Vung Tau - rest, how to get there, what to see, where to stay

General information about Vung Tau, what kind of vacation is here and why to go

Vung Tau is a large city on the coast of south Vietnam with a population of more than 450,000 people, located 125 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City (Vung Tau on the map). It is located on Cape St. Jacques, so named back in the days of French colonization, and occupies the entire territory of the peninsula. From the economic side, the city is a major commercial center, oil fields are being developed and oil production is carried out here on the continental shelf. There is a large concentration of joint Russian-Vietnamese oil production and refining enterprises, which is why many Russians live here and, as a result, the largest Russian diaspora in Vietnam. There is even a whole microdistrict with infrastructure tailored to Russian locals, this is the so-called oil workers' town.

Vung Tau is one of the most popular tourist destinations, a beach resort. But first of all, not for foreigners, but for local tourists who want to spend their free time away from the bustling economic capital. People come here for beach holidays, shopping and entertainment.

Hotels here are represented by a wide range from the cheapest to the chic and expensive. The beaches here are located within the city limits, and therefore not very clean, but very long and spacious. But more on this in more detail below. In general, speaking objectively, Vung Tau is an ideal beach resort and an alternative to such popular resorts as Nha Trang, Muine, Da Nang and even more so Phu Quoc, it is possible only with a big stretch.

There are not too many attractions and entertainment in Vung Tau. There is a standard set of temples and pagodas, as in any city in Vietnam, but you will not see anything outstanding here. Of the noteworthy ones, there is a lighthouse and a giant statue of Jesus with observation platforms on the mountain. By the way, this statue is the tallest in South Vietnam, and the tallest statue of Jesus in Southeast Asia.

While relaxing here you can walk around the city park, visit the amusement park on the mountain, go to the local market, shopping malls or spend time on the beach or by the hotel pool. There is nothing else to do during the day in Vung Tau. The evening can be spent in a cafe or seafood restaurant, there are also several bars open late and nightclubs. True, the visitors of night establishments are mostly locals, and tourists will not be particularly comfortable there.

In general, we would not recommend Vung Tau as a place for a beach holiday. It may well be suitable if you stayed in Ho Chi Minh City on business, and you certainly wanted to swim in the sea or take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. There are no special reasons to spend a whole vacation here, and perhaps two weeks in Vung Tau may just be boring. The only advantage of Vung Tau is the almost complete absence of crowds of foreign and Russian tourists on the beaches ("local Russians" residents do not count).

But read on, we will tell you everything in more detail. And also do not forget to watch our video review about Vung Tau and how everything works here, you will see everything with your own eyes and understand a lot:

What are the beaches in Vung Tau

There are two main famous beach areas in Vung Tau, this is the Back Beach and the Front Beach, as well as several other small beaches. We went around almost the entire coast of Vung Tau, and saw only three beaches that are safe for swimming and suitable for recreation. Here they are:

• Back Beach or Bai Sau

  This is the main city beach and generally the main tourist area. We advise you to choose a hotel within walking distance from it (back beach on the map). It is very long, stretches for at least 4 kilometers within the city and continues for many more kilometers. And at the same time it is also very wide, and depending on the tides it can be from 50 to 200 meters!!! There are plenty of places here, while there are almost no vacationers.

  The city promenade runs along the Back Beach. This is quite a good area for walking with landscaping and places to relax, there are restaurants. Moreover, everything here is very "civilized" and "tourist", there are no cheap eateries and shopping carts, because of which it is sometimes simply impossible to walk in some resorts in Vietnam. There are sun loungers and umbrellas for rent on the shore from 50 000 VND (1.9 USD).

  But the Back Beach has its drawbacks. There is a very weak slope of the bottom here, which is why the water goes very far at low tide, so to go into the water, you will have to walk a good hundred or two meters. There is no first line of hotels here, all accommodation options are located across the street. There is little entertainment here, we did not find changing booths, showers and toilets either. And finally, the main disadvantage is that it is often windy here, and because of this there are big waves.

  In general, the beach left the impression that it is urban, but at the same time wild, poorly equipped.

