Vung Tau Beach

Saigon people have been traveling to Vũng Tàu for more than 130 years.

Before it had the name Vũng Tàu, this land was three small Vietnamese villages of the early 19th century, known together as Tam Thắng. When the French arrived, they called the place Cap Saint-Jacques. Portuguese sailors had given the headland the name of Saint Jacques long before. People in Saigon liked to say they were going to Ô Cấp. That came from the French words au Cap, which mean "to the Cape." On May 1, 1895, the Governor of Nam Kỳ signed a decree creating the self-governing city of Cap Saint-Jacques. Nam Kỳ was the name then used for southern Vietnam. The aim was to make it the leading resort of Indochina.

The name Vũng Tàu comes from the shape of the land. It is a sheltered bay, closed off from the wind, where boats and ships have long waited out storms.

Since July 1, 2025, Vũng Tàu and the whole former Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu province have been part of Ho Chi Minh City, under a resolution of the National Assembly.

The Vũng Tàu peninsula is a headland pushing out into the sea, with two rocky hills. Núi Lớn, the Big Mountain, lies to the north and rises about 245 meters. It cradles Bãi Trước and Bãi Dâu. Núi Nhỏ, the Small Mountain, lies to the south and rises about 170 meters. On its peaks stand a lighthouse and the statue of Christ the King.

Bãi Trước, the Front Beach, has the poetic name Tầm Dương. It is the beach at the front door of the town, with gentle waves. In the old days it had so many coconut palms that it was also called Vịnh Hàng Dừa, the Coconut Row Bay. Bãi Sau, the Back Beach, has the poetic name Thùy Vân. It is the main swimming beach, more than 8 kilometers long. Its waves are bigger because it catches the east wind off the sea. The two beaches face different directions, so their winds and waves differ too.

On the road from Bãi Trước up to Núi Nhỏ stands Bạch Dinh, the White Villa. The French name for this white building is Villa Blanche. Paul Doumer, the Governor-General of Indochina, approved its construction in 1898, and it was finished in 1902. The villa was named for Blanche Doumer.

But the story of Bạch Dinh is more than that of a holiday villa. In September 1907, Emperor Thành Thái was brought here and held under house arrest. He was an emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, Vietnam's last royal dynasty. The French regarded him as a rebel. He lived here for almost ten years. In 1916, he and his son, Emperor Duy Tân, were exiled to the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean. On August 4, 1992, Bạch Dinh was recognized as a National Historic Site.

On the lower summit of Núi Nhỏ stands the statue of Christ the King. It is 32 meters tall, and its arms span 18 meters and 40 centimeters. It stands 136 meters above the sea. The statue was inaugurated on December 1, 1994. The climb to its foot is more than 800 stone steps. Beneath the figure, with its arms spread under the open sky, the whole sea off Vũng Tàu opens out ahead, blue to the edge of sight.

On the higher summit of Núi Nhỏ stands the Vũng Tàu Lighthouse. The French set up the first lamp here in 1862. In 1913 they rebuilt it at a higher spot, about 170 meters above the sea. It is among the oldest lighthouses in Vietnam still working today.

And when the sun sets behind Núi Lớn, the lighthouse beam begins to sweep across the water. This is the sheltered bay that Saigon has loved for more than 130 years. An emperor was once held here, and a statue of Christ spreads its arms above the bay.