Vung Tau, Vietnam – Where to Stay ? What to Visit ? How to Arrive ?

Page 1- useful Information
Page 2 – What to Visit in Vung Tau ?

Vung Tau – Orientation – Maps

Map 1 – Distance from Saigon

Map 2 – Beaches of Vung Tau

Map 3 – Peaks of Mountains in the city of Vung Tau

Map 4 – Where to stay in Vung Tau

See the chapter : Where to Stay

Map 5 – Interactive Map

Points in Red : Transport
Points in Blue : Tourist Attractions
Points in Green : Beaches
Points in Gray : Some Restaurants

How is Vung Tau ?

A medium size city on the beach. Located 65 Km south of Saigon (line distance).
It is very easy to reach Vung Tau from Saigon, with the speed boat. See how to arrive.
The city is pleasant with good food and a lot of hotels. Also a lot of cafés (like always).

There is a nice view from several mountain peaks. There is a long promenade along the beach. The beaches are less attractive than in Mui-Ne, but the scenery is beautiful.
There are not a lot of tourists in Vung Tau. There are also not a lot of expatriates living in this town. Still, there are some good western restaurants (see later). There are 3 good museums to visit.

Vung Tau is a real city with local people working in industries.
In the region of Ba Ria there is agriculture, forestry, fishery and oil production.

Is it worth to visit Vung Tau ?

Yes. It is a nice and pleasant city and of easy reach from Saigon. Still, if it is your first visit in Vietnam, Vung Tau is a canditate to be skipped. There is simply a lot to see in Vietnam and Vung Tau may be less special than other places.

If you have only 1 month in Vietnam, you should probably skip Vung Tau. If you are touring Vietnam for several months then Vung Tau may be a nice break from the city of Saigon.

How long to stay in Vung Tau ?

You can do a one day trip to Vung Tau from Saigon. Thanks to the speed boat, you can return to Saigon the same day. See how to arrive.

I stayed 4 nights in Vung Tau and I was busy all the time with attractions (walking along the beach promenade, view points, museums and sitting in nice cafés). See the second page for the attractions.
Two nights in Vung Tau may be adequate.
See later on the page : Where to Stay in Vung Tau.

How to arrive to Vung Tau ? (from Saigon)

The location of the piers and central stations

For Vung Tau – See the Maps above, especially interactive Map number 5.
For Saigon – See Saigon Transport page.

Option 1 : With the Speed Boat

A very convenient and fast way to arrive to Vung Tau. Look at Map 1 above.

There is a river going from Saigon to Vung Tau. The speed boat sail on that river. The travel time is 2.5 hours. The boat goes from the city center to the city center. In Saigon, the boat departs from the pier called “Bach Dang”, located very close to the famous walking street “Nguyen Hue” . See location on Google Maps.
In Vung Tau, the boat arrives near the cable car that goes to the attraction Ho May Amusement Park . See location on the Maps above or on Google Maps.

The travel with the boat is pleasant. It is a closed cabin, like an airplane, but more spacious and you can move. In the cabin, there is a large TV. There are electric sockets to charge the smartphone.

You can go to the terrace on the back of the boat (they let passengers go to the terrace only after the boat has left the town). The terrace is quite noisy because of the engines.

You will see constructions along the way, cargo ships and mangroves trees.

They give you a small bottle of water and biscuits. If you haven’t eaten before the trip, prepare a sandwich, there is no restaurant on board.

It is possible to bring a suitcase (it is free). You just need to carry it yourself. There are some stairs on the way to the boat.

The travel with the boat is more expensive that the bus. At the time of writing it costs 350,000 Dong. There is a price difference between the weekdays and the week-end.

There are between 1 to 4 boats a day. The boats are operated by the company Greenlines. You can see Greenlines website for details about the schedule of the boats.

You can buy tickets:

At the pier, at the counter.
Via Greenlines website.
Via 12Go Asia.

You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

Option 2 : With the Bus

There are a lot of buses and minibuses between the two cities. The ride takes about 2 hours. The departure location and the arrival location depends on the company you use.
In Vung Tau, the central bus station is located in the north of the city. See location on Google Maps or on the Maps above – Map 5.