  

  

  

  

  

• Front or Parade Beach Front Beach or Bai Truoc

  The main entrance is located in the bay and is considered more protected from waves (front beach on the map). But, in our opinion, he is not worth staying in a hotel next to him and going swimming here. It is small, its suitable for relaxing and bathing part stretches only 100 meters. In addition, it is also very narrow. Next door is a muddy shore crowded with fishing boats.

  There is no infrastructure and amenities here at all, because there is simply nowhere to accommodate sun loungers and umbrellas, there is not enough space. Mostly locals, especially children, rest and swim here.

  

  

  

• Pineapple Beach or Pineapple Beach

  Pineapple Beach is located behind Nuino Mountain in a relatively quiet and isolated place from the center of Gorda, but it is also a city feature (back beach on the map). There are 150 meters of sandy beach, cleared of stones, and there are several decent hotels and a restaurant nearby. We liked it as a whole, and if you like one of the hotels next to it, then you can settle here and you will have almost your own beach, since there are almost no vacationers here. At least we haven't seen it. But the beach is not equipped with anything at all.

  

  

In addition to the listed beaches, there are several other places on the shore where you can sunbathe and even hide from prying eyes. But there are sharp rocks, stones under water, there are strong waves, so they are not safe for swimming.

Infrastructure of Vung Tau resort

This is a large and modern city, the urban infrastructure here is well developed. There is public transport (buses), shopping malls, markets, hospitals. But there is something special about the tourist infrastructure. On the one hand, everything seems to be there and everything is developed, but on the other, everything is "sharpened" more for local tourists, and not for foreigners.

There are very few street travel agencies in comparison with other resorts in Vietnam. Motorcycle or car rental, tourist transfers, currency exchange is not easy to find. Moreover, there will also be a problem with the language barrier, since English is almost not spoken. Even in the hotel where we stayed, all communication took place through an online translator, since the staff behind the counter did not understand even elementary words and phrases in English. The same situation is in cafes, when renting sun loungers on the beach, and so on. We won't say that this is a big problem, but you just need to be prepared for it.

As a result, we were left with a double impression of the infrastructure in Vung Tau: it seems to be a big city and everything is there, but everything is either useless, or you need to search for a long time, or it is impossible to use it because of a misunderstanding.

Where and what to eat in Vung Tau (with prices)

As in any place in Vietnam, in Vung Tau there are street "eateries" and fast food, tourist cafes and restaurants, chain restaurants at every turn. There will be no power problems at all.

It is cheapest to eat in street cafes and from stalls where locals eat daily. It is safe, tasty and inexpensive, but the food, of course, is without frills. It is possible to intercept on the move from trays with a traditional baguette bun stuffed with Banh Mi (Banh Mi) from 15,000 VND (0.57 USD). Everyday rice with vegetables or chicken in a local cafe on plastic tables will cost from 30,000 VND (1.14 USD).

The same rice in a cafe with normal tables and in a more sterile environment or in a restaurant for tourists will cost from 60,000 VND (2.28 USD), but more often the price goes up to 100,000(3.8 USD).

There are a lot of seafood restaurants in Vung Tau, because after all it is a coastal city with a lot of fishermen. There is even a whole area with seafood restaurants on Lê HồNg Phong Street on the beach side. In these restaurants you can choose fish and various sea reptiles directly from aquariums, the price in them is indicated by weight. A full meal in them will cost from 400,000 VND/person (15.21 USD), but if you order rare and expensive inhabitants of the seas such as lobsters and crabs, then the price tag will already be from 1 000 0000 VND (rate temporary unavailable USD).

There are also KFC chain restaurants, Korean Lotteria, Filipino Jollibee, where you can eat from 70,000 VND (2.66 USD) for a complex rice-based dish and a drink.

Internet and cellular communication in Vung Tau, where to buy a SIM card

Russian mobile operators work here, but it will be very expensive international roaming, so be careful with it. If you are not going to use the roaming of a home operator, then it is better to turn off the data transfer immediately at the airport of departure, or even better, remove the SIM card so as not to accidentally use it.

If you come to Vietnam for a short period of time, you can even do without cellular communication and mobile Internet, if it is not critical for you. Internet WiFi is available in almost all hotels and almost all guest houses, in some cafes. It will be possible to contact a loved one through instant messengers, nothing is blocked here.

