When Is The Best Time To Visit Vung Tau?
Located in a tropical climate zone, this coastal city can be visited all year round. It has two distinct seasons.
The rainy season is from May to October and the dry season is from November to April. The temperature is around 27 degrees, while the lowest is 24 degrees and the highest is 29 degrees.
How to get to Vung Tau?
+ By bus
Buses are a popular means of transportation to Vung Tau for local people. Therefore, there are many buses to this city every day. There are Phuong Trang, Kumho Samco, Hoa Mai, Toan Thang ... for you to choose from. It takes about 1.5 - 2 hours to get to Vung Tau. Every 30 minutes there is a bus leaving the bus station depending on the bus company.
Price: about 4 usd to 13 usd / ticket
+ By motorbike
Motorbikes are one of the popular means of transportation to Vung Tau for young people. It takes about 3 hours to get to the coastal city of Vung Tau.
+ By speedboat
Speedboats run daily between Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau City. It takes about 1.5 hours to get to the city. Some speedboat companies are Vina Express, Petro Pacific Express and Green lines. Address is at Nha Rong Wharf, Ho Chi Minh City. Price from 7 usd to 12 usd/ticket.
Traveling to Vietnam is quite easy, but choosing the best places to visit when visiting Vietnam is not easy for everyone. After more than 10 years working in the tourism industry. We would like to suggest some famous places to visit when traveling from Phan Thiet to Vung Tau. If it is still difficult for you, then let us know what your travel plans are?
1. Statue of Christ
Statue of Christ or also known as Statue of Christ with open arms. Is one of the famous tourist attractions in Vung Tau visited by many tourists. Located on the top of Nho Mountain, Vung Tau city, the statue was built in 1974. The statue of Christ is 32m high, with an arm span of 18.3m, standing at a height of 170m, with a beautiful view of the sea, inside are 133 steps up to 2 hands of the statue. Standing here, visitors can look far away, admiring the vast landscape.
The statue of Christ can be considered a similar version of the 2m high statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - one of the largest statues in Asia.
How unique is the statue of Christ?
On the top of Nho Mountain, the statue of Christ stands tall and sturdy with his arms outstretched as if supporting people. The statue's face faces the sea, gentle and tolerant, as if protecting and sheltering all living beings.
Although it is just a statue built from reinforced concrete. The aesthetic and artistic details such as posture, facial expression, demeanor, costume… are all expressed vividly, softly and creatively.
To reach the top to admire the statue of Christ at this tourist destination. Visitors must overcome nearly 800 steps, both sides are full of flowers and shaded by trees. This is considered a sweet challenge for devout tourists who want to explore the beautiful scenery.
Stepping up to the top of this tourist site, visitors will admire a unique architectural work. The statue of Christ stands on a 10m high concrete base in the shape of an arc, with a relief of “The Last Supper” in front and “Christ giving the keys to Peter” in the back.
Climb up 133 spiral stairs inside Vung Tau scenic spot. Stand on the shoulders of God, close your eyes and pray for peace and good things. Legend has it that all your wishes will come true. Then, slowly open your eyes to admire the beautiful nature of the coastal city, enjoy the cool breeze.
Admiring the beautiful natural scenery, you can also conquer Vung Tau Lighthouse - one of the interesting tourist attractions chosen by many tourists.
After turning right from Ha Long sea road, the section near the opposite of the Hydrofoil wharf begins to be expanded. Visitors can drive straight up to the lighthouse, but walking along the mountain is still chosen by many visitors to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the coastal city from above. Located at an altitude of 170m, the lighthouse has a round tower shape, 18m high, covered with a delicate white paint, standing out against the blue sky. This place is surrounded by rows of beautiful green trees, attracting many visitors to visit.
Vung Tau Lighthouse is considered the oldest of the 79 lighthouses in Vietnam and is a symbol of Vung Tau city. The French built this place in 1862 to signal and guide passing ships.
The best time for tourists to visit Vung Tau lighthouse is in the afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Because the sun is mild, the light is just right to create shimmering, magical pictures for young people.
Watching the coastal city at night on Vung Tau lighthouse: tourists often choose to go up to the lighthouse to see the whole shimmering Vung Tau city at night while enjoying a cup of coffee.