Many buses are departing to Saigon

But there are also buses to Dalat and other destinations

You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

Option 3 : With a Taxi

The distance is not huge ( 2 hours ride), so some persons may choose this option. Talk with your hotel or try the Application Grab.

Option 4 : Rented Motorbike

Why not ? It is about 95 Km.

Option 5 : With a Train or Airplane

Not available. There is an airport for helicopters in Vung Tau, if you can afford it.

Option 6 : By Organized Excursion

There is publicity in Saigon for a 1 day excursion to Vung Tau. In that case you don’t need to worry about the transport.

From Vung Tau to the island of Con Dao and to the Delta.

To the island of Con Dao

Apparently, from Vung Tau, there is a boat to the island of Con Dao (This island is much less touristic than Phu Quoc island). A boat is a good alternative to a flight to the island.
The distance is big, so it takes 4 to 5 hours. The service is operated by the company Con Dao Express.

See location of the pier in Vung Tau on Google Maps or on the Map 5 above.

You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

To the Delta region

There are also boats from Vung Tau to the Delta region. A boat may save you the need to pass via Saigon, but it is not always advisable. Usually, the boat won’t bring you to the big city of Can Tho, so you will need to continue with another way of Transport (if you want to arrive to Can Tho).

The pier for the Delta destination, is located in another area of Vung Tau.

You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

Where to Stay in Vung Tau ? – Hotels

Let’s look again at Map number 4 :

Option 1 : Hotel in Zone 1 on the Map above

It is very close to the pier for the speed boats (to Saigon). You may even walk to your hotel from the boat (about 1 Km). There are a lot of hotels in this zone and it is the center of town. There are restaurants. It is close to the beach and to the museums and to the cable car to Ho May Amusement Park. This nice church is in this zone.

See Hotels in Vung Tau – Center of town. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for an hotel in the zone that you want. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

I have stayed in the hotel : Kim Minh Apartment & Hotel. The best part was the view from my room (over the square with the church).

The hotel is quiet, clean and the room is spacious (I had 2 rooms).

The furniture is old and the elevator is strangely going only from the second floor and up (you need to use the stairs from the ground floor to the first floor).
There is a swimming pool on the roof (which I didn’t use because I was busy touring the city).

Option 2 : Hotel in Zone 2 on the Map above

There are a lot of “Home Stay” in this zone. Home Stay means small hotels run by families. The location is good : A walking distance to everywhere, especially to the Bai Sau beach, which is very animated at night. The street “Phan Chu Trinh” is in this zone. This street has some western restaurants.

See Hotels in Vung Tau. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for an hotel in the zone that you want. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

Option 3 : Hotel in Bai Sau beach – Zone 3 on the Map above

Bai Sau beach is the most regular beach to swim in the center of Vung Tau.

It is also the most animated zone in the evening, especially in the square called Flagpole Park.

There are some big hotels here like Premier Pearl Hotel Vung Tau and also small ones.

See Hotels in Vung Tau – near Bai Sau beach. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for an hotel in the zone that you want. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

Option 4 : Hotel in Bai Dua beach – Zone 4 on the Map above

This zone of Vung Tau is a beach promenade and doesn’t contain a lot of buildings (there is a mountain behind, after all). Still, there are some hotels here with an excellent view over the sea.

Option 5 : Hotel north to the cable car station

There is a concentration of hotels here. It is a little bit far from the city center, you will need to use a way of transport.

How to Move inside Vung Tau ? – The Transport

Option 1 : By Foot

Let’s look again at Map 2 :

The distances in the center of Vung Tau are adequate for long walks. The beach promenade is especially pleasant to walk. At day time and also in the evening.

Option 2 : By Taxi or “Grab” Taxi

Grab functions well in Vung Tau. Via the web application you can call a motorbike or a car. The distances are short, so the price is cheap.
See what I wrote about Grab, in the Saigon Transport page.
There are also regular taxis passing in the streets. Not as many as you see in Saigon.

Option 3 : By Rented Motorbike

You don’t see a lot of rental shops in Vung Tau (like you see in Da-Nang, for example). You can ask your hotel, sometimes they have motorbikes or they can bring you one from a shop. I managed to avoid the rental of a motorbike in Vung Tau, I used the Grab service and it was perfect.

