Vũng Tàu, look for its hidden secrets.
Vũng Tàu is a beach town in the south of Vietnam; it is easy to reach from Saigon airport. It has ambitions to become a tourist magnet. The beaches are already there, and extensive construction is on its way. I visited this city on my first trip around the south of Vietnam.
Vũng Tàu beaches
Vũng Tàu can proudly proclaim that they have four beaches, and the Back Beach is the largest one. Here you can walk along the shore for kilometers. As I told earlier in my blog, I am not a beach queen, but I enjoy walking on the water’s edge. It was Christmas day, and the water was more than 20 degrees. There were no sunbathers, but a few locals were swimming, almost fully dressed.
Miếu Hòn Bà
Along the beach is the small island of Miếu Hòn Bà, which also has a small pagoda. I saw a few people walking on the rocks out to the island, and so did I. When I returned to the hotel, I told Datt, my host, that I had been on this island. He was stunned and said I had been lucky because, according to him, this island was accessible only twice a month because of the tide. I admit I felt fortunate then that it was open for me to visit.
The Front Beach
The Front Beach is also a lovely beach to walk along. Here you had a combination of some fishing boats and, further ahead, some that swam. I was heading for the other end of the beach; in the middle, you can see the impressive building of the Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Provincial museum. And up, to the right, the Golden Buddha at Chơn Không Monastery.
The White Palace in Vũng Tàu was built in the 1930s by a French governor. It is still a dominant landmark. It has a very French exterior, while the interior is a combination of French and Vietnamese styles.
Christ of Vũng Tàu
A notable monument in the city is the Christ of Vũng Tàu, a giant statue built by Vietnam’s Catholic minority. The statue was completed in 1974, with a height of 32 meters and two outstretched arms spanning 18.4 meters. I did climb it together with Datt, and we were resting on the shoulders of Jesus.
The secret I found in Vũng Tàu
Behind this green “curtain,” you find this little Boutique Hotel. It is not significant, and the standard is quite basic. But the owner, Datt, has a heart of gold, and he’s the perfect host. He runs the whole place by himself and makes the most generous breakfast. He also has a little-known Bistro, and from what I have heard makes the best burgers in town. When you go to Vietnam, one of the reasons is to taste all the local food; however, sometimes you might miss something from home.
Datt has a Hotel education from Luxembourg, and he loves to bake. It is easy to see he admires French cuisine. His Croissants and Baguettes are delicious. He has many regular ex-pat customers that come for his bread. Datt is very modest about his business, but I recommend his hotel and the food. Stay there, and then you can go to town and try the local Vietnamese food. I had a fantastic Christmas dinner here, together with some Scottish guests.