If you still can't do without communication on vacation, then you can buy a local SIM card. Here's how to do it:

• Buy a SIM card at Ho Chi Minh City Airport on arrival. They sell "tourist" SIM cards that have already been configured and issued to another individual. Depending on the validity period in days and connected minutes and gigabytes, it will cost from 200,000 VND.
• Buy a SIM card in advance online and get it at Ho Chi Minh City Airport upon arrival. In fact, this is the same as above, but it is more convenient and you can pay for your purchase online with a Russian card on the website Trip.com (the purchase works only in the interface in English)
• Buy a SIM card with a passport registration in official communication salons already in Vung Tau. It will be cheaper and more reliable, but you will have to spend time studying tariffs, searching for an office and the design itself, and it may take several hours.

In detail all about cellular communication and the Internet, what tariff to choose, where to buy a SIM card, all told here... We advise you to read it before deciding what and where to buy.

Currency exchange in Vung Tau, ATMs and bank cards

In Vung Tau there is a problem with the exchange of cash currency. Of course, you can exchange cash dollars, euros or yuan at bank branches, but the exchange rate there is usually low, and they have very limited opening hours. Therefore, we advise you to come to Vung Tau already with local cash currency, at least with some minimum reserve for a few days.

You can exchange money before arriving in Vung Tau at Ho Chi Minh City Airport. There is a good exchange rate for dollars and euros, for other currencies so-so. But ideally, it is better to change in the tourist area of Ho Chi Minh City, where the course is generally excellent, more about it told here ...

In Vung Tau itself, as elsewhere in Vietnam, it is profitable to change money not in banks, but in separate exchange offices, and even more profitable in jewelry stores. But that's exactly the problem in the city – there are almost none. We managed to find a decent course only in one place in the jewelry store Minh Hung (Minh Hung) at 57 TrầN HưNg ĐạO. That's where it is on the map. Moreover, we found it only on a "tip-off" from the hotel, and independent searches for exchangers on the streets did not yield results.

You can also take Unionpay cards and the Mir card with you to Vung Tau, they work here for payment and for cash withdrawal. But do not rush to rejoice, there are features here.

Unionpay cards only one bank currently operates in Vietnam – Rosselkhoznadzor (RSHB). All other Unionpays issued earlier, including Gazprombank, Russian Standard, Tinkoff, etc. no longer work. RSHB issues free cards in rubles and yuan, the service is also free under certain conditions. But using a ruble card is not very profitable, since there is a double conversion via yuan. Alternatively, you can open a yuan card and replenish it as needed in the application at the bank's internal rate or even at the exchange rate if you open a brokerage account. Do not forget that if you withdraw cash from the card, you will also receive considerable fees for withdrawing cash from third-party ATMs and the ATM fee of Vietnam.

As for the "World" maps, it's even more complicated and sadder here. Mir works only at ATMs and payment terminals of VRB Bank (Vietnam-Russian Bank). Nowhere else!!! There is a list with addresses of outlets on the website of VRB Bank where they work, it is posted here as a PDF file. This list contains store names and addresses, but there is no geographical map with the location of these stores. So to pay for purchases, the efficiency of using Mir tends to zero.

As for cash withdrawals:

• You can withdraw cash from Mir at VRB ATMs up to 2,000,000 or 5,000,000 VND in one operation (approximately 76.04-190 USD), the commission from the VRB bank for two transactions per day is not deducted.
• Your Russian bank will also withhold a fee for withdrawals from a third-party bank and abroad, its amount should be specified in the card tariff. The commission may not be deducted if you have a subscription enabled, premium options or tariffs are enabled in the bank, or just for a bank promotion. We repeat once again that all this needs to be clarified in the Russian bank that issued the card.
• Write-off takes place at the official exchange rate of the Bank of Russia + commission up to 4.9%.

There are three VRB ATMs in Vung Tau, here they are on the map. But the problem is that one ATM in the center near the lake and the bus station almost always does not work (but maybe the situation will change, check). And the other two ATMs are located on the territory of the oilmen's town, which can only be accessed through security and sometimes even accompanied by someone from the locals. Therefore, you should not count on the Mir card in Vung Tau for 100%, otherwise you may be left without money.

