Experience the best of Vung Tau

Vung Tau occupies a peninsula on the South China Sea in the south of Vietnam, south-east of Ho Chi Minh City, with two small mountains rising from the coast. Under the French it was called Cap Saint-Jacques, and it still has colonial buildings such as the White Palace, a villa of 1898 set among frangipani trees on the hillside. A lighthouse built in 1862 stands on the Small Mountain with views over the bay.

A 32-metre statue of Christ with outstretched arms stands on Small Mountain, reached by hundreds of steps. The Niết Bàn Tịnh Xá temple complex has a large reclining Buddha. Back Beach is a long sandy beach lined with cafés and palms, while Front Beach is a curved bay near the town. The beach of Long Hải and the hot springs of Bình Châu are farther along the coast.

Bánh khọt, small crisp rice-flour pancakes topped with shrimp, are the local speciality, eaten wrapped in lettuce and herbs and dipped in fish sauce. Stingray hotpot, grilled squid and crab fill the seafood restaurants. Beach weather is best between November and April, and the rains come from May to October.