Do you want to go off the beaten track during your trip in Vietnam? Then consider a visit to Tam Thanh mural Village, near the very nice town of Hoi An. The murals of Tam Thanh are slightly more famous among Vietnamese, but not at all among foreign tourists. The town is located 40 kilometres south of Hoi An and is a small highlight in the province of Quang Nam. We explain why.
- Visiting Tam Thanh Mural Village
- How to get there?
- Beaches around Tam Thanh village
- Vietnamese Heroic Mother Statue
Visiting Tam Thanh Mural Village
Tam Thanh was a very poor fishing village like many others in Vietnam. This will change in June 2016, when the Korea Foundation Community Art Exchange chose this village for their art project. The foundation wanted to brighten up the local environment and make their art public. Artists from both Vietnam and Korea spent three weeks painting the walls of around 100 houses.
The murals of Tam Thanh are the first of its kind in Vietnam. The village splashes out in pink, blue, yellow and purple colors. Murals have been made of portraits of the villagers, local scenes and regional panoramas, among other things. For example, you will find many paintings about marine life and fishing, showing the origins of the village.
There is also a painting of a tailor who himself is proud of it all day long with the same sewing machine that is depicted on the wall. The children are also very happy with their portraits on the wall, since that way their cheerful child’s memories are preserved. You notice that not only has the completely normal fishing village been completely transformed into a colorful place, but also the inhabitants. This makes a visit to this village worthwhile.
How to get there?
The murals of Tam Thanh Village are located around 40 km from the center of Hoi An. You can either go there by yourself, take a taxi, private car or go by tour. A local bus is to much hassle and will take you too much time. (Location on Google maps)
By yourself
You can rent a motorbike in Hoi An. The journey takes more than an hour. Drive via the new bridge in Hoi An called Cua Dai bridge and then keep driving on the same road (Thanh Niên road). You will find almost no traffic here. Avoid the QL1A motorway, since you will be driving for 30 minutes. This highway is very busy and therefore more dangerous. Get prepared and use Google maps / maps.me to find the right turn.
Taxi or private car
Another option is to rent a car with private driver or go by taxi. Expect for a one-way to pay around 530,000 VND to 660,000 VND (23 USD to 29 USD). But best is to negotiate a flat price with the driver that he waits for you to drive you back.
By tour
Tam Thanh mural village is still very unknown and for that reason there are not many tours that go there. The few tour that go there often combine it with a visit to other destinations in the area and that is also recommended, as you have seen the village in a 1 hour slow stroll.
Beaches around Tam Thanh village
Because the village is quite small, you can easily see everything in one or two hours. But since it’s about a 1-hour drive from Hoi An, you probably want to make this a day trip. We recommend visiting the beautiful beaches around this village. Tam Thanh beach is very nice long stretch beach. There are no restaurants direct on the beach, except all the way on the end of the beach at Tam Thank Beach resort & Spa.
There are also several other beaches along the way from Hoi An, that are even more beautiful than the one in Hoi An itself. And the best thing is that you probably have the entire beach just for you. If you go farther south from Tam Thanh village you find Tam Hai island, were you can only get to by ferry. Some beaches are very beautiful on this island, but other beaches have the potential to be a paradise, but unfortunately are effected by heavy pollution.
Vietnamese Heroic Mother Statue
Around a 8 km drive from Tam Thanh mural village lies the Vietnamese Heroic Mother Statue. It is the biggest heroic mother statue in Vietnam and costed over 20 million US Dollar. The statue is 120 metres wide, 18 meter high and complete made out of granite. It is a respect to all the mothers who lost their children in national liberation.
The entrance is free, but there is a small parking fee of 5,000d (0.20 USD). A visit will take you around 20 minutes, so you can easily add this in your itinerary to Tam Thanh village.
