Vung Tau (Vũng Tàu) has long been considered an attractive tourist destination in Vietnam (Việt Nam) because of its natural beauty. Regardless of the places of visiting, tourists will always be attracted by the scenery of Vung Tau.
Vung Tau Tourism Overview
It takes just 3 hours of driving to go from the center of Ho Chi Minh (Hồ Chí Minh) City to Vung Tau. With a coastline that stretches 20km, Vung Tau is one of the favorite destinations of tourists from the south. Located jutting out like a strip of land, from here, tourists can see the Sea but in the sunrise and sunset. Besides the natural landscape values, Vung Tau also has a long history of cultural tradition.
Coming to Vung Tau you will have a feeling of peace, comfort with spacious roads. The blue sea, big and small mountains, and pure temples … all create a magical Vung Tau, a city which has countless famous landscapes but still simple and mild.
1. Climate
Ba Ria – Vung Tau (Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu) has the tropical monsoon climate. Each year, there are two distinct seasons: rainy season starts from May to October; there is southwest monsoon this time. Dry season starts from November to April of the following year, this time has the northeast monsoon. The annual average temperature is 27 ° C, with the lowest month of about 24.8 ° C, the highest month of about 28.6 ° C.
2. Vung Tau Travel Time
In Vung Tau, tourist season is year-round tourist because the temperature is not too cold or too hot. You only need to watch the weather forecasts to avoid traveling Vung Tau during rainstorm periods. Also, on weekends and holidays, Vung Tau attracts a large number of tourists; prices of services also rise. To have the best Vung Tau holiday, you should avoid that period.
3. Move From Ho Chi Minh City To Vung Tau
It just takes 125km to to go from the coastal city of Vung Tau City to Ho Chi Minh City. It is a great place for a short trip. Currently, there are three means of travel for backpacking travel: by motorbike, by car or by hydrofoil.
- Motorbike
Option 1: Go along Highway 1, across the Dong Nai bridge, you will encounter a traffic roundabout, from where you turn right along Highway 51. Take more 100km and you will arrive at Vung Tau City.
Option 2: From Ho Chi Minh City, you can choose to make your way from Cat Lai ferry (District 2, HCMC) to Nhon Trach, Dong Nai (Nhơn Trạch, Đồng Nai). This route will lead you to highway 51, at the point near Nhon Trach Industrial Zone. This route is about 20km closer in compared with the 1st option.
Moreover, for those self-driving tourists, they can choose to follow the route of Long Thanh (Long Thành) – Dong Nai (Đồng Nai) Expressway to help shorten the time arriving Vung Tau to about 2 -2.5 hours.
Note: The time to go to Vung Tau by motorcycle is about 3 – 3.5 hours.
- Passenger cars
High quality passenger cars: Price from 60,000 – 80,000 VND / ticket. You can go to Mien Dong bus station to buy tickets; the time of driving is approximately 2.5- 3 hours.
Mien Dong Bus Station: Address: No. 292 Dinh Bo Linh (Đinh Bộ Lĩnh) Street, Ward 26, Binh Thanh (Bình Thạnh) District, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08) 3899 4056; (08) 3898 4441; (08) 3898 4442; (08) 3898 4893. Website: Www.benxemiendong.com.vn.
- Vung Tau Bus Station: No. 192 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia (Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa) Street, Ward 3, Vung Tau (Vũng Tàu) City.
Tel: (064) 3859727.
Some quality passenger car brands running this route:
- Hoa Mai:
– Vung Tau: parked at no. 2A Trung Trac (Trưng Trắc) Street, Vung Tau.
– Tel: (064) .3531982 – 3531981-3531980
– Ho Chi Minh City: No. 50 Nguyen Thai Binh (Nguyễn Thái Bình) Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
- Mai Linh:
Address: 64-68 Hai Ba Trung (Hai Bà Trưng) Street, Ben Nghe (Bến Nghé) Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08).39292929 (Ho Chi Minh City) – (064).3576576 (Vung Tau).
- Phuong Trang (Phương Trang): Tel: (08).38218928
- Bookings in Saigon: 08 38 309 309. About every1 hour, there is a car running the routes.
- Bookings in Vung Tau: 0643 52 53 14 54. Go for 14-seat cars having air conditioning.
- Bookings in Ba Ria (Bà Rịa): 0643 82 67 68.
- Thien Phu (Thiên Phú): Pick passengers up at home.
– Vung Tau: parked in Vung Tau bus station.
– Ho Chi Minh City: Mien Dong (Miền Đông) Bus Station.
- Rang Dong (Rạng Đông):
– Vung Tau: Parked in Vung Tau bus station.
