Vung Tau Travel Guide 2026: Hidden Gem Coast + Pullman Hotel Review
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After two and a half incredible weeks in Da Nang, we flew south via Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) and made our way to Vung Tau — a coastal city about 125km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City that most international travellers have never heard of.
That’s exactly why we loved it.
Vung Tau is where Vietnamese city dwellers escape on weekends. It’s not on the standard backpacker trail, not overrun with tour groups, and not optimised for foreign visitors. It’s just a genuinely lovely Vietnamese coastal city with great seafood, a giant Jesus on a mountain, exceptional local bakeries, and a pace of life that feels restorative after weeks of heavy travel.
We stayed four nights at the Pullman Vung Tau — entirely covered by British Airways Avios points, making it one of the most unexpectedly great value stays of our entire trip. Here’s everything you need to know.
Getting from SGN to Vung Tau: Why We Booked a Private Transfer Through Klook
Flying into Ho Chi Minh City and then continuing to Vung Tau is the most common routing for international visitors, and the transfer between the two is an important logistical step to get right.
We booked a private transfer directly through Klook and it was completely seamless. Our driver met us at the airport arrivals hall, helped with luggage, and drove us directly to our hotel in Vung Tau — no navigating public transport with bags, no hunting for taxis, no stress after a flight.
The journey takes approximately 2 hours depending on traffic, and travelling by private car is by far the most comfortable option. The road south from Ho Chi Minh City passes through interesting delta landscapes and the drive itself is pleasant.
Why we recommend Klook for this transfer:
- Fixed price, no meter anxiety
- Driver meets you at arrivals with a name sign
- Air conditioned, comfortable vehicles
- Easy to book in advance before you land
- Significantly less stressful than navigating public options with luggage after a flight
There is also a high-speed ferry from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau which is a popular option for locals — scenic and fast at around 80 minutes. But arriving at an airport and needing to reach a ferry terminal adds complexity. For a direct airport-to-hotel connection, private transfer is the move.
Book your SGN to Vung Tau private transfer through Klook.
Pullman Vung Tau: Our Hotel Review
Booking on British Airways Avios Points
Before diving into the hotel itself, let’s talk about the booking — because it was genuinely one of the best points redemptions of our trip.
The Pullman Vung Tau is an Accor property, and Accor hotels are bookable through British Airways Avios via the Avios partnership with Accor Live Limitless (ALL). Cash rates at the Pullman Vung Tau run around $50–$100 USD per night — already reasonable for a five-star property — but redeeming Avios brought the cost to zero cash for our four-night stay.
For context, Avios are earned through British Airways flights, the British Airways credit card, and a wide range of retail and travel partners. They’re often underutilised by Canadians who don’t fly BA regularly, but the Avios ecosystem extends well beyond British Airways flights — hotel redemptions like this one represent exceptional value, particularly at Accor properties across Asia where cash rates are modest but point requirements are low.
If you have Avios sitting in a British Airways Executive Club account unused, Accor hotels in Southeast Asia are among the best redemption options available.
The Breakfast
The standout experience at the Pullman Vung Tau was the breakfast, and it deserves to be called out specifically.
It was excellent — a broad, well-executed spread covering Vietnamese and international options, with quality ingredients and genuine care in the preparation. After four mornings of starting the day here, we never got tired of it. Hot dishes, fresh fruit, pastries, Vietnamese staples, proper coffee — the kind of breakfast that makes you linger well past any reasonable checkout time.
For a hotel where we spent zero cash, waking up to a breakfast of this quality every morning felt almost indecently good value.
The Property
The Pullman Vung Tau is a proper five-star property — well maintained, professionally run, and positioned well within the city. The rooms were comfortable and the service throughout our stay was consistent and attentive.
Vung Tau’s accommodation scene is dominated by properties catering to Vietnamese domestic travellers, which means the Pullman sits at a noticeable tier above most of the competition. For international visitors accustomed to Accor standards, it delivers exactly what you’d expect from the brand.
Check current availability and cash rates on Agoda, or book with Avios through the British Airways Executive Club portal.
Things to Do in Vung Tau
Christ the King Statue (Jesus on the Mountain)
Vung Tau’s most iconic landmark is the enormous Christ the King statue — a 32-metre figure of Jesus with outstretched arms standing at the summit of Nho Mountain, visible from across the city and the sea. It’s one of the largest Christ statues in Asia and genuinely impressive in scale.
Getting there involves climbing a steep staircase of several hundred steps up the mountainside — manageable but legitimately steep, so wear comfortable shoes and go early in the morning before the heat builds. The climb takes around 20–30 minutes depending on your pace.
The views from the top over Vung Tau’s coastline, the South China Sea, and the surrounding city are spectacular — one of those viewpoints that makes the effort feel immediately worthwhile. You can actually climb inside the statue itself and look out through windows in Jesus’s outstretched arms, which is a surreal and memorable experience.
Entry is free, though a small donation is appreciated. Go early, bring water, and take your time on the way up.
The Beach
Vung Tau has two main beaches — Front Beach (Bai Truoc) facing the bay on the west side, and Back Beach (Bai Sau) on the more open ocean side to the east. Back Beach is the longer, more popular option with a wide sandy stretch and gentle waves suitable for swimming.
What strikes you about Vung Tau’s beaches compared to more touristy Vietnamese coastal destinations is how local they feel. The beach is full of Vietnamese families, vendors selling fresh coconuts and grilled corn, and the kind of easy, relaxed beach culture that hasn’t been curated for foreign visitors. It feels authentic in a way that’s increasingly hard to find in Southeast Asian beach destinations.
