Phan Thiet Water Tower
Phan Thiet, Vietnam
Duc Thanh School, Phan Thiet
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Photo: Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Free
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Hours
- Daily 7:00–17:00
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 45 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes; about an hour with the museum next door
- Where
- 39 Trung Nhi, Ca Ty riverbank, central Phan Thiet
- From the Water Tower
- ≈ 500 m on foot, 6–7 minutes
- Dress
- A memorial site: cover shoulders and knees
Key facts
1907local scholars opened the school on the grounds of the Nguyen family's ancestral hall
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Vietnamese Wikipedia4 classesand up to 100 pupils from several provinces, all taught free of charge
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Vietnamese WikipediaVinWonders (blog)1910–1911the young Nguyen Tat Thanh, later known as Ho Chi Minh, taught here
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Vietnamese Wikipedia3 subjectshe taught: Vietnamese script, classical Chinese and physical education
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Vietnamese WikipediaNgoa Du Saoa small two-storey house for meetings, guests and poetry readings
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Vietnamese WikipediaVinWonders (blog)2 housesof wooden classrooms, plus a shared house for teachers and boarders
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Vietnamese Wikipedia0 VNDentry — the school and grounds are free to visit
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VinWonders (blog)≈ 500 mto the Water Tower and about 700 m to the Van Thuy Tu whale temple
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OSRM routeOpening hours and entry
According to a VinWonders guide, the school is open daily from 7:00 to 17:00 and entry is free. There's no official website; the site is run by the museum next door. Hours may change on holidays and during events.
This is a memorial site: cover your shoulders and knees and keep your voice down. Photos are fine in the classrooms, but no flash.
What is Duc Thanh School?
Duc Thanh School (Dục Thanh Học hiệu — 'school for educating the young') opened in 1907 on the Ca Ty riverbank in Phan Thiet. It was founded by local scholars and merchants who backed an early-20th-century education reform movement, on the grounds of the Nguyen family's ancestral hall. A local landowner and a trading society paid the costs, so pupils studied for free and teachers received only an allowance.
The school had 4 classes and up to 100 pupils from Saigon, Da Nang, Hoi An and elsewhere. In 1910–1911 the young Nguyen Tat Thanh — later known as Ho Chi Minh — taught here for several months before moving on to Saigon. He taught Vietnamese script, classical Chinese and physical education.
School life was strict: every day at 6 am and 5 pm the pupils did exercises and filed into class in line. The curriculum came from Hanoi, from the private Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc school, founded the same year, 1907.
What to see
- Two wooden classrooms under tiled roofs, with early-20th-century desks and boards.
- Ngoa Du Sao — the small two-storey house for meetings, guests and poetry.
- The shared house where teachers and boarders from afar lived.
- The old star fruit tree in the yard — said to have been tended by the young teacher.
- The old well that supplied the school.
- The green grounds with brick paths by the Ca Ty River.
How to get to Duc Thanh School
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Phan Thiet Water Tower is about 7 min away on foot.
- Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple is about 10 min away on foot.
More tips
- From the Water Tower it's about 500 m west on foot — 6–7 minutes.
- From the Van Thuy Tu whale temple it's about 700 m, 10 minutes on foot.
- From Mui Ne and the Nguyen Dinh Chieu resorts it's 20–25 km — 25–30 minutes by Grab. Search for "Trường Dục Thanh".
- The school is at 39 Trung Nhi street, by the Ca Ty River.
- Enter through the wooden gate with its tiled roof.
How long do you need, and when to go?
Allow 30–45 minutes, or about an hour with the museum next door. Go in the morning or after 3 pm: the yard has shade, but midday is hot. In May and early September, around commemorative dates, there are many organised groups.
It's easy to combine with a walk around the centre: the Water Tower, the Van Thuy Tu whale temple and the Ca Ty riverside are 5–10 minutes away on foot.
Is Duc Thanh School worth visiting?
Yes, if you're in central Phan Thiet: it's a quiet, green yard of early-20th-century wooden houses, free and five minutes from the Water Tower.
The YesGo take: it's small, and the labels are mostly in Vietnamese. It isn't worth a trip from Mui Ne on its own. Combine it with the Water Tower and the whale temple in one walk.
Before you go: checklist
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Phan Thiet history: compare and choose
Historic sights in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.
| Phan Thiet Water Tower | 45 | 20 min | Free | 8 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duc Thanh Schoolyou are here | 44 | 45 min | Free | — |
| Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple | 39 | 30 min | ≈ 15,000 VND, children ≈ 5,000 | 12 min walk |
| Po Sah Inu Cham Towers | 33 | 45 min | About 10,000–15,000 VND | 5.5 km |
| Ke Ga Lighthouse | 22 | 1 h 30 min | boat ≈ 40,000–100,000 VND, climb ≈ 10,000–35,000 | 28.2 km |
Central Phan Thiet in half a day
The Po Sah Inu towers, then the Water Tower, Duc Thanh School and the Van Thuy Tu whale temple. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.
- Po Sah Inu Cham Towers45 min · About 10,000–15,000 VND
- 88 min walk from the previous stopPhan Thiet Water Tower20 min · free (outside only)
- 8 min walk from the previous stopDuc Thanh Schoolyou are here45 min · free
- 12 min walk from the previous stopVan Thuy Tu Whale Temple30 min · ≈ 15,000 VND, children ≈ 5,000
4 places · about 4 h 8 min with walks · 108 min on foot in total
Nearby — add to your day
Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple
Phan Thiet, Vietnam
How to do it right
- The best shot is the wooden gate from the path outside.
- No flash in the classrooms.
- Translate the labels with Google Translate's camera.
- The Ca Ty River is right there — stroll along the riverside.
- 500 m away: the Water Tower.
Questions
Where is Duc Thanh School?
At 39 Trung Nhi street on the Ca Ty riverbank in central Phan Thiet — 500 m from the Water Tower.
Is there an entrance fee?
No, entry is free (according to guides).
What are the opening hours?
Daily 7:00–17:00, according to guides.
When was the school founded?
In 1907.
Who taught here?
In 1910–1911, the young Nguyen Tat Thanh, later known as Ho Chi Minh.
How long do you need?
30–45 minutes, or about an hour with the museum next door.
How do I get there from Mui Ne?
20–25 km, 25–30 minutes by Grab.
Is it worth visiting?
Yes, together with the Water Tower and the whale temple; not worth a trip from Mui Ne on its own.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- Vietnamese Wikipedia — Trường Dục Thanh: founding year, layout, pupils, funding, Nguyen Tat Thanh's teaching years
- VinWonders (blog) — opening hours, free entry, Ngoa Du Sao house, well, star fruit tree
- OSM — coordinates; OSRM route — distances to the Water Tower and Van Thuy Tu
- YesGo general facts for Vietnam — Grab
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