# Duc Thanh School, Phan Thiet > Duc Thanh School (Trường Dục Thanh) is a private school from 1907 on the Ca Ty riverbank in central Phan Thiet, where the young Nguyen Tat Thanh — later known as Ho Chi Minh — taught in 1910–1911. Its wooden classrooms, meeting house, well and old tree survive. Entry is free, open 7:00–17:00 (according to guides). It's 500 m on foot from the Water Tower. Web page: https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/duc-thanh-school - City: [Phan Thiet](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet), Vietnam - YesGo score: 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 45 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Hours: Daily 7:00–17:00 - 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 - Coordinates: 10.92825, 108.09605 - Facts checked: 08.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1907** — local scholars opened the school on the grounds of the Nguyen family's ancestral hall (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia) - **4 classes** — and up to 100 pupils from several provinces, all taught free of charge (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; VinWonders (blog)) - **1910–1911** — the young Nguyen Tat Thanh, later known as Ho Chi Minh, taught here (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia) - **3 subjects** — he taught: Vietnamese script, classical Chinese and physical education (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia) - **Ngoa Du Sao** — a small two-storey house for meetings, guests and poetry readings (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia; VinWonders (blog)) - **2 houses** — of wooden classrooms, plus a shared house for teachers and boarders (source: Vietnamese Wikipedia) - **0 VND** — entry — the school and grounds are free to visit (source: VinWonders (blog)) - **≈ 500 m** — to the Water Tower and about 700 m to the Van Thuy Tu whale temple (source: OSRM route) ## Opening 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 1. **From the Water Tower** it's about 500 m west on foot — 6–7 minutes. 2. **From the Van Thuy Tu whale temple** it's about 700 m, 10 minutes on foot. 3. **From Mui Ne and the Nguyen Dinh Chieu resorts** it's 20–25 km — 25–30 minutes by Grab. Search for "Trường Dục Thanh". 4. The school is at 39 Trung Nhi street, by the Ca Ty River. 5. 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 - [ ] Going before 17:00 - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered - [ ] Water and a hat - [ ] Nearby: the Water Tower and the whale temple - [ ] A camera translator for the Vietnamese labels ## Phan Thiet history: compare and choose Historic sights in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne rated by YesGo. - [Phan Thiet Water Tower](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/phan-thiet-water-tower) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · free (outside only) - [Duc Thanh School](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/duc-thanh-school) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · free - [Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/van-thuy-tu-temple) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 15,000 VND, children ≈ 5,000 - [Po Sah Inu Cham Towers](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/po-sah-inu-towers) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · About 10,000–15,000 VND - [Ke Ga Lighthouse](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/ke-ga-lighthouse) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · boat ≈ 40,000–100,000 VND, climb ≈ 10,000–35,000 ## 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. 1. [Po Sah Inu Cham Towers](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/po-sah-inu-towers) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · About 10,000–15,000 VND 2. [Phan Thiet Water Tower](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/phan-thiet-water-tower) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · free (outside only) 3. [Duc Thanh School](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/duc-thanh-school) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · free 4. [Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/van-thuy-tu-temple) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 15,000 VND, children ≈ 5,000 ## Good to know Duc Thanh School (Trường Dục Thanh) is the historic school in central Phan Thiet. Modern schools with the same name exist in other Vietnamese towns — those are different places. ## Tips - 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](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/phan-thiet/phan-thiet-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. ## How we checked There's no official website. Hours of 7:00–17:00 and free entry come from a VinWonders blog, and other guides confirm free entry; no source mentions a closing day, so these are marked unconfirmed. The school's history is from Vietnamese Wikipedia. In line with YesGo policy we write neutrally, without judging political movements or figures. Distances are OSRM routes: 517 m to the Water Tower and 728 m to Van Thuy Tu. ## Sources - 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 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.