
  • Not openNovotel Phan Thiet (still fitting out), and the master plan's arena and tennis stadium
Book online

Tan Son Nhat airport (SGN) → Any hotel or villa in NovaWorld Phan Thiet

  • 3–4 hours
  • 160 km
  • Door to door
  1. 1. Trip
  2. 2. Car & extras
  3. 3. Your details

Step 1 of 3: Trip

Vietnam time. We track the flight and wait 90 minutes after landing, free.
People
2
Suitcases
2
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup
  • Confirmed within 12 hours by email, with your driver's details
  • 90 minutes' free waiting after landing, flight tracked
  • No card needed. Pay the driver on the day
Book a transfer to NovaWorld Phan Thietfrom $65 · 3–4 hoursBook

Fixed prices

Private transfer prices to NovaWorld Phan Thiet

Every route we drive into NovaWorld Phan Thiet, per vehicle. Tap a route to load it into the booking box.

Private transfer prices to NovaWorld Phan Thiet
Route Drive time Sedan
≤3 people		7-seat MPV
≤6 people		7-seat SUV
≤5 people		VIP limo van
≤7 people		16-seat bus
≤12 people
Saigon airport or city → NovaWorld Phan Thiet 160 km · Saigon airport transfers · Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) 3–4 hours $651.700.000₫$711.850.000₫$792.050.000₫$1313.400.000₫$1122.900.000₫
Long Thanh airport (LTH) → NovaWorld Phan Thiet 135 km · Long Thanh airport transfers 2–3 hours $601.550.000₫$651.700.000₫$711.850.000₫$1193.100.000₫$1022.650.000₫
Phan Thiet → NovaWorld Phan Thiet 15 km · Mui Ne & Phan Thiet 20–35 min $12300.000₫$13350.000₫$15400.000₫$35900.000₫$33850.000₫
Ke Ga → NovaWorld Phan Thiet 25 km · Ke Ga 30–45 min $15400.000₫$17450.000₫$19500.000₫$35900.000₫$33850.000₫
Mui Ne → NovaWorld Phan Thiet 30 km · Mui Ne & Phan Thiet 40–60 min $17450.000₫$19500.000₫$21550.000₫$35900.000₫$33850.000₫
Da Lat → NovaWorld Phan Thiet 180 km · Da Lat 3½–5 hours $812.100.000₫$882.300.000₫$962.500.000₫$1624.200.000₫$1383.600.000₫

Per vehicle, not per person, for a daytime pickup. Tolls included. Night pickups (22:00–06:00) add 10% and Tết adds 30%. Other currencies are a guide; you pay in VND.

What is NovaWorld Phan Thiet?

NovaWorld Phan Thiet is a master-planned resort town in Tien Thanh, on the sea side of Highway 1 about 15 km south-west of Phan Thiet city. The developer, Novaland, puts it at roughly 1,000 hectares with 7 km of coastline. Inside are branded hotels, thousands of villas and shophouses, a 36-hole golf club, a run of family attractions and a landscaped beach.

People go for three reasons: a family beach week with the parks next door, a golf trip, or a villa for a group that wants space. It is a different holiday from the Mui Ne strip, where the draw is kitesurfing, dunes and a street of restaurants. Mui Ne is 30 km up the coast and 40 to 60 minutes by car, so staying at NovaWorld and visiting Mui Ne for dinner is possible but needs a car.

Where is it, and how does it sit with Mui Ne and Ke Ga?

Think of the coast south-east of Saigon as a line. Heading down it you reach the expressway’s end near Phan Thiet, then Phan Thiet city. NovaWorld is on the south-west side of the city along the Lac Long Quan coast road, closer to Saigon than Mui Ne. The Mui Ne strip is on the far, north-east side of Phan Thiet. Ke Ga and its lighthouse are further down the coast the other way, about 25 km and 30 to 45 minutes from NovaWorld, and La Gi is beyond that.

