Vung Tau Coastal Day Trip with Lunch from Ho Chi Minh City

Christ statue on Small Mountain (Nui Nho)

The best-known landmark in Vung Tau is the giant Christ statue standing with open arms on the summit of Small Mountain, Nui Nho, facing the South China Sea. Completed in 1993 after almost twenty years of work, the figure is about 32 m tall on a high pedestal, making it one of the largest statues of its kind in Asia. A path of around 800 steps climbs through frangipani trees and small shrines to the top.

The climb takes about 30 to 40 minutes at a steady pace, with benches on the way, and the reward is a sweeping view over the curve of Back Beach, the fishing harbour and the whole peninsula. The interior and the viewing platform in the arms are closed during current maintenance, so the visit is to the hilltop terrace. Go early, as this tour does, before the midday heat sets in.

Whale Temple (Lang Ca Ong)

Along the coast of Vietnam, fishing communities have long believed that whales are guardians who guide boats back to shore and save sailors in storms. When a whale is found dead on the beach, it is given a funeral and its bones are kept in a temple. The Whale Temple of Vung Tau, known locally as Lang Ca Ong, is one of the most important of these shrines and dates from the early twentieth century.

Inside, beside the incense-filled altars, you see large whale skeletons preserved in long glass cases, some of them many metres long. Your guide explains the rituals, the annual whale festival held by the fishermen, and how this belief shaped life in the town. The visit takes around 30 minutes and gives a side of Vung Tau that few visitors expect from a beach trip.

Back Beach (Bai Sau) and a seafood lunch

Back Beach, also called Thuy Van Beach, is the longest stretch of sand in Vung Tau, running for several kilometres along the open sea and lined with coconut palms and casuarina trees. On weekdays it is calm and spacious; at weekends families from Ho Chi Minh City arrive for the sea breeze. You have time to walk on the sand, paddle at the water's edge and take photos, but swimming is not part of the tour programme.

Lunch follows at a local restaurant, where Vung Tau's fishing tradition shows on the table: grilled and steamed fish, shrimp, squid, clams, vegetables and rice, served family-style. Vegetarian meals are available on request; please tell us about no-pork or other needs when booking, as halal restaurants are limited outside Ho Chi Minh City. Plan around an hour and a half for the beach and lunch together.

White Palace (Bach Dinh)

In the afternoon the tour continues to the White Palace, Bach Dinh, a graceful French colonial villa built between 1898 and 1916 on the green slope of Big Mountain, Nui Lon. Designed as a summer residence for the colonial administration, it has white walls, arched windows, a red-tiled roof and walls decorated with ceramic mosaics, all set in gardens of frangipani with views over Front Beach.

Inside are period rooms and a collection of antique ceramics recovered from an old shipwreck off the southern coast. The visit takes about 45 minutes. The White Palace is closed every Monday, so on Mondays the tour visits a peaceful seaside Buddhist temple complex instead, with large statues, gardens and ocean views. Both stops are included in the entrance fees of your Vung Tau tour.

Nghinh Phong Cape

The last stop is Nghinh Phong Cape, whose name means the cape that welcomes the wind. At the southern tip of the peninsula, a rocky headland reaches into the sea between Front Beach and Back Beach, and waves break on the dark stones on both sides. A decorative gate on the rocks, often called Heaven's Gate, frames the ocean and has become the town's favourite photo spot.

You can walk out along the paths and steps to the lookout points, watch fishing boats on the horizon and, on clear afternoons, enjoy soft golden light for photographs. The ground is uneven, so good shoes help. After about 45 minutes here the group boards the limousine van for the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving in the early evening. The best time to visit Vung Tau is the dry season from December to April.