Vung Tau
Vung Tau used to be the beach destination for the rich and famous in Saigon. Its beautiful beaches and its proximity to the South capital of Vietnam sure helped. Nowadays you can reach Vung Tau from Saigon in an hour with a fast ferry. You can also get here by taxi and/or bus. The ride will take two and a half hours by road.
If you are going to stay in Saigon for a long time and want to escape of this hectic city for a couple of days, Vung Tau is a good destination. If you want to relax on the beach for more than a weekend, I recommend going somewhere else in Vietnam (Phu Quoc, Muine, Nha Trang, ...). Let's see what Vung Tau has to offer.
The main reason to visit Vung Tau are its beaches. There are four of them.
Front Beach (or Bai Truoc), West of the city center is not recommended for swimming.
Rear Beach (or Bai Sau), is where you have to go to find a place to stay. Hint: if you come here with the hydrofoil or with a bus from Saigon, tell the taxi driver to take you to "Rear Beach" -- not to the town Center, as I did and later regretted. Unless you are coming on a weekend you will easily find accommodation. Close to the beach you will find some places to eat, but for a better offer take a taxi and go to the town center.
Pineapple Beach (or Bai Dua) in the southeast coast is the smallest in Vung Tau, but probably the beach with the cleanest waters. From here you can also see spectacular sunsets.
Foreigners' Beach (or Bai Dau) lies northwest of the town. This rocky beach is popular among tourists because of its calm waters.
If you come to Vung Tau to do some tourism, here is a list of places to visit:
The Statue of Jesus, this huge hollow statue sits on top of Nui Nho mountain. From here you see a nice view of the ocean.
Thich Ca Phat Dai Pagoda. 12 miles (20 km) from the town center, it attracts pilgrims from all the country.
Niet Ban Tinh Xa Temple of Nirvana. the most beautiful pagoda in Vung Tau. It lies 2 miles (3 Km) from the city center, and was completed in 1974.
Beaches in Vung Tau used to be dirty, but many beach and water areas are clean now. Only Loc An, some miles to the northeast from the central Vung Tau beaches, is dirty nowadays.