Option 4 : By organized Excursion

I’m not sure it makes sense to use an organized excursion in Vung Tau (unless you arrive from Saigon, on a day trip). You can arrive to the attractions, by yourself.

How is the Climate in Vung Tau ?

Temperatures

The temperatures don’t vary much during the year. During day time : Around 30 degrees Celsius. During the night : Around 25 degrees Celsius.

Rain

Like in all Vietnam, there is a rainy season from May to November. During the rainy season there is about 170 mm rain per month.

What to Eat in Vung Tau ?

I am vegetarian and I always have some difficulties finding vegetarian food in less touristic places in Vietnam, so I was worried a little bit. Fortunately, I found excellent options in Vung Tau, especially thanks to one excellent Italian restaurant.

If you are not vegetarian like me, you will probably eat sea food in Vung Tau. It is a city on the sea and there are a lot of restaurants with sea food. There is also a sea food market that you can visit.

Luca – Italian restaurant

If you like Italian food, like me, then there is one authentic, excellent Italian restaurant with an Italian owner. It is called Luca.

See location on Google Maps or on Map 5 above. I have tried several pasta and it was wonderful. Take a beer.

They have also good deserts. Here is a Semifreddo :

Prices are reasonable and the place is pleasant.

Don Quijote – French restaurant

Don Quijote is not a French name, but it is a French restaurant. As a vegetarian, I don’t have a lot of options in this kind of restaurants (except salads) so I prefer the Italian restaurant mentioned before, but Don Quijote is considered a good restaurant among the expatriates. See location on Google Maps or on Map 5 above

Phuoc Tho – Vegan buffet

I ate here every day for lunch. It is a typical Vietnamese Vegan buffet, but this one is better than average.

The price for a free buffet is extremely low, 45,000 Dong at the time of writing.

The staff is very friendly. It is a Buddhist place.

On certain days of the month, on “vegan days” (Buddhist calendar), there are many customers coming to the restaurant. See location on Google Maps or on Map 5 above

Soho Café

A great café in Vung Tau. The place is very nice.

The only place I found with a good croissant for the morning.

There are several floors with a view over the sea.

Sitting on the roof, is also an option

Open till late at night. See location on Google Maps or on Map 5 above.

There are many nice cafés in Vung Tau. There are several branches of Highlands coffee and Cong Café. Cong is cool.

David Pizzeria

They are located in front of the beach promenade. They are not Italian as far as I can tell, but they have Pizza and other Italian dishes. See location on Google Maps or on Map 5 above

More Western Options

The street called “Phan Chu Trinh” has several restaurants addressed to the small community of expatriates. Among the restaurants : Taj Grill and Helmut’s Schnitzel.

Where to go out at Night in Vung Tau ?

Let’s look again at Map 4 :

Surprisingly, Vung Tau is quite animated at night. Especially if you remember that it is not a very touristic city. You don’t see a lot of dancing clubs but the streets in zone 1 and 2 (of the map above) are full of people.
The most animated spot is the Flagpole Park, on the sea promenade of Bai Sau beach. See location on Google Maps or on Map 5 above.

Compared to Saigon, it is less a city to drink a beer and more a place to sit in a café in the evening. Still, if you want to drink a beer, you can do it. You will see some expatriates sitting together in some places.

Here, on the photo, you can see people drinking a juice or coffee on the beach. A place served by a mobile vendor. It is like that in smaller towns, people enjoy simple things.

Don’t forget to be at sunset at the Sunset spot – Cap Saint-Jacques

And before sunset at the Jesus statue (which is very near).

Continue to Page 2 – What to Visit in Vung Tau

On Thailand :

Other Stuff :

What to Pack ? the visual list that will help you prepare the suitcase.
Visit my Vegetarian Page. Why be Vegetarian ? What to eat ?
Visit my Salsa Dance Page. Salsa main Styles. Why Dance Salsa ?
See City Information about 2 more cool cities: Barcelona and Tel-Aviv.
Listen to nice Songs with translation in French, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew.
Listen to basic Words In Spanish, French, Hebrew

If you find incorrect data on this page, like a restaurant that has closed or a big river that has moved or you want to tell me something, please write me to contact.