Tel: (064) .3525678
– Ho Chi Minh City: Mien Dong Bus Station. Tel: (08) .35.111.111.
Or, you can buy tickets at the box office of Phuong Trang Company: Uptime: from 05h: 00- 18:00 (there is a trip every 30 minutes).
- Kumho: Kumho cars running the route HCM City – Vung Tau are 45 seat vehicles. You can departure from the Mein Dong bus station and stop at Vung Tau bus station.
Address: No. 292 Dinh Bo Linh (Đinh Bộ Lĩnh) (Level 3), Ward 26, Binh Thanh (Bình Thạnh) District, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 35116861.
- Hydrofoil
Travel time: 1.5 hours.
The hydrofoil running the route HCMC – Vung Tau and vice versa. Every 30 minutes there is a trip, running from 6:00 until 16:30, with 1 hour 45 minutes runtime. Departure from Bach Dang pier and stop at Cau Da (Cầu Đá) – Vung Tau pier. You can buy tickets at the pier, or at ticket agents in HCMC or Vung Tau (some hotels also sell hydrofoil ticket).
- Cau Da Pier: No. 120 Ha Long (Hạ Long) Street, Vung Tau City. Tel: (064) .3810 202 – 3510 720
- Bach Dang (Bạch Đằng) Wharf: No.1 A Ham Nghi (Hàm Nghi), District 1, HCMC. Tel: (08) .3821 8061-3821 5609.
Some carriers run this route:
- GreenLines:
– In Ho Chi Minh City: 2 Ton Duc Thang (Tôn Đức Thắng) (Bach Dang (Bạch Đằng) Pier). Tel: (08) 38210650 – 38218189 to 38210653 – 38218 185 – 38213 872.
– In Vung Tau: 126 Ha Long (Hạ Long), Cau Da (Cầu Đá) Pier. Tel: (064) .3810202 – 3816308.
- Vina Express:
– In Ho Chi Minh City: No. 1 A Ham Nghi (Hàm Nghi), District 1, HCMC.
– In Vung Tau: no. 122 Ha Long (Hạ Long), Vung Tau City. Tel: (064). 3856 530
Note: In high season, holidays, to avoid not being able to buy tickets or having to buy more expensive, you should book early (about 10 days).
4. Vehicles In Vung Tau
Vung Tau city is small and peaceful. When traveling Vung Tau, you should rent a motorbike to facilitate your visiting tour or enjoy rich culinary specialties here. Price of motorcycle rental: 150,000-200,000 VND / day, 25,000-40,000 VND / hour. Some addresses for renting motorbikes:
– Hai Au (Hải Âu) Union (in the port of Hydrofoil at Vung Tau): Tel: 0908 372 612
– The lease site at Truong Cong Dinh (Trương Công Định) Street: Tel: 0909 790 137.
Note: If you want to ride around the town, then bike rental places are available. Even you can hire at the hotel with the price of about 15,000-20,000 VND / hour.
Phone numbers tourists should know when visiting Vung Tau:
– City Police: 064 3852361
– Central Post Office Vung Tau: 064 3623483
– Le Loi Hospital, Vung Tau: 064 3832667
– Petro Taxi: 064 3851851
– Mai Linh Taxi: 064 3565656
5. The Main Tourist Area Of Vung Tau
- Bai Sau Beach
Bai Sau (Bãi Sau) Beach is known for beautiful seaside and very few big waves. It is also a focusing point of many hotels and dining areas. Therefore, the majority of tourists traveling in Vung Tau prefer Bai Sau Beach. The beach also offers the popular Thuy Van (Thuỳ Vân) Street, which is similar to Tran Phu (Trần Phú) Street in Nha Trang. There are plenty of hotels from budget to luxury located on this road.
- Bai Truoc (Bãi Trước) Beach
The center of Vung Tau city is located in this place, where many buildings and the bustling shopping zones concentrate. Tourists often choose beaches in the Bai Sau because Bai Truoc is more populated due to population and tourist density. However, Bai Truoc would be your ideal place to contemplate the sunset or take a walk.
- Long Hai (Long Hải)
Being away from Ho Chi Minh City about 110km to the northeast (equivalent to approximately 2 to 2.5 hours on a motorcycle), Long Hai is a favorite relaxing spot of most travelers. Long Hai has beautiful beaches with clear blue water, golden sand stretching and seaside resorts. In particular, there is always available fresh seafood with cheap price at Long Hai Beach. Binh Chau (Bình Châu) hot mineral springs are located on Long Hai travel route; it is also an interesting destination for tourists.
