10 best places to visit in Vung Tau, Vietnam

We always choose Vung Tau to be a destination to get out of the city on weekends because its location is very close to Ho Chi Minh City. In addition to beautiful beaches and tasty dishes, Vung Tau also has many interesting attractions for you to explore. Another good point is that Vung Tau has a wide variety of hotels from budget hotels to luxurious ones. These are 10 best places to visit in Vung Tau, Vietnam.

1. Thich Ca Phat Dai pagoda (Platform of Shakyamuni Buddha)

A large pagoda located on the slopes of Big mountain in Vung Tau city. The beauty of the pagoda is the artful combination between religious architecture and natural landscape. The remarkable points in this pagoda are the 19-meter-high Bat Giac tower and the meditating Shakyamuni Buddha statue on a lotus sculpture built halfway up the mountain which visitors can see from afar.

Direction: Visitors can reach Thich Ca Phat Dai pagoda by go along Le Loi street, turn to Tran Phu street or from Tran Phu street (in Front beach) go along the coastal road, pass Strawberry beach, come to Ben Da area and then you can see Thich Ca Phat Dai pagoda.

2. Jesus Christ Statue

The Jesus Christ Statue (The statue of Kito) or the statue of Jesus spreading his arms is a statue standing on top of Small mountain in Vung Tau city. The statue was built in 1984 with the size of height of 32 meters and arms’ length of 18.3 meters, standing on a-170 meters-high platform and facing the sea. Inside the statue, there are 133 steps leading to the arms. This statue can be considered similar to one in Rio de Janeiro city of Brazil.

Location: The statue is on top of Small mountain, Vung Tau city.

3. Bach Dinh (White Palace)

In 1898, the French Governor General of Indochina, Paul Domer built Bach Dich (in French: Villa Blanche) on the base of Phuoc Thang fortress which had fired the French warships nearly 50 years before. Bach Dinh is a Roman architectural structure having 3 floors with the height of 19 meters and the back leaning against Big mountain. Here, there are still 19 cannons preserved nowadays.

Location: 10 Tran Phu street, Vung Tau city

4. Thang Tam monument

In this monument, apart from Ngoi Tien Hien and Lang Ong Nam Hai (Ong Nam Hai Royal Tomb), Mieu Ba Ngu Hanh (Ba Ngu Hanh temple), there are Mieu Ba (Ba temple) located on a tiny island protruding towards the sea. Nghinh Ong Thang Nam festival of Vung Tau is considered to be one of the features of spiritual tourism in Ba Ria Vung Tau, which attracts many tourists, especially toursits from foreign countries.

Location: 77A Hoang Hoa Tham street, Thang Tam ward, Vung Tau

5. Niet Ban Tinh Xa pagoda (The Monastery of Nirvana)

This is one of the most beautiful pagodas in Vung Tau with modern architecture. Niet Ban Tinh Xa pagoda, also called the pagoda of the “Lying Buddha” was built on the slopes of Small mountain and faces the sea. The pagoda was brought under construction in 1969 and inaugurated in 1974 with money donated from fellow Buddhist. The Venerable Thich Thien Hue took care of construction.

Location: Ha Long street, ward 1, Vung Tau city

6. Quan The Am Bo Tat pagoda (The pagoda of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva)

This is a small pagoda with the 19-meter-high white Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue facing the sea with a hand holding Cam Lo bottle and gentle, virtuous face. It is a beautiful statue and also an attraction of the tourists when coming to Vung Tau.

Location: The pagoda is on the Big mountain detour, Vung Tau city, 500 meters away from Strawberry beach.

7. The Epigraphic of Linh Son (Linh Son Co Tu Pagoda)

Inspite of being not huge and large, the Epigraphic of Linh Son is the oldest pagoda in Vung Tau. In the sanctum, there is a 1.2-meter-high gilded stone Buddha statue which was cleverly sculpted, creating an lively and compassionate feeling on the face of Buddha.

Location: 61 Hoang Hoa Tham street, Vung Tau

8. Vung Tau Lighthouse

Coming here, after follow the tunnel built in a 2-floor house where the lighthouse watchmen live, you will reach the top of the lighthouse. From that position, you can see the whole view of Vung Tau city, the crescent shaped beaches, green Minh Dam mountain. Or just look down, a “forest” of flowers is blooming, making the the entire lighthouse more unique.

Location: On top of Small Mountain (Nui Nho), Vung Tau city

9. Long Son Big House (Ong Tran Temple)

Long Son Big House, also called Ong Tran temple is an architectural complex with ancient style of art, made of bricks and precious type of wood. The Big House is located in block 5 with a total area of about 2 hectares and is divided into three zones: zone of worship; zone of festive house, school, market, Ghe Sam reserve house and zone of Mister Tran’s tomb.

Location: At the foof of Pineapple mountain, block 5, Long Son commune, Vung Tau

10. Museum of Antique Weapons

The Museum of antique weapons (Worldwide Arms Museum) is opened by Mr. Robert Taylor (English) and his wife – Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bong. According to the visitors, this is one of the most worth seeing museums in Vietnam. Imaugurated from the beginning of 2012, the museum exhibits 500 effigies with size of a real person wearing gorgeous uniforms, representing the images of warriors all over the world in different periods; more than 1,200 guns, 1,000 ancient swords with the history and stories in them… In addition, there are very rare collections (such as Dutch antique gun – there are only 2 in the world). This museum is also appreciated thanks to its logical arrangement in the exhibition space.

Location: 14 Hai Dang street, Vung Tau city. Ticket’s price: 50,000 VND.

Read more Vung Tau travel guide at here.