"A Quick Side Trip to Vung Tau" Top 5 Page for this destination Vung Tau by Ewingjr98

Vung Tau Travel Guide: 68 reviews and 258 photos

Because my father had been to Vung Tau during the Vietnam War, I wanted to visit while I was in HCMC. We got round trip tickets on the Hydrofoil in HCMC, and enjoyed the one hour journey down the Saigon River. Upon arriving at Vung Tau, we were accosted by the usual motorcycle drivers, souvenir hawkers and con-artists, but we just walked across the street to a nice cafe for lunch. After spring rolls and Ba Ba Ba (333) Beer, we hired a motorcycle for a quick tour of the island. We started by going to the top of Small Mountain for the breathtaking views of the city. The top of this mountain has an old French lighthouse and fortifications.

Vietnamese Woman

After going back down the mountain, we circled around the southern tip of the peninsula on the way to the Bai Sau or Back Beach. After a few minutes on the beach, we proceeded to the center of town and the Lang Ca Ong, or Whale Temple. Inside this temple are the bones of a huge whale.

Running out of time, we made a quick stop at Bach Dinh -- a villa formerly housing the rich and influential, now a museum with nice views over the Front Beach (Bai Truoc).

Since we had a date in the afternoon in HCMC, we went back to the pier and got on the hydrofoil bound for Saigon.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Decent beaches, quiet on the weekdays
Cons:Very busy on the weekends

Last visit to Vung Tau: Sep 2003
Intro Updated Nov 14, 2006
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Reviews (9)

Hon Ba Temple Things to Do (6)

Visible from Back Beach and the cliffs at the southern edge of the peninsula is scenic Hon Ba Temple, which sits a few... more travel advice

Giant Jesus Things to Do (6)

A giant, 100 foot tall statue of Jesus was constructed above the back beach on a lower slope of Small Mountain in the... more travel advice

Hydrofoil to HCMC Transportation (2)

Take the Hydrofoil between HCMC and Vung Tau. In 2003, it costs about US$10 (120,000 VND) for a round trip, but as of... more travel advice

Watch out for those goats...!!! - Vung Tau

Motorcycle in Vung Tau Transportation (2)

If you had the time, you could see much of the town by walking, but if you are short on time, hire a motorcycle. Our... more travel advice

Restaurants (1)
Restaurant Along Front Beach

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Travelogues (1)

Written Apr 28, 2004

4 photos

My father's pictures of Vung Tau, Jan 1968

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Comments (5)

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Nemorino Feb 2, 2013 at 6:37 PM

Good that you took a side trip to Vung Tau. Thanks for including your father's old photos.
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kokoryko Aug 28, 2008 at 2:35 PM

I'll take the hydrofoil to Vung Tau in two weeks; thanks for this intro to this beach city. (But I 'll not go for a bath there!)
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BullDurham Sep 2, 2006 at 5:19 PM

Good page on Vung Tau with pictures of many of my favourites. Thank you.
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crazy_vietgirl2 Aug 10, 2005 at 7:58 AM

Excellent picutres of Vietnam. I especially liked the Vung Tau pics...too bad you don't have any more. Planning a trip there in January to vist my birth place FINALY!!!.Cheers and happy travels~Van
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lukeredhead Apr 27, 2004 at 2:05 AM

Great photo