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Vung Tau Travel Guide
The beach resort of Vung Tau is on a peninsula approx. 120km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. Like most beach resorts, it started out as a fishing village, but it was transformed out of all proportion during the Vietnam War when it was thronged with U.S. service personnel on R&R. However, when the war ended, the activity died down, and it became the place from which many boat people left Vietnam.
Its closeness to Saigon means that it is popular with weekend tourists, and even day trippers. However, it seems that not many non-Vietnamese tourists make the effort to visit. On weekends it is crowded with local tourists, and hotels are often fully booked, and this is especially true during any public holiday. For accommodation, there are three-star hotels and moderate-budget guesthouses. Going in the middle of the week is the best time to avoid the crowds.
The small fishing village of days gone by is no more, but the Vung Tau of today is still worth a trip.
What to See & Do There are many small seafood vendors as well as larger restaurants along the open seafront. There are also some daytime leisure centers where you can go swimming in a pool. On the road that goes along the peninsula there are several kilometers with a nice ocean view, and near the center of the city there is a kind of picturesque harbor.
Unfortunately the beach and the ocean at Vung Tau do not compare with other beache resorts along the coast, so you need to have somewhat lowered expectations here. There are a few interesting things around town to see, and the seafood is quite tasty.
Vung Tau is for sure no Pattaya, but it does have quite a few bars catering to single men who are perhaps looking for a “partner”.
Cambodia
village, but it was transformed out of all proportion during the Vietnam War when it was thronged with U.S. service personnel on R&R. However, when the war ended, the activity died down, and it became the place from which many boat people left Vietnam.