The water is calm, the beach is clean enough, and the vibe is unhurried. For a few days of doing very little, it’s exactly right.
Local Markets
Vung Tau’s local markets are worth an explore for anyone interested in how Vietnamese coastal communities actually live and eat. The morning markets in particular are lively — fresh seafood brought in from overnight fishing boats, tropical fruit stacked in brilliant colours, local snacks and street food that you won’t find on any tourist menu.
Wander without an agenda, point at things that look interesting, and eat whatever looks good. The market food in Vung Tau was some of the most authentic and affordable eating of our entire Vietnam trip.
Local Bakeries: An Unexpected Highlight
One of Vung Tau’s most distinctive and underappreciated features is its exceptional local bakery scene. The city has a strong French colonial baking tradition and it shows — Vietnamese-French bakeries producing incredible bánh mì, pastries, and fresh bread are scattered throughout the city and they are genuinely outstanding.
We stumbled into our first one by accident on the second morning and immediately changed our breakfast plans. The quality of the bread, the variety of pastries, and the impossibly low prices made the bakeries one of our most talked-about discoveries in Vung Tau — and a reminder that the best travel experiences are often the completely unplanned ones.
If you’re in Vung Tau, make time for at least one bakery morning. Walk in, point at things, drink a Vietnamese iced coffee alongside, and consider yourself lucky to have found a city that most international travellers still haven’t discovered.
Seafood
Being a fishing city, Vung Tau’s seafood is exceptional and extraordinarily affordable. The restaurants along the waterfront and in the local neighbourhoods serve incredibly fresh grilled fish, prawns, crab, and clams at prices that feel almost unreasonably low.
We ate seafood almost every dinner during our four nights and never had a bad meal. Look for the spots where local Vietnamese families are eating rather than the tourist-facing restaurants near the main beach, and you’ll eat exceptionally well for very little.
Is Vung Tau Worth Visiting?
Absolutely — and more emphatically than almost anywhere else we visited in Vietnam.
Vung Tau is a city that rewards travellers who seek out the road less taken. It has no UNESCO heritage listing, no famous cooking school, no lantern festival drawing international crowds. What it has is an authentic, unhurried slice of Vietnamese coastal life — great food, a big Jesus, excellent bread, and the feeling that you’ve found somewhere genuinely off the tourist trail.
For travellers coming from the intensity of Ho Chi Minh City or the heritage-heavy itineraries of Hoi An and Hue, Vung Tau offers something different: a chance to slow down, eat well, and exist somewhere that isn’t optimised for your presence.
We loved it completely.
Practical Information
Getting there:
- From SGN Airport: Private transfer via Klook — approximately 2 hours, easy and smooth
- From Ho Chi Minh City centre: High-speed ferry (~80 minutes) or private car (~2 hours depending on traffic)
Where to stay: The Pullman Vung Tau is the standout option for international travellers — excellent breakfast, professional service, five-star standards. Cash rates run $50–$100 USD per night, or book with British Airways Avios through the BA Executive Club portal. Check availability on Agoda.
Getting around: Grab works well throughout Vung Tau. The city is also very walkable in the central areas — most attractions are reachable on foot or with a short Grab ride.
Connectivity: Set up a Vietnam e-SIM before you arrive through Airalo — use our link for 10% off — or pick up a local SIM at SGN Airport before your transfer.
How long to spend: Three to four nights is ideal — enough time to do everything at a relaxed pace without rushing. Two nights is the minimum if you’re short on time.
Best time to visit: November to April for the driest, most pleasant weather. Vung Tau sits south of Da Nang’s rain belt so the seasonal timing is different — it’s generally more reliably dry than central Vietnam destinations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vung Tau worth visiting from Ho Chi Minh City? Yes — it’s one of the best day trip or weekend escape options from HCMC for exactly the reasons most tourists overlook it. Authentic local atmosphere, great seafood, beaches, and the Christ the King statue make it a rewarding visit.
How do you get from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau? High-speed ferry from Bach Dang Wharf (~80 minutes) or private car/bus (~2 hours). From SGN Airport specifically, a private transfer via Klook is the most convenient option.
How hard is the climb to the Christ the King statue in Vung Tau? Steep but manageable — several hundred steps up a mountain staircase taking around 20–30 minutes. Wear comfortable shoes, bring water, and go early morning to avoid the heat. The views from the top are absolutely worth the effort.
Is the Pullman Vung Tau good? Yes — excellent breakfast, comfortable rooms, professional service, and good value at its price point. A standout property in Vung Tau’s accommodation landscape. Even better if you can cover it with British Airways Avios points.
What is Vung Tau famous for? The Christ the King statue, fresh seafood, its beaches, and a strong French-Vietnamese bakery tradition. Among Vietnamese travellers it’s famous as the closest beach escape from Ho Chi Minh City.
Final Thoughts
Vung Tau quietly became one of the most unexpectedly satisfying stops of our 100-day Asia journey. No hype, no crowds, no Instagram queues — just a lovely Vietnamese coastal city doing its thing, with a phenomenal hotel breakfast every morning and zero cash spent on accommodation thanks to a well-timed Avios redemption.
If your Vietnam itinerary currently skips straight from Ho Chi Minh City to somewhere more famous, consider giving Vung Tau a few days. It will surprise you.
This was part of our 100-day Asia adventure. For more Vietnam content check out our Da Nang travel guide, our Sapa trekking experience, and our complete Vietnam visa guide for Canadians.