Two things catch first-time visitors. NovaWorld has its own gates and internal roads, and hotels like the Radisson sit on streets outside them, so give the driver your resort’s name and not just “NovaWorld”. And the booking sites list the area under both Phan Thiet and Tien Thanh, so the distance to “downtown” you see varies from 3 km to 15 km depending on the listing.

How long is the drive from Saigon airport?

Typically 3 to 3½ hours from Tan Son Nhat by private car, over roughly 160 to 195 km depending on where you start. The route is across Saigon to the Long Thanh to Dau Giay expressway, then the Dau Giay to Phan Thiet expressway (99 km, 120 km/h limit). You leave at the last junction near Ham Thanh, take a short link to Highway 1 and then Provincial Road 719B to the coast. Press reports describe the expressway part as about two hours from the city; that excludes getting across Saigon and the local roads at the end.

From Thu Duc or An Phu, allow 2½ to 3 hours. The developer’s own material says 1½ hours from Ho Chi Minh City. That is a best case on an empty road from the eastern edge of the city, so don’t plan a flight connection around it.

Friday evenings and the day before a public holiday are the slow ones, because the first hour out of Saigon is stop and go. On the way back, leave about 5 hours before an international flight.

From Long Thanh airport

Long Thanh International is not open to regular flights yet; commercial operations are targeted for December 2026 and that date has moved before (see the Long Thanh airport page). When it opens it cuts the Saigon traffic out of the trip: about 2¼ to 3 hours to NovaWorld. Until then, everyone lands at Tan Son Nhat.

What is open in 2026?

The resorts

  • Radisson Resort Phan Thiet is a 76-room boutique beach resort that opened in November 2022. See the Radisson transfer page.
  • Mövenpick Resort Phan Thiet is the big one, 248 rooms, pirate-themed, with two pools, a kids’ club and a spa. See the Mövenpick page.
  • Wonderland Resort Phan Thiet is a dome-shaped four-star on Bikini Beach, priced well below the two above. See the Wonderland page.
  • K-Town Resort is a Korean-themed village of villas and rooms with its own pools and tennis courts. See the K-Town page.

Villas

Hundreds of the beachfront and golf-course villas are rented out through booking sites. The developer said in June 2025 that more than 750 villas were in rental operation. Quality and management vary a lot from one owner to the next, there is no front desk, and several share a name, so keep the villa code and the contact number handy for the driver.

Golf

The PGA NovaWorld club has 36 holes designed by Greg Norman: the Ocean course, a links-style layout that opened in 2021, and the Garden course. The clubhouse and pro shop open 06:00 to 18:00. One 2026 notice had the Ocean course closed from 10 August for green maintenance with the Garden open, so ask when you book. A 7-seater takes four golfers and bags; a larger group needs a minibus.

The parks and the beach

The NovaDreams parks are Circus Land, Wonderland Water Park, Dino Park, Wonder Hill with its ship-shaped viewpoint, and Safari Cafe. Park hours are typically 09:00 to 17:00 with Circus Land open later. The operator lists a Wonderland Water Park adult ticket at about 195,000 ₫ on weekdays (its own page, October 2026). Bikini Beach, a 16-hectare landscaped beach park, and the Lounge beach club are the evening spots. The sea here is open coast, with wind and surf in the windy months (roughly November to March), so check the flag before the children go in.

What isn’t finished?

Be clear-eyed before you book. NovaWorld is an open resort town, not a finished master plan.

  • Novotel Phan Thiet is not open. The developer’s April 2026 update showed the shell complete and interior fit-out under way, with a target of October 2026. It was first announced for early 2025. It won a design award, which is not the same as opening, so treat any “Novotel NovaWorld” listing as a future hotel.
  • The 10,000-seat arena and the ATP tennis stadium on the master plan are not built. The theme parks themselves are open: the NovaDreams parks listed above, built in stages since about 2022, with more of the master plan still to come.
  • There is no Wyndham in NovaWorld. The Wyndham near Phan Thiet is Apec Mandala Wyndham Mui Ne at Ham Tien, on the Mui Ne strip and a different developer. If your booking says Wyndham, it is a Mui Ne trip.
  • The area is still partly construction. Hotel pages and OTA photos sometimes show it greener and busier than a weekday in the low season.

