Vung Tau – Where the Blue Sea Calls
Vung Tau – Where the Blue Sea Calls
One of the most beautiful seaside cities in Vietnam, Vung Tau is an appealing destination with its natural beauty, many interesting sights, long white sandy beaches, clear blue water and fresh air.
About 110 km east of central Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau has a 20 km coastline and juts out from the mainland like a strip of land. It has many clean, beautiful beaches that attract crowds of visitors all year round.
Called the most beautiful beach in Vung Tau, Back Beach (also known as Thuy Van Beach) is calm in every season, with clear, cool water and gentle waves. The harmonious beauty of old casuarina and pine forests, white sand dunes and the crystal-clear blue sea makes Back Beach extremely attractive.
While Back Beach has a gentle beauty, Front Beach is lively in a different way, full of the bustle of prosperous city life. Front Beach, also called Tam Duong Beach, lies to the south-west of Vung Tau. Seen from above, the shoreline is shaped like a crescent moon resting against the land, with Tuong Ky and Tao Phung mountains at its two tips.
 The harmonious beauty of Back Beach.  Poetic rocky outcrops along the Vung Tau coast.  Nghinh Phong Cape is the longest headland in the south of Vung Tau.  Boats taking visitors to see the Vung Tau sea.  Visitors playing happily in the cool blue water.  Visitors strolling and watching the sunrise at Back Beach.  Visitors walking along Back Beach, with Hon Ba island in the distance.  With long white sands and clear blue water, Vung Tau draws swimmers all year round.  Visitors fishing for fun on the rocks along Pineapple Beach (Bai Dua).  Not far from Back Beach is a fishing village on the Vung Tau coast.  Fresh seafood on sale for visitors and locals in Vung Tau. |
Between Front Beach and Back Beach lies Pineapple Beach (Bai Dua, also called Lang Du), where visitors come to enjoy the calm, peace and quiet of Vung Tau. Wild pineapples once grew here in abundance, hence the name. Partly sheltered by Nghinh Phong Cape, the sea cuts deep into the shore, forming long rocky ledges and secluded swimming spots with little wind and very gentle waves.
No visit to Vung Tau is complete without Nghinh Phong Cape, the longest headland in the south of the city, which catches the wind all year round. The cape stretches out to sea, forming two large bays and two famous beaches – Back Beach and Pineapple Beach. The water here is very clean and clear, and deeper than at the other beaches. Not as noisy as Front Beach nor as wild as Back Beach, this beach still wins visitors' hearts with its poetic, mysterious charm.
Not far from Nghinh Phong Cape is Hon Ba, a small island in the middle of the sea surrounded by clear blue water. At low tide the sea parts and a path appears linking Hon Ba with the mainland. On the island there is a small temple called Mieu Ba. On full-moon and first days of the lunar month, many people come to the island to burn incense and pray for safe voyages, good health and peace.
Vung Tau has many other famous sights such as Pig Hill (Doi Con Heo), the Christ the King statue, the Vung Tau lighthouse, Bach Dinh (White Palace), Da Xanh lake and Thich Ca Phat Dai…
Vung Tau is attractive not only for its clean natural beaches but also for its fresh seafood and its friendly, welcoming people.
| The period before and after the Lunar New Year is ideal for a trip to Vung Tau: while the northern and central provinces are in winter with low temperatures, here the sky is still blue, the water still clear and the sun still golden. And on scorching summer days, away from the stifling, crowded city, the Vung Tau sea is where people come to relax, rest and explore. |
Text and photos: Thong Hai – Cong Dat