- Con Dao (Côn Đảo)
Being famous for crystal clear beaches, green coconut trees and white sand, Con Dao can charm most visitors. So, it is easy to understand why Con Dao has attracted many domestic and foreign tourists to visit and enjoy. With wild beauty and not being affected much by the tourism industry, Con Dao is now indeed a rare tourist paradise in Vietnam.
6. Places Not To Be Missed When Traveling To Vung Tau
Domestic tourists still choose Vung Tau to unwind the weekend due to its location very close to Ho Chi Minh City. But beyond the beaches and delicious eateries, Vung Tau also has many interesting destinations for you to explore.
- Thich Ca Phat Dai (Thích Ca Phật Đài)
This is a temple located on the slopes of Large Mountain of Vung Tau city. The The beauty of this temple is a very skillful combination between religious architecture and natural landscape. The most notable thing about this temple is the 19m high octagonal tower and the statue of Sakyamuni meditating on a lotus built halfway up the mountain side. From afar, visitors can easily contemplate them.
- Statue of Lord Spanning Arms
The statue of Christ or God spanning arms standing atop Small Mountain of Vung Tau city was built in 1974. This statue is 32 m in height, 18.3 m of arm span, overlooking the sea at the height of 170m, inside a staircase of 133 steps up to take 2 hands of beneficiaries. The statue can be viewed as a similar version of God spanning arms in Rio de Janeiro city in Brazil.
Location: The statue of Christ atop Small Mountain, Vung Tau City.
- Bach Dinh (Bạch Dinh)
In 1898, the Governor General of Indochina Paul Doumer had built Bach Dinh (Villa Blanche) on the base of Phuoc Thang fortress. Bach Dinh is a Roman architecture with 3 floors, 19 meters in height, and has its back against the Lon Mountain. There are still 19 cannons preserved here.
Location: No. 10 Tran Phu (Trần Phú) Street, Vung Tau City.
- Dinh Thang Tam ( Đình Thắng Tam) Relic
At the ruins, apart from Lang Ong Nam Hai (Lăng Ông Nam Hải) and Ngoi Tien Hien (Ngôi Tiền Hiền), Ba Ngu Hanh (Bà Ngũ Hành) temple, there is also a temple named “mieu Ba” (miếu Bà) located on a small island, which is unsteady, protruding in front of the sea. The festival of Nghinh Ong Thang Tam Vung Tau (Nghinh Ông Thắng Tam Vũng Tàu) is considered as one of the spiritual tourism products of Ba Ria Vung Tau, which highly attract tourists.
Location: 77A Hoang Hoa Tham (Hoàng Hoa Thám), Thang Tam (Thắng Tam) Ward, Vung Tau.
- Niet Ban Tinh Xa (Niết Bàn Tịnh Xá)
This is one of the most beautiful pagodas in Vung Tau with modern architectural lines. Pagoda “Niet Ban Tinh Xa” (Niết Bàn Tịnh Xá), also called as “Reclining Buddha” temple is built on the slopes of Small Mountain, overlooking the ocean. The temple was constructed since 1969 and inaugurated in 1974 with money budget donated by Buddhist fellow. Superior Buddhist monk Thich Thien Hue (Thích Thiện Huệ) stood out to manage the building process.
Location: Ha Long (Hạ Long) Street, Ward 1, Vung Tau.
- Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara Temple
This is a small temple with the seaward prominent white statue of Buddhist Kuan-yin of 16m in height standing on a lotus, holding a bottle of Cam Lo (Cam Lộ), with a gentle, virtuous face.
Location: located on round Road round of Big Mountain (Núi Lớn), Vung Tau City, 500 meters from the beach Strawberry.
- Linh Son Co Tu (Linh Sơn Cổ Tự)
Despite Linh Son Co Tu is not big or large, it is the oldest temple in Vung Tau. In the church hall, there is a 1.2m stone Buddha statue carved and gilded very cleverly, creating the compassionate and lively look on the Buddha’s face.
Location: 61 Hoang Hoa Tham (Hoàng Hoa Thám) Street, Vung Tau.
- Vung Tau Lighthouse
After following the tunnel solidly built in the two-storey house which is the residence and living place of the lighthouse watchmen, you will reach the top of the tower. From here, you can take in the views of Vung Tau city hidden in the mist, the crescent-shaped beaches, green Minh Dam (Minh Đạm) Mountain. Or, look down just below, a forest of glowing porcelain flowers highlights the solid feature of the entire tower cluster.
Location: atop Small Mountain (Núi Nhỏ), Vung Tau City.
