Vung Tau
A beach city on a peninsula near Ho Chi Minh City, with sandy bays and a hilltop Christ statue. Swim at Back Beach, climb to the Christ statue, ride the cable car to Ho May park, and eat banh khot, crisp mini pancakes. One or two nights suits families and weekend escapes from the city.
●●●●○ Worth the night out of Ho Chi Minh City for Back Beach and the statue.
Photo: Tuong Lam Photos · CC BY-SA 4.0
You wake on Back Beach to a low surf and a hotel line on the sand, with the white Christ on Small Mountain at the end of the bay and a seafood table after the swim. Stay the night if that beach, that statue, and the catch are the trip. Sleep in Ho Chi Minh City if the city is the trip, and ride or sail down when you can give the peninsula a day.
Swim on Back Beach in the morning. The waves are fairly flat and suitable for children. Front Beach, the arc between Big Mountain and Small Mountain, is the evening walk and a drink after dark. The mistake is to photograph Mary, holding a child on Big Mountain, and caption her as the Christ. Both stand 32 metres.
Eat bánh khọt on Nguyễn Trường Tộ, one cake at a time, herbs around it and fish sauce on the side. The stingray pot, crab bánh canh, and squid hủ tiếu are the other bowls. After the swim, the night seafood market is on the same sand: you choose the fish and the cooking.
Common questions
- Where should I swim in Vung Tau?
- Back Beach (Bai Sau). The waves are fairly flat and suitable for children. Front Beach (Bai Truoc) is the evening walk along the arc between the two mountains, not that swim.
- How do you get from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau?
- About 100 km and about two hours by the Long Thanh expressway. GreenlinesDP is the high-speed ferry from District 1. From 28 August 2025 the operator named Pier 4, opposite Ham Nghi. Later pages still list Bach Dang at 10B Ton Duc Thang and Ho May Pier at 1A Tran Phu. Confirm both piers when you book. FUTA sells at De Tham. Hoa Mai luxury tickets are 150,000 VND from 83 Nguyen Thai Binh. See /get-there/ho-chi-minh-city-to-vung-tau.
Top attractions in Vung Tau
1 Back Beach Bãi Sau
A long beach on the sunrise side with gentle waves: swim and walk here for a morning or a whole day.
2 Thang Tam communal house Đình thần Thắng Tam
The fishermen’s communal house and whale hall: see the whale skeleton, or come for the whale festival.
3 Hon Ba Hòn Bà
A small shrine islet off the end of Back Beach: walk out over the rocks at low tide for a short visit.
4 Christ the King Tượng Chúa Kitô Vua
A 32 m Christ on Small Mountain: climb about 800 steps in the morning for the view of the city and sea.
5 Vung Tau Lighthouse Hải đăng Vũng Tàu
A white French lighthouse on top of Small Mountain: ride up in late afternoon for sunset over the sea.
6 Niet Ban Tinh Xa Niết Bàn Tịnh Xá
A seaside temple on Small Mountain: climb 37 steps to a 12 m reclining Buddha, then the terrace above.
7 Bach Dinh Bạch Dinh
A white French villa begun in 1898 on Big Mountain, now a museum: a short stop on the hill walk.
8 Our Lady of Mulberry Beach Đức Mẹ Bãi Dâu
A 32 m white Mary holding the Child on Big Mountain: a short daytime stop for the statue and the sea.
9 Thich Ca Phat Dai Thích Ca Phật Đài
A Buddhist hillside park on Big Mountain: walk up past statues of the Buddha’s life to a reclining Buddha.
10 Ho May Park Hồ Mây
Ho May Park is the cable car from 1A Tran Phu onto Big Mountain.
11 Front Beach Bãi Trước
The curved seafront between Big and Small Mountain: walk it at sunrise, or after dark for a drink.
Side trips from Vung Tau
Vung Tau by interest
Getting there and around
Ho Chi Minh City is the usual previous stop. The road is about 100 km by the Long Thanh–Ho Chi Minh City expressway, and about 95 km from Bien Hoa. Count about two hours for the ride.
Phương Trang (FUTA) and Hoa Mai are the buses. FUTA sells at the Đề Thám office. A Hoa Mai luxury ticket is 150,000 VND from 83 Nguyễn Thái Bình.
The high-speed ferry is GreenlinesDP. From 28 August 2025 the operator moved Saigon boarding to Pier 4, opposite Ham Nghi, 50 metres from the Thu Ngu flagpole, about a 5 to 7 minute walk from the old Pier 2 at 10B Ton Duc Thang. Later GreenlinesDP pages still list Bach Dang High-Speed Ferry Terminal at 10B Ton Duc Thang, Ben Nghe, District 1, and Ho May Pier at 1A Tran Phu, Ward 1, Vung Tau. Vietnam Tourism still prints Ben Nha Rong, tickets of 120,000-250,000 VND, a Front Beach landing, and a hydrofoil of roughly two hours. The 1 July 2026 notice lists weekday adults at 320,000 VND, down from 350,000 VND, and weekend adults at 350,000 VND; seniors 63 and over, and children 6-11, are 270,000 VND on weekdays and 300,000 VND on weekends. The booking page instead lets children under 6 ride free and uses a reduced band of ages 6-12 and over 63. Confirm the sailing time and both piers when you book. Weather, tide, and a technical hold can cancel a boat. Cau Da is not named on the operator notices opened for this page.
Phuong Trang (FUTA) tickets are at the De Tham office. Hoa Mai prints a luxury ticket of 150,000 VND from 83 Nguyen Thai Binh. A District 1 limousine van clock is Check on arrival. Read Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau before you pick the boat or the road. Search Vung Tau hotels when Back Beach is the night.
On the peninsula, a motorbike taxi can reach the Christ statue. Walk the Back Beach sand, the seafront pavement, and the hill paths to Bach Dinh and the statue. Tan Son Nhat, in Ho Chi Minh City, is the airport you use. Vung Tau has no named rail station.
Vung Tau itineraries
Hotels
- Back Beach Beachfront
Bai Sau. Beachfront hotels, restaurants, and beach clubs along the sand where you swim. Sleep here if the morning swim is the trip.
Search stays - Front Beach Seafront
Bai Truoc. The other seafront, buildings along the arc between Big Mountain and Small Mountain. The evening walk, not the main swim. Closer to the ferry conversation, not the long swim.
Search stays
Tours & Attractions
Restaurants
What to order is on the food guide.
Southeast Asia TravelGuide Network
Compare Across Southeast Asia: Vietnam vs. Thailand
Most Vietnam trips can add Bangkok for the city night and Phuket for an Andaman beach week.
Capital
Bangkok
- Royal temples and river hotels
- Thonglor and Charoenkrung after dark
- The usual air gate for a two-country trip
Andaman coast
Phuket
- West-coast beaches and beach clubs
- Amanpuri and Kamala
- A beach week after the Vietnam cities