The developer’s finances, plainly

Novaland has been restructuring its debt since December 2022, and that is well reported in the Vietnamese financial press. The relevant facts: its US$300 million convertible bond has been extended to July 2028; the investment decision for NovaWorld Phan Thiet was reissued in October 2025; at its April 2026 shareholder meeting leadership passed to a new chairman and the company set targets to hand over about 2,600 units across its projects; and its September 2026 prospectus still lists legal milestones to reach.

For a traveller that is background, not a warning. The hotels are run by Accor and Radisson Hotels or by Nova’s own hotel arm, and they, the golf club and the parks operate day to day. The practical consequences are that building is slower than the marketing said, and some listed facilities are not there yet. Confirm that the specific hotel, park or course is open for your dates.

What does a trip here cost, and how do we compare?

Our fixed price per car is in the price table above; it covers the tolls, the driver’s waiting time at the airport (90 minutes free) and the drop-off at your resort or villa. The comparison table shows the alternatives. For a long trip with luggage or golf bags, a booked private car with a known driver and a known vehicle is the more comfortable choice: calm driving, a car that smells of nothing, working seatbelts and child seats on request. VinFast sedans suit two or three people; a family of five or anyone with golf bags should book a 7-seater.

Extras that suit this trip: a stop on the way for lunch, extra waiting time, a SIM or eSIM in the car, and fast-track immigration at the airport on arrival.

Where does it fit in a bigger trip?

  • NovaWorld to the Mui Ne strip: 30 km, 40 to 60 minutes. See Mui Ne and Phan Thiet.
  • NovaWorld to Ke Ga: about 25 km, 30 to 45 minutes. See Ke Ga.
  • NovaWorld to Da Lat: about 180 km, typically 3¾ to 4¾ hours, through the mountain pass. See Da Lat.
  • Back to Saigon: the same expressway in reverse. For flights, see Saigon airport transfers and Ho Chi Minh City.

Our driver standard

The car you'd want after a long flight

Car quality in Vietnam varies wildly: a driver smoking between jobs, seatbelts tucked away or missing, a car that's done half a million kilometres. This is the standard we hold every driver to, and what we ask you about after every trip.

  • Calm hands on the wheel. Smooth, unhurried driving. Safety comes before speed, every time.
  • The horn is for emergencies. Not a musical instrument. Anyone who has sat in Saigon traffic knows why we say this.
  • No smoke, no perfume bomb. Nobody smokes in our cars, and there's no air freshener strong enough to make your eyes water.
  • Air you'd want to breathe. Cabin filters changed on schedule, so the air-con blows clean, not twenty years of exhaust.
  • Newer cars, kind suspension. Cars in good condition, with seats and suspension made for a four-hour drive.
  • Seatbelts that work. In every seat. Child seats are free on request.

Where to stay

Hotels we drive to in NovaWorld Phan Thiet

Four resorts operate inside NovaWorld. Pick "NovaWorld Phan Thiet" in the booking box and type the resort or villa name at the last step; villas have no front desk, so send us the villa code and the owner's phone number.

Getting there

Private car, bus or train: the honest comparison

We're not the cheapest way to NovaWorld Phan Thiet. Here's what each option is actually like.

OptionTimeCostDoor to doorGood forThe catch
Private car (us) About 3 to 3½ h from Tan Son Nhat; 2½ to 3 h from Thu Duc or An Phu Per car, see the price table Yes Families, golfers with bags, anyone landing at the airport, villa guests who need a car inside the resort More than a bus seat for one traveller with a day bag
NovaDreams bus from District 1 Advertised as about 1½ h; plan on 2½ to 3 h Operator fares and bundles; see the operator No Day-trippers and guests already in District 1 with a park bundle A few departures a day from one pickup point near Nguyen Thi Minh Khai (launched July 2024; check it still runs), and it does not collect from the airport or hotels.
Limousine van or bus to Phan Thiet, then a local car About 4 h to Phan Thiet, plus the ride to Tien Thanh From about 140,000 to 350,000 ₫ per seat, plus the last leg No Solo travellers on a tight budget Drops you in town, 15 km short; finding a car that goes into the resort is up to you.
Your resort's own car About the same as ours Not published by the NovaWorld resorts we checked Yes Putting it on the room bill Ask the price first; resort cars are often dearer than a booked private car for the same trip.
Ride-hailing app or street taxi 3 to 3½ h A per-kilometre estimate, plus tolls Yes Not much, for a trip this long Many drivers decline a 160 km job without payment for the empty return. You don't know the car or driver in advance, and there are no child seats.
Why most of our travellers book a car

