Video source: City Pass Guide

Take the 130km excursion to the popular beachside getaway of Vung Tau Vietnam during the week if possible, when it’s a whole lot quieter. The two beaches, Bai Truoc and Bai Sau, offer an array of hotels, bars and restaurants and unforgettable views can be found at the ‘Big Mountain', Nui Lon and the Vung Tau Lighthouse.

As expected, seafood here is top class and centred on fish, crab and lobster. Enjoy it with jazz music at the open-air Binh An Village Restaurant (1 Tran Phu) or amid fruit trees and orchids in the Lan Rung resort (2 Tran Hung Dao). Fancy a round of golf? Play 27 holes on the challenging ocean view Paradise Golf course. It is luxuriously quiet so even if your swing is wayward you probably won’t need to shout ‘Fore’.

Vung Tau Vietnam has long been a popular tourist destination, for both local and international travellers alike. Its name translates to ‘anchorage,’ derived from a time when European traders stopped here in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Portuguese called it Saint Jacques, then the French invaded and renamed it Cap Saint Jacques. It was here that cannons were first used by Vietnamese forces as they attacked French ships.

During the American War, the peninsula at Vung Tau was populated by American soldiers on leave from duty. After, it was the prime spot for ‘boat people’ to flee Vietnam and set sail in search of a new life overseas.

Boats