Ha Tien

Daniel Berthold · CC BY-SA 4.0

A border town on the Gulf of Thailand that was once its own trading principality.

Ha Tien has a past unlike anywhere else in the Mekong delta: in the early eighteenth century Mac Cuu, a Chinese man fleeing the Qing, founded an autonomous trading port here, then offered the land to the Nguyen lords and was given it to govern. The Mac family ruled for generations, founding schools and a poetry society, and their tombs still stand on Binh San hill above the town. Today Ha Tien is a small border town on the Gulf of Thailand, with Thach Dong — a hollow limestone outcrop with a pagoda inside — and it is the ferry port for the Hai Tac archipelago and for Phu Quoc.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Ha Tien?

November to April, the dry season

How long do you need at Ha Tien?

Full day

What are the opening hours of Ha Tien?

All day

Did you know

In the early eighteenth century Mac Cuu founded an autonomous trading port at Ha Tien, then offered it to the Nguyen lords.
The tombs of the Mac family stand on Binh San hill above the town.
Thach Dong is a hollow limestone outcrop near the centre with a pagoda inside it.
Ha Tien is the ferry port for the Hai Tac archipelago and for Phu Quoc island.

Travel tips

There are fast ferries from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc — a much shorter crossing than from Rach Gia.
Climb Binh San hill in the afternoon for the town and the Gulf of Thailand.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A0_Ti%C3%AAn

Updated: 2026-08-16