You know the driver and the car before you land. The price is fixed, with tolls included. Someone is waiting at arrivals with your name, the flight is tracked, and the car is clean and non-smoking with working seatbelts and child seats if you need them. After a long flight, that's worth more than the saving.

FAQ

Questions travellers ask us

Where is NovaWorld Phan Thiet?

In Tien Thanh ward on the coast south-west of Phan Thiet city, on the sea side of Highway 1, along Lac Long Quan street. It is about 15 km from Phan Thiet centre. Since the 2025 reorganisation the province is Lam Dong, so hotel addresses now say Lam Dong rather than Binh Thuan.

How long is the drive from Saigon airport to NovaWorld Phan Thiet?

Typically 3 to 3½ hours by private car, longer on Friday evenings and before public holidays. It is about 2½ hours from Thu Duc or An Phu. The developer says 1½ hours from Ho Chi Minh City; that is a best case from the city's eastern edge and not a planning figure.

Is NovaWorld Phan Thiet the same as Mui Ne?

No. Mui Ne is the beach strip on the far side of Phan Thiet, about 30 km and 40 to 60 minutes from NovaWorld. NovaWorld is a self-contained resort town with its own hotels, parks and golf. For restaurants, kitesurfing and dunes, see the Mui Ne strip.

Is there a Wyndham or a Novotel at NovaWorld?

There is no Wyndham in NovaWorld. The Wyndham near Phan Thiet is Apec Mandala Wyndham Mui Ne at Ham Tien, a different development. A Novotel Phan Thiet is under construction inside NovaWorld; the developer's April 2026 update showed interior fit-out under way and a target of October 2026, but it has not opened and the date has already slipped once.

What is actually open at NovaWorld Phan Thiet in 2026?

Radisson Resort Phan Thiet, Mövenpick Resort Phan Thiet, Wonderland Resort and K-Town Resort; hundreds of rented villas; the 36-hole PGA golf club; the NovaDreams parks (Circus Land, Wonderland Water Park, Dino Park, Wonder Hill, Safari Cafe); and Bikini Beach. The 10,000-seat arena, the tennis stadium and the 25-hectare theme park on the master plan are not built.

Is NovaWorld Phan Thiet safe to book given the developer's debts?

The resorts, parks and golf club operate day to day. The developer, Novaland, has been restructuring its debt since 2022 and its legal approvals for parts of the project have been reissued in stages, which is why the site is part built. For a holiday, that mainly means checking that the specific hotel, park or course you want is open on your dates, which we suggest doing a week before you travel.

Can we play golf at NovaWorld Phan Thiet?

Yes. The PGA NovaWorld club has 36 holes by Greg Norman, the Ocean and Garden courses. One 2026 notice had the Ocean course closed from 10 August for green maintenance with the Garden open, so check the course before you promise anyone a round on it. We can bring golf bags in a 7-seater or minibus.

How far is NovaWorld from Ke Ga and Da Lat?

Ke Ga is about 25 km and 30 to 45 minutes down the coast. Da Lat is about 180 km and typically 3¾ to 4¾ hours by car. Both are in the price table.

Do we need a car once we are inside NovaWorld?

Usually yes. The development is 7 km long and some villa clusters are 1.5 to 2 km from the main roads. The hotels run shuttles to the parks, but dinners out, the golf club and trips to Phan Thiet or Mui Ne are easier with a booked car.