Vung Tau is the most popular weekend beach destination for the well-to-do from Sai Gon. The water is not too clean, but the many water sports, outdoor restaurants, the full range of tourist facilities and the proximity to Sai Gon attract many Saigonese to flock to Vung Tau to get unwound at weekend. Bai Truoc (Front Beach) located to the south-west of the city is the most popular thanks to the convenient location. However Bai Sau (the Back Beach) located to the south east is bigger and more beautiful.

For the travellers who end their tour of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, you may like to get relaxed in Vung Tau for a few days during the week before heading home. Vung Tau is quite quiet and relaxing on a weekday.  Don’t forget to visit the White Villa, the former Governor’s Residence. A hike at sunset to the giant statue of Jesus atop Nui Nho Mountain offers a fabulous view of the city and the surroundings.

There’ve been massive flows of foreign direct investments into Vung Tau city from 2006. The construction of five star hotels, casinos have been started since. In the very near future, Vung Tau is becoming one of the biggest entertainment areas in Vietnam.

Vung Tau Tourist Attractions
Villa Branche built by the French (1898-1916) and was supposed to have been the resident of Paul Doumer – The French Governor of Indochina. He never stayed here though. The villa however received successive French Governors who came and relaxed at weekend and later the President of South Vietnam Repulic.

The giant Jesus Statue of 32m was built in 1974 but the work halted due to the war in 1975. The statue and the subsidiary structures were completed only in 1993.

Travel and Tours
The city of Vung Tau is fairly small and the city tour shouldn’t take you more than half a day. The main reason people travel to Vung Tau is to get relaxed on the beaches. There some other activities include water sports, golfing, dog racing...There’s a small water park for families with kids.

Accommodation in Vung Tau at the time of writing includes mostly family run hotels accommodating the Vietnamese tourists. However with the rapid construction of new luxurious hotels, things are changing quickly.

Getting there and away
Vung Tau is 120km from Ho Chi Minh City and the road trip takes about 1h30’. Alternatively there is a daily speedboat commuting between Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau. The boat journey takes 1h45.