Ninh Thuan Vineyards

Ninh Thuan is the driest province in Vietnam - rainfall here is a fraction of the national average and the landscape is scrub, cactus and sand - which is exactly why grapes work: the vines are grown on overhead trellises so the fruit hangs in shade, irrigated from wells, and they produce two or three crops a year rather than one. Most of the output is table grapes for the domestic market; wine is made in small quantities and is not the region's strength, whatever the marketing says. The same dryness supports sheep and goat herding and the salt fields at Ca Na and Dam Vua.

What to look for

• Grapes under overhead trellises - fruit hanging in its own shade.
• The driest province in Vietnam - which is why the vines work.
• Two or three crops a year - rather than a single vintage.
• Sheep and salt on the same ground - the other products of the dryness.

When to go

Year round; there is nearly always a crop somewhere. Half a day.

Good to know

The wine is mostly modest and the region is a table grape producer first. Vineyard visits are informal and often sales-focused. Heat and sun are severe. Roads between the vineyards are rural.

Nearby

Vinh Hy bay is north; Bau Truc pottery village is south of Phan Rang.