Phường Vũng Tàu

Vũng Tàu is the weekend getaway for Saigon residents: a few hours' drive and you're standing on a peninsula with beaches, a lighthouse and a giant statue of Christ high above the sea. A trip to Vũng Tàu combines days at the beach with seafood and plenty of everyday Vietnamese life.

Cap Saint-Jacques and the Oil Town

Portuguese sailors used the peninsula as a port of call in the 16th century. The French called it Cap Saint-Jacques and turned it into a seaside resort for colonial officials from Saigon. Cannons and bunkers on the hills recall the military importance of the river mouth. In the 1980s, offshore oil production began, making Vũng Tàu the base of the Russian-Vietnamese joint venture Vietsovpetro – you can still see Cyrillic signs today. Until 2025, Vũng Tàu was the capital of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province; since then it has been part of Ho Chi Minh City.

Sights in Vũng Tàu

The landmark is the Christ statue on Núi Nhỏ, the small mountain in the south. You climb about 800 steps to reach it, and inside a narrow staircase leads up to the outstretched arms, from where the view takes in the whole peninsula. On the same hill stands the lighthouse from the French era. The Villa Blanche, once the residence of the governor-general, is now a small museum with ceramics recovered from sunken ships. On Núi Lớn, the big mountain, you'll find pagodas, viewpoints and old gun emplacements. The small island of Hòn Bà, with a temple, can be reached on foot at low tide. The Whale Temple, Lăng Cá Ông, preserves the skeletons of whales that fishermen revere as protective deities.

Beaches and Food

Bãi Sau, the Back Beach, is the longest and busiest beach, with hotels, lounge chairs and seafood restaurants. At Bãi Trước, the Front Beach, fishing boats lie off the promenade, and families gather here in the evening. Smaller bays such as Bãi Dứa are quieter. Food here revolves around seafood: be sure to try bánh khọt, crispy mini pancakes with shrimp that you wrap in lettuce leaves, as well as grilled squid, crab and lẩu cá đuối, a stew made with stingray. The restaurants in Vũng Tàu are packed on weekends; during the week things are more relaxed.

Day Trips Around Vũng Tàu

North of the peninsula, the beaches of Long Hải and Hồ Tràm begin, quieter than Vũng Tàu and lined with resorts and fishing villages. Inland, the Bình Châu hot springs lie in the middle of a forest reserve, where you can boil eggs in the hot water and relax in mud baths. The mangroves of the Cần Giờ Biosphere Reserve, also part of Ho Chi Minh City, can be reached by ferry. If you're after history, visit the Long Phước tunnels or the island of Côn Đảo, which can be reached by plane or speedboat and is known for its colonial-era prisons and secluded beaches.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

From Ho Chi Minh City it's about 100 kilometers by road; buses and limousine minibuses take around two hours. A speedboat runs between the Bạch Đằng pier in Saigon and Vũng Tàu. In town, you can take a taxi or Grab, or rent a scooter. The best time to visit is the dry season from November to April. If you're looking for peace and quiet, avoid weekends and public holidays, when half of Saigon heads for the coast.