Thus, no matter when it appears, Vung Tau lighthouse always has its own unique beauty. Standing from the balcony of the lighthouse, you can feel the cool breeze from the sea, see Vung Tau from all sides, and take beautiful photos.
3. Linh Son Ancient Pagoda
Vung Tau is not only a coastal city with many attractive entertainment areas but also a famous spiritual place with large temples and unique architecture. Among them, Linh Son Co Tu is the temple chosen by tourists from all over the world to visit.
Located at 104 Hoang Hoa Tham, Vung Tau. Since 1919, the pagoda was built on Nho Mountain but was occupied by the French for a pilot construction. Therefore, another pagoda was built on this site and exists to this day.
As soon as you step into the temple, you will see the majestic and sophisticated carved statue of Buddha.
Linh Son Co Tu is located on a quiet, airy road. Although the temple does not have a massive architecture, it still retains traditional traces of ancient Buddhism. Linh Son Co Tu is one of the famous tourist destinations in Vung Tau because the temple was voted into the Top 100 typical spiritual tourist destinations in Vietnam and the State has recognized Linh Son Co Tu as a National Cultural - Historical Relic.
Linh Son Ancient Pagoda is divided into many different rooms. However, the common point is the ancient architecture with elaborately carved dragons, the path is covered by large ancient trees. The main hall of Long Son Pagoda, a tourist destination in Vung Tau, is quite simple, worshiping Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The main highlight is the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni with a gentle, kind face made of stone 1.2m high, gilded and skillfully sculpted. This is a Buddha statue according to ancient Cham architecture and is estimated by archaeologists to be about 1,600 years old. Vung Tau tourists always feel interested and curious about this ancient statue.
4. Minh Dam Mountain
Minh Dam Mountain is over 8km long and 355m high. The mountain has 3 sides facing the sea. From Minh Dam Mountain, visitors can look straight out to sea, watching fishing boats go out to sea to catch seafood in Long Hai, Vung Tau. Inside Minh Dam Mountain, there are many small caves hidden under forests, cliffs, freshwater streams flowing down from the mountain... along with many rare species of flora and fauna.
Minh Dam Mountain is also the place where Minh Dam army is stationed.
Most visitors come to Minh Dam Mountain to conquer the peak located at an altitude of 200m above sea level. However, the journey to conquer Minh Dam Mountain is a big challenge for many visitors because the road up the mountain is quite steep and dangerous. Although 2/3 of the road up to the top of the mountain has been paved to make traveling easier. To conquer the remaining 1/3 of the mountain road, visitors need to have extraordinary health and a lot of effort.
On the journey to conquer Minh Dam Mountain from Vung Tau, visitors will pass through shelters located under rocky crevices or dense foliage. Inside these tunnels, there are still some artifacts such as bowls, plates, forest axes, personal living tools... that the soldiers used when they were here.
After going 2/3 of the way up Minh Dam mountain, visitors will see Long Hai beach. The closer to the top of the mountain, the more clearly the beauty of Long Hai beach appears before visitors' eyes. The cool mountain air and the chirping of birds all over Minh Dam mountain make visitors feel extremely comfortable.
Dinh Co is located in Long Hai town, Long Dien district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. This is a temple complex with majestic architecture with traditional architecture imbued with folk culture.
The temple has the main hall in the center.
Entering the Main Hall, visitors will see in the middle of the Main Hall the altar of Mrs. Le Thi Hong, 0.5m high, wearing a red, sparkling robe, and a jade hat. On both sides of the altar of the Lady are the altars of Dieu Tri, Buddha's Mother, Duc Bon Su, Ngu Hanh Nuong Nuong, Tu Phap Nuong Nuong... The altars are decorated with flowers and candles, creating a sacred and respectful atmosphere.
Inside Dinh Co, in addition to the central room of the main hall, is the place of worship. There is also an area displaying offerings that Long Hai people offer to the Lady of Dinh Co. The offerings displayed in the Palace include flower lanterns, candles, wooden boat models, but the most common are crowns and hats.
After visiting Dinh Co, visitors can go behind the Palace, stand and enjoy the sea breeze, walk and admire the wild and poetic Dinh Co beach. Dinh Co beach is also a tourist destination near Vung Tau, possessing the most beautiful wild beach in Vung Tau city.
Most tourists visit Dinh Co on Dinh Co festival days (10th, 11th and 12th of February every year). This is one of the biggest festivals in Vung Tau, attracting many tourists to visit and worship.