And, perhaps, the most important point with regard to bank cards is their unreliability! Given the current situation, the cards may stop working at any time, and forever. Therefore, we do not recommend relying on them as the main means of payment in Vietnam.

Learn more about ATMs and plastic cards in Vietnam in our updated article here...

Vung Tau hotels, where to stay

The tourist part of Vung Tau is compact, and almost all the hotels in this part are also located at the very tip of the peninsula near the Back Beach and around the lake Wow Sen (Ho Bau Sen), the city bus station is also located here. Some of the hotels are located in the city center, some are closer to the beach, but wherever you stay, in the center or near the shore, you can reach the city beach in a maximum of 20 minutes on foot. If you do not want to walk, then it is better to choose a hotel closer to the beach, and not in the city center. There are quite a few hotels on the conditionally first line near the beach, i.e. across the street from it.

You can also choose a hotel within walking distance from the Front or Front beach. There is an excellent walking park and promenade, several city attractions are located within walking distance. But in our opinion, the beach itself is not worth staying next to it, it's better to choose a long Back beach.

As for the prices for accommodation in Vung Tau, they will delight even experienced tourists and travelers. If you do not look for hotels necessarily near the beach, you can find very decent options with all the amenities in a room from $ 8. Watch our video of one of these numbers:

You can find and book accommodation in Vung Tau on these reliable, trusted sites or through the search form:

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Vung Tau on Trip.com
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Vung Tau on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

Weather in Vung Tau, tourist seasons

Vung Tau can be safely called a year-round resort. Some tourists even say that the climate in Vung Tau is milder and less prone to seasonal fluctuations than in the nearby more popular Phan Thiet. However, the dry season and the rainy season are distinguished throughout the year:

• 🌞 The dry season runs from November to April. During this period it is somewhat cooler than in the summer months of the rainy season, which is only a plus for European tourists. There is practically no rain at this time, the sky is almost always clear.
• ☔ The rainy season runs from May to October. Although this period is considered the rainy season, the actual level of precipitation is quite low, so this is not a reason to abandon the trip.

Seasons in Vung Tau by month, when is the best time to go

Current weather in Vung Tau and forecast for the near future:

График приливов и отливов в Вунгтау подробно ⧉

How and how to get to Vung Tau

Vung Tau is located 125 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City and the nearest Tan Son Nhat Airport (Vung Tau on the map). There is no railway leading here, people get here mainly by buses, they can take a taxi or rented transport, as well as by water on high-speed boats and ferries.

Here are brief instructions on directions:

• From Ho Chi Minh City. On the high-speed ferry GreenLines DP or buses and minivans, go very often. The journey takes 2-4 hours.
• From Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat Airport. Comfortable tourist minivans run from the airport during the daytime (they often depart according to schedule or occupancy) and regular buses No. 72-1. The journey takes 2-4 hours. If you have more than 3 people, then a taxi will cost the same price as buses.
• From Dalat. Minivans and large Futa Buslines buses run, including comfortable night buses.
• From Mui Ne and Phan Thiet. There are three bus runs per day from Phan Thiet Bus Station.
• From Hanoi. It is better to fly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport, but there is also an option by bus (almost 2 days and a transfer to change the bus in Nha Trang or Da Nang), or by train to Ho Chi Minh City and from there by bus/taxi to Vung Tau.
• From Da Nang. It is better to fly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport, but there is also an option by bus (almost a day), or by train to Ho Chi Minh City and from there by bus/taxi to Vung Tau.
• From Nha Trang. It is better to fly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport, but there is also an option by bus (10-12 hours), or by train to Ho Chi Minh City and from there by bus/taxi to Vung Tau.
• From Phu Quoc. Fly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport, from there by bus/taxi to Vung Tau.
• From the island of Con Dao. There are regular high-speed ferries, but they can only run on certain days of the week, so be sure to check the schedule when planning a march tour.

There is no airport near Vung Tau, so it is usually accessed by land or water from the nearest Ho Chi Minh City International airport Tan Son Nhat International Airport (pronounced Tan Son Nhat, IATA code - SGN). We have a detailed guide about this airport here...