- Large House (Mr. Tran Temple)
Long Son Big House or Mr.Tran (Trần) Temple is an architectural complex of ancient style, made of brick and precious woods, located in block 5, with a total area of about 2 hectares, and divided into three zones: the temple; synagogue, school, market, Ghe Sam (Ghe Sấm) conservation house and the Mr. Tran tomb.
Location: At the foot of the Pineapple mountain (núi Dứa), block 5, Long Son (Long Sơn) commune, Vung Tau.
- Museum Of Ancient Weapons
Museum of ancient weapons (Worldwide Arms Museum) was found by Robert Taylor (English) and his wife Nguyen Thi Bong (Nguyễn Thị Bông). According to the visitors, this is one of the most worth-seeing museums in Vietnam. Being opened at the beginning of 2012, this museum exhibits 500 real person-sized effigies wearing gorgeous uniforms, representing images of the warriors from around the world for many ages; more than 1,200 guns, 1,000 ancient swords with different stories coming along. This museum owns an actually rare collection such as the Netherlands antique gun – there are just two such guns in the world.
Location: No. 98 Tran Hung Dao (Trần Hưng Đạo) Street, Vung Tau City.
- Ba Island (Hòn Bà)
Hon Ba is about 200 meters away from the base of Small Mountain (Núi Nhỏ). In 1881, Mr. Ho Quang Minh (Hồ Quang Minh) born in the Central area of Vietnam gave funding to build a small temple on the island called Ba (Bà) Temple.
When the tide is low, tourists can go along a short rolling stone path to go to the island. On full moon day or new moon, a large number of local people usually go to burn incense for good luck in this small temple.
7. What To Eat When Traveling Vung Tau
Vung Tau cuisine is not only famous for Khot (Khọt) cakes but also a wide variety of seafood, coffee, Russian style dishes, … Traveling to Vung Tau address without knowing the best eateries is deeply regrettable. Fortunately, here you will find a variety of gourmet addresses in Vung Tau which are voted by many tourists.
- Breakfast
– Nghiep Ky (Nghiệp Ký) Noodles
Address: 127 Ba Cu, near Vung Tau beach front, 35,000 VND / bowl.
– Pho Binh (Phở Bình) on Truong Cong Dinh (Trương Công Định)Street
– Dove Porridge: 56 Do Chieu (Đồ Chiểu) Street
- Lunch
– Com Nieu Hoa Sua (Cơm Niêu Hoa Sữa) (rice cooked in earthenware pot): 569 / 19A Nguyen An Ninh Street
– Phu Vinh (Phú Vinh) rice-part shop: Address: 10 Ly Tu Trong (Lý Tự Trọng) Street
- Seafood
Bay Giai (Bảy Giai) fish head hot pot restaurant: 34/8 Hoang Hoa Tham (Hoàng Hoa Thám) Street, Ward 2, Vung Tau
– Stingrays, frog Hotpot: 46 Truong Cong Dinh (Trương Công Định) Street, Vung Tau
– Fish hotpot: 40 Truong Cong Dinh (Trương Công Định) Street, Vung Tau
– Hong Van (Hồng Vân): 19 Hoang Hoa Tham (Hoàng Hoa Thám) Street, Vung Tau
– Mango Garden Restaurant, specializing in fish salad: The restaurant is near Bay Bay Giai fish head hot pot shop restaurant.
– Lan Rung (Lan Rừng) restaurant: Tran Hung Dao (Trần Hưng Đạo) Street, Vung Tau
– Ganh Hao (Gành Hào) restaurant (3 Tran Phu (Trần Phú), Dua (Dứa) Beach): beautiful scenery, inexpensive seafood.
– Tran (Trận) Restaurant: No. 7 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia (Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa) Street, Vung Tau
– Le Dung (Lệ Dung) seafood restaurant: Tran Hung Dao Street, Vung Tau
– Thanh Phat (Thành Phát) 1 in the Sao Mai area. Fresh seafood, but a little bit far and very crowded.
- Russian cuisine
– The restaurant at 117 Ngo Duc Ke (Ngô Đức Kế)
– Vuon Bang (Vườn Bàng) Restaurant: 37/4 Nguyen Thai Hoc (Nguyễn Thái Học) Street, Vung Tau
- Khot (Khọt) cake
– 54 Nguyen Kim (Nguyễn Kim), Ba Cu Street, next to Nguyen Thai Hoc (Nguyễn Thái Học) elementary school.
– Khot Cake Mrs. Hai, Tran Dong (Trần Đồng) Street (Chau Van Tiep (Châu Văn Tiếp) old)
– Khot Cake restaurant at no. 41 (Nguyen Truong To (Nguyễn Trường Tộ)).