6. Long Hai Beach
About 15km from Vung Tau city center. Long Hai beach belongs to Long Hai town, Long Dien district and is a more pristine and fresh beach than other beaches in Vung Tau. On the way here, you will pass a beautiful, romantic and poetic coastal road with rows of cherry blossom trees. Especially when Tet comes, apricot blossoms bloom all over the sky.
Because it has not been exploited much for tourism, Long Hai beach still retains its peaceful, pristine beauty. The sea is extremely clean with clear blue water, the waves gently lapping against the long stretch of soft golden sand. Along the coast are small rocks that add to the liveliness of the seascape here. The seascape here is like a harmonious, wonderful natural picture.
When coming to Long Hai beach, you can freely swim in the sea, immerse yourself in the cool water, enjoy the splendid sea breeze with the salty taste of the sea. The long sandy beach is also very suitable for you to lie down and relax on the beach or walk along the beach and admire the poetic sea view. All will bring you a feeling of relaxation, refreshment, forgetting all the fatigue of everyday life.
Near the beach, you can also go to some affordable restaurants to enjoy delicious seafood dishes such as shrimp, crab, grilled squid, etc. at very reasonable prices or buy fresh seafood for relatives and friends.
7. Ho Tram Beach
Ho Tram - an interesting destination in the Vung Tau travel itinerary. It is not noisy here, the sea is very blue, the sand is fine. Along with Bai Dai - Phu Quoc (Kien Giang), Ho Tram is one of the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the world voted by a famous American TV channel. With its gentle and pristine beauty, Ho Tram always captivates people's hearts.
Ho Tram has two distinct seasons: dry season and rainy season. Along with that, thanks to the sea breeze, Ho Tram is cool all year round. Therefore, you can travel to Ho Tram at any time of the year, each season Ho Tram has its own beauty for visitors to explore.
Ho Tram is likened to a harmonious picture between the colors of the sea, the forest and the wildness of nature. Coming to Ho Tram beach, visitors will enjoy a completely different space from Long Hai beach of Vung Tau.
Ho Tram beach is gently sloping with a long stretch of sand, smooth white water like jade bathed in the brilliant yellow sunlight. It makes the natural scenery more brilliant, captivating many tourists. The sand in Ho Tram is also very special, it is not yellow like the sand in Vung Tau beach but slightly pinkish, mixed with a bit of brightness under the yellow sunlight and stands out against the blue sky.
Along the coast are pine forests with year-round winds. Sit and listen to the sound of waves lapping against the golden sand. You will quickly forget your worries and immerse yourself in the wild nature here.
It would be a pity to miss the sunrise scene in Ho Tram, which is as beautiful as a picture. With colorful clouds reflected on the sea surface and still on the sand, it creates a magical beauty.
8. Hon Ba Island
The road to the top of Hon Ba is winding with steep slopes. The higher you go, the fresher and cooler the air is. Here, the scenery is still wild and very peaceful, with only the sound of the wind and the birds in the forest, floating in the quiet space. Every 100m higher, there is an altitude sign and at the sign of 1,500m, the road is straight ahead of Dr. Yersin's house.
Hon Ba is a small island in Vung Tau city, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. It is also known as Ba Vien Dan island or Archinard island. Along the Ha Long road around Nho mountain, from Bai Truoc, through Bai Dua to Nghinh Phong cape overlooking the sea. Visitors can see Hon Ba lying alone in the middle of the sea, at the foot of the island the waves splash white foam very romantically. When the tide is low, a jagged stone road is revealed. If visitors like adventure, they can go out to explore. From the foot of the island to the pagoda is a winding road, built with solid steps. The whole island is covered with rows of green coconut trees, poplar trees, areca trees and frangipani flowers.
Unlike other natural landscapes that have been restored and modernized by humans, Hon Ba still retains its wild, poetic beauty.
The sea water here is clear and cool, reflecting in the distance are rocks of all sizes with strange shapes, small pebbles scattered all over the coast. The perfect combination of rocks and sea creates the unique features of Hon Ba. Especially at dawn or dusk, Hon Ba brings itself more brilliant beauty by the reflected light and shimmering sunlight.