You can buy tickets to Ho Chi Minh City safely at Aviasales and on Trip.com.

ЦЕНА	МАРШРУТ	ПЕРЕСАДКИ
Купить от 30653 ₽	Москва ⇄ Хошимин	2
Купить от 56697 ₽	Санкт-Петербург ⇄ Хошимин	2
Купить от 50091 ₽	Казань ⇄ Хошимин	1
Купить от 36864 ₽	Владивосток ⇄ Хошимин	1
Купить от 57399 ₽	Новосибирск ⇄ Хошимин	2
Купить от 60241 ₽	Красноярск ⇄ Хошимин	2
Купить от 49757 ₽	Иркутск ⇄ Хошимин	1
Купить от 68434 ₽	Сочи (Адлер) ⇄ Хошимин	2

It takes 1.5-2 hours by taxi or bus from the airport to Vung Tau. A taxi will cost from 1,200,000 VND (45.63 USD) through the Grab, Maxim, etc. applications, or you can arrange a trip when exiting the international terminal, where you will be met with offers by drivers of official and private taxis. If you are used to comfort and do not speak English, then you can book a ready-made tourist taxi transfer at home, and then the driver will meet you with a sign at the airport and deliver you to the hotel door. You can place an order on sites with Russian-language support Kiwitaxi or Intui.travel, in local travel agencies and specialized sites, for example here: yourlocalbooking.com (English only).

Finally, there is also a budget option to get from the airport directly to Vung Tau – buses and minivans. Minivans are sent conditionally on schedule, but in practice they often leave due to occupancy. But it is important! They only go during the day. We traveled with the Hai Van carrier for 230,000 VND/person (8.74 USD) with delivery to the door of the hotel.

There is also a regular intercity bus No. 72-1. It runs from 08:00 to 22:30 every hour and a half, costs from 150,000 VND, departs from the parking lot of the international terminal and makes a stop near the domestic terminal. In Vung Tau arrives at the bus station, i.e. you still have to take a taxi or walk to the hotel. This route on the map and information about it on the official website http://buyttphcm.com.vn

For all other ways to get to Vung Tau, read full instructions here...

Transport to Vung Tau and what to use to get around

Vung Tau is a large city, its attractions and beaches are located in different parts and districts, and sometimes at great distances from each other. In addition, some places will also have to be reached with a height difference, because several particularly interesting sights are located on high hills within the city. Therefore, without transport, it will not be easy to fully get acquainted with all the interesting places in the city. That's what you can use to navigate Vung Tau:

We walked around almost the whole of Vung Tau on foot, and did not use taxis or city buses at all. You can also do the same, but you need to be prepared to walk a lot, 10-20 kilometers a day, and even in the merciless heat. Therefore, we will definitely not recommend hiking in Vung Tau.

In Vung Tau, ordering an auto taxi and a motorcycle taxi works perfectly through the Grab and Xanh SM applications, and we recommend using them.

Grab is already a classic application that works throughout Southeast Asia, replacing Uber. There is an order for an auto taxi, a motorcycle taxi, food and shopping delivery, sending parcels and even booking hotels.
• Xanh SM is a new modern taxi, local. The park has electric cars and motorbikes of local production, and it is positioned as ecological, but it costs a little more than a Grab for the same distance.

A trip around the city will cost from 30,000 to 80,000 thousand (1.14-3.04 USD), mototaxi is twice as cheap.

There are also many golf carts cruising along Vung Tau, such small electric vehicles as in the photo below. They work specifically for tourists, but in our opinion it is more interesting as a walking tour rather than as a transport to get from point A to point B. They do not have counters, so you need to negotiate a price before each trip. For a reference point, when bidding, you can calculate their price no more expensive than for a car taxi, and this is no more than 16,000 VND per kilometer.

In Vung Tau you can rent a motorbike, bicycle or car. The normal price for renting an old motorcycle in Vung Tau is from 130,000 VND (4.94 USD), new from 150,000(5.7 USD). But motorcycle rental in Vung Tau is not as developed as in the popular resorts of Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Phu Quoc, etc., so you still have to look for a rental place.