8. Some Shopping Addresses In Vung Tau
- Thuy Duong Lacquer art shop
Address: Intersection of Le Loi (Lê Lợi), Trung Trac (Trưng Trắc) and Trung Nhi (Trưng Nhị), Vung Tau City
- Ben Dinh (Bến Đình) Market
Located at the end of Le Loi (Lê Lợi) Street, Vung Tau City; there are many crafts sold out.
- Old Market
Located in the center of town, Ward 1, Vung Tau City; sell a variety of seafood
- New Market (Chợ Mới)
Located on the corner of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia (Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa) and Xo Viet Nghe Tinh (Xô Viết Nghệ Tĩnh). Sell a variety of seafood.
Tips / Other Information
A fun thing to do in Vung Tau is to rent double bike to visit the city, you should contact with the hotel for assistance. Refer some certain trusted bars and restaurants to avoid being ripped. Absolutely avoid eating in the restaurants or bars which are introduced by taxi drivers to avoid being charged with the expensive price. Look closely at the price list when eating at a strange restaurant; ask prices carefully before ordering if possible.
In particular, travelers should book hotel rooms early because hotels will be fully booked most weekends.
Places To Stay In Vung Tau
Vung Tau hotels are varied depending on the individual conditions you can easily choose a proper hotel for yourself. However, to easily watch the sea and walk along the beach, you can choose the hotels located along Ha Long Street, Thuy Van Street, Tran Phu Street… Prices range depending on the quality of rooms and services.
Here are the hotels in Vung Tau experienced travelers voted:
- Imperial Hotel
Address: 159 Thuy Van (Thuỳ Vân) Street, Vung Tau City
- Thuy Van Hotel
Address: No. 8 Thuy Van (Thuỳ Vân) Street, Vung Tau City
- Vung Tau Corvin Hotel
Address: 21 Thuy Van (Thuỳ Vân) Street, Ward 2, Dist. Vung Tau
- Minh Dang Hotel
Address: 5 La Van Cau (La Văn Cầu), Beach, Vung Tau
- Palace Vung Tau Hotel
Address: No. 1 Nguyen Trai (Nguyễn Trãi) Street, Truoc Beach (Bãi Trước)
Beautiful Locations For Taking Photos In Vung Tau
- Christ statue
This is considered as a symbol of Vung Tau city and also a popular place for for tourists to take photos. This Christ statue is a statue of Jesus built in 1974 and is now placed on top of the Small Mountain Vung Tau. The statue has been confirmed as “the largest statue of Jesus in Asia” in 2012
- White House Palace (No. 10 Tran Phu Street, Vung Tau)
Far from the Truoc Beach less than 1km, along Ha Long (Hạ Long) road, there is a great place to take photos, which is White Palace. Due to being built during French colonial period, the establishment is still retained its ancient features mixed with the seductive elegance of French architectural styles.
- Vung Tau Lighthouse
To get a panoramic photo of Vung Tau city from above, you can visit the famous lighthouse located on the Nho Mountain (Núi Nhỏ). Accented with the white lighthouse in the sky, with blue sea as background, you will obtain impressive pictures, particularly at dusk, when the sunset.
- Pineapple Beach (also known as Lang Du (Lãng Du) beach)
Pineapple Beach, near Truoc Beach, is confirmed as one of the beautiful beaches in Vung Tau and attracts many tourists to this city. Pineapple Beach’s beauty is unlike Truoc Beach or Sau Beach, which is often noisy, crowded, but the Pineapple Beach gives tourists a romantic and gentle space.
- The Reef In Front Beach (Bai Truoc) Area
The front beach owns many stones with different shapes stacked stretching to the sea, which are very suitable for taking impressive photos with somewhat wild majestic nature and always overflowing wave.
- Ho Tram (Hồ Tràm)
The beach of Ho Tram still retains original features despite being exploited in recent years. It is because the guests coming here are selective due to most accommodations exploited in the form of resorts. Strong waves, crystal clear water, this beach does not have even a piece of garbage, satisfying most discerning travelers. Coming here, you can pose with the blue sea, white sand, and freely take pictures of extremely luxurious resorts.
- Ho Coc (Hồ Cốc) Beach
In addition to Ho Tram, Ho Coc is also the location where many young people choose to take photos, especially wedding photos. If you are familiar with a vast beach with a lot of waves, then arriving Ho Coc, you will be surprised at the big small rocks, scattered or clustered here. Before reaching the beach, visitors will have the opportunity to cross a primary forest to admire the natural beauty of mountains with a variety of trees, green stones.