9. White Palace Vung Tau
White Palace is the name of the Villa Blanche building. The resort was for the French Governor General of Indochina Paul Doumer and high-ranking French-American officials.
There are two ways to get to the White Palace. If you go by car, there is a winding path running under the cool green forest leading up to the lobby. There is a pedestrian path through 146 ancient steps, hidden between two rows of ancient porcelain.
Because of the French architecture upstairs. There are many windows, each window has a different view, enjoy the surrounding scenery. Standing from where the wind blows through the cool window. The airy upstairs is suitable for resting.
The White Palace attracts visitors not only by its architecture but also by its poetic scenery. When arriving here, visitors cannot help but be amazed as if they were lost in an ancient castle in the middle of a mysterious forest. In the rainy season, the surrounding forest is lush green, with branches and leaves spreading out to cover the path. In the season of falling leaves, frangipani flowers are everywhere. The entire road to the White Palace is filled with red, white, and pink flowers on the roadside and in the garden.
With a prime location. From here looking out to Front Beach, with a panoramic view of the sea, visitors can feel the breath of Vung Tau city.
Currently, the White Palace is used as a museum displaying a collection of rare ceramics from the Kangxi period recovered from an ancient ship that crashed in the Hon Cau - Con Dao area, cannons and many other valuable artifacts.
10. Con Dao Island
Con Dao is the name of an offshore archipelago in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. It is about 97 nautical miles from Vung Tau and 45 nautical miles from the Hau River. Con Dao or Con Son is also used for the name of the largest island in this archipelago.
The best time to visit Con Dao is from Tet to the end of summer, from March to the end of September. From October to February. Although the sea in Con Dao often has big waves, this is because it is the dry season. There is always a reasonable amount of sunshine and it is well worth visiting Con Dao.
Con Dao is 97 nautical miles (180km) from Vung Tau. There are two ways to get to Con Dao: by road + water or by air.
Must-Try Experiences When Visiting Con Dao:
Scuba diving
Con Dao includes various sub-islands such as Hon Bay Canh, Hon Tai, Hon Tre, Hon Trung, Hon Trac or Hon Cau... which are the convergence of the most dense coral reefs in Vietnam. An ideal place to explore the fascinating ocean world. At the diving spots that have been explored in advance. Visitors will be guided through basic operations and how to dive with an instructor.
Fishing in the East Sea - an interesting activity when traveling to Con Dao.
Con Dao sea area is located in the East Sea, rich in seafood, promising an exciting trip for fishermen. After that, you can enjoy your catch and the peaceful space of the blue sea and white sand with your friends or relatives. In particular, some tourists challenge their courage with shark fishing. The most ideal place is Nhat beach, located on the famous Tinh Yeu peak of Con Dao. According to the "experts" of shark island fishermen, the best time to go shark fishing is when night falls, the size of the fish, the number of fish depends on the weather and the tide.
Explore the deserted island
Con Son Bay includes a system of 14 large and small islands with a chain of Tai, Trac, Tho islands, ... gathered like a big family and Bay Canh, Bong Lan, Cau, Trung, Tre islands ... majestic in the middle of the sea. All the islands create a poetic beauty for Con Son Bay and are a marine ecological reserve with coral reefs that are unmatched in density and variety.
Watch turtles lay eggs
Traveling to Con Dao, you can experience a quiet but extremely charming night on Hon Bay Canh. You will witness with your own eyes the sea turtles Chelonia mydas, which are commonly called vich or vich… coming to nest and lay eggs on the beach.
And some other attractions in Con Dao such as Dam Trau beach, seven-faced island, hot mineral spring beach, Con Dao island national park, Con Dao island prison,...
Festivals and Major Events in Vung Tau
Vung Tau holds many festivals every year. This place attracts many tourists from all over the world. When you have planned to go to Vung Tau and want to participate in the festival here, you can schedule and come here at each time of the festival.
Dinh Co Festival: February 10 - 12 (Lunar calendar)
Thang Tam Temple Festival: February 17 - 20 (Lunar calendar)
Whale Festival: August 16 - 18 (Lunar calendar)
Tran Hung Dao's death anniversary: August 20 (Lunar calendar)
Wu Xing Temple Festival: October 16-18 (Lunar Calendar)
There are still many famous attractions in Vung Tau that you may not have discovered yet. So what are you waiting for? Make a plan and go. Hope you will have many memorable memories.