Renting a car is even more difficult. Car rental is not developed here, there are no international network rentals and aggregators with their low competing prices, and therefore you will have to pay from $ 50 per day for renting a car. What's more inconvenient, you'll have to search for a car through social networks or on the spot, but you won't be able to find and book through aggregators.

However, just in case, here are international aggregators for searching for cars, check them out:

Renting a bicycle is also a good option, because there is relatively quiet traffic and free sidewalks. But it's not easy to find rentals, it's better search on Google map or ask at the hotel. We met only one rental in the lake area, they offered prices of 50,000 VND per day (1.9 USD).

Also in Vung Tau there is a TNGo bicycle rental system with parking and rental through applications. But to work, you need to replenish the balance, which cannot be done with Russian bank cards. But if you're interested in figuring it out, here's the site - https://tngo.vn/en/price

Finally, Vung Tau has a city bus system of several routes. The fare costs 5000 VND(0.19 USD), payment in cash to the conductor. Buses run frequently, at least during daylight hours until 18 o'clock, and in the evening we hardly saw them. But, unfortunately, no information about their routes could be found. So if you decide to use them, you will have to find out on the spot: ask drivers or other passengers at bus stops. Just keep in mind that they don't speak much English here, it's best to show a point on a map with a name in English.

Learn more about everything you need to know about transport in Vung Tau and what to use to get around, told in a separate article here...

Attractions in Vung Tau and what to see

Sights in Vung Tau at first glance seem to be quite a lot and they are diverse. There are especially many Buddhist and Catholic temples here, there are several museums worth visiting, park areas for walking and recreation, an amusement park with attractions and a cable car to it. If you look at the map or explore the entire list of attractions, it seems that a week will not be enough to see all the interesting places in Vung Tau.

But in fact, in fact, it turns out that after visiting the first few temples, everything already seems monotonous and not so interesting. At best, two days will be enough to inspect the main places in the city. You can visit the city's attractions yourself by taxi or rented motorbike or bicycle, and if you have a lot of time, you can take a walk. For those who like to walk along the trails, there are two well-known mountains: Bolshaya Gora or Nuylon (Nui Lon) and Malaya Gora or Nuino (Nui Nho). On both there are iconic sights and viewing points: a lighthouse, a statue of Jesus, the remains of a French fort, several Buddhist temples.

There is not much to see in the immediate vicinity of Vung Tau. It is possible, except to go to the salt fields (but this is not such an easy attraction, if it can be called that at all, read more about it below). Another 80 kilometers to the east along the coast there is an area with several hot mineral springs Binh Chau, Dana, etc., but it is really far away, almost 2 hours on the way.

Unfortunately, we did not see a wide variety of excursions from Vung Tau. There are literally single travel agencies on the streets where they communicate tolerably in English and offer only a few excursion programs: to Ho Chi Minh City, the Cu Chi tunnels, Con Dao Island, the Mekong Delta. Moreover, all this is very expensive and in the form of individual excursions. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that Vung Tau is not yet oriented to foreign travelers, mostly local tourists rest here.

Also see excursions to Vung Tau with reviews on these trusted sites:

• 📷 Excursions to Vung Tau on Trip.com
• 📷 Excursions in Ho Chi Minh City on Tripster.ru
• 📷 Excursions in Ho Chi Minh City on Sputnik8.com

We visited almost all the sights of Vung Tau (with rare exceptions), and here are our TOP interesting places that are worth a visit:

• Statue of Jesus Christ
• Honba Island and Temple
• Lighthouse Vung Tau Hai-Dang
• White Villa Blanche or BạCh Dinh
• House of Pure nirvana (Niet Ban Tinh Xa, Temple of Nirvana)
• Ba Ria–Vung Tau Provincial Museum
• The Museum of Arms or the Robert Taylor Museum in Vung Tau
• Buddha Temple Thich Ka or Buddha Altar
• Chon Khong Zen Monastery
• Linh Son Co Tu Pagoda

Read about all other sights of Vung Tau with indication of opening hours, cost, where they are on the map and how to get there here...

🕒 24 May, 2026