This guide on where to stay in Vung Tau lists the best hotels in the Front Beach and Back Beach areas of Vung Tau.
Vung Tau is a coastal city in Southeast Vietnam. It’s the closest beach city to Ho Chi Minh City, so it sees many visitors on the weekend. While it’s not the best beach in Vietnam, the fresh sea breeze and cheap seafood make it a popular destination.
If you have limited time in Vietnam I usually tell people to skip Vung Tau. I didn’t visit on my first trip to Vietnam as there are plenty of other beach options.
I have been based in Ho Chi Minh City for many years, and I have been to Vung Tau countless times now. This Where To Stay guide breaks down the best areas to stay in Vung Tau.
Index
Map of where to stay in Vung Tau
Best areas to stay in Vung Tau
Front Beach (the city beach)
Back Beach (the seafront beach)
Other areas to stay in Vung Tau
Ha Long Road (Ward 2)
Khu Á Châu (Ward 2)
Thuy Tien Beach
Map of where to stay in Vung Tau
The areas referenced in this guide are shown on this map.
[View map of where to stay in Vung Tau.]
Best areas to stay in Vung Tau
The best areas of Vung Tau for visitors are the Front Beach in the city centre, and the Back Beach on the East Sea.
Front Beach
The Front Beach is the city beach of Vung Tau. It’s a small beach and not a great place to go swimming, but it’s framed by a lovely municipal park. The Front Beach is in the historic city centre of Ward 1 (Phường 1), and there are still some French-era administrative buildings and villas in this area.
Vung Tau is the base of Vietnam’s oil and gas industry, so there are related offices in the city. The oil and gas business has made Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province one of the most prosperous provinces in Vietnam.
Despite the oil money, there aren’t many international hotels in Vung Tau. A Doubletree by Hilton is under construction, but most of the hotels are local. One of the charms of Vung Tau is that there aren’t many international chain restaurants and resorts here (yet). Come and see what a city looks like without Starbucks and McDonald’s.
Vung Tau reminds me of a British seaside resort, in that it caters mainly for domestic tourism. Some of the beach hotels are stuck in time from an era before low cost airlines (similar to the fate of British seaside towns). With cheap flights and growing prosperity in the country, Saigonese seeking a beach break are now more likely to fly to Nha Trang and Danang instead of driving to Vung Tau.
There are big changes planned to modernise the city. The Back Beach promenade will be renovated, and there are some new apartment and hotel towers planned for the coast. I have list the main projects on the Future Vung Tau page.
The Front Beach is a good area to stay if you are looking for a city break from Saigon but aren’t fussed about staying near the sea. The ferry from Ho Chi Minh City docks near the Front Beach, so it’s an easy stroll from the ferry to the city centre.
Search for hotels in Front Beach Vung Tau.
There aren’t as many guesthouse budget hotels in the Front Beach area, so extend your search to the Back Beach if you are just looking for the cheapest room.
The Front beach is home to the Rex Hotel Vung Tau, which is a 3-star hotel that is not related to the 5-star Rex Hotel of Saigon.
[Vung Tau Rex Hotel.]
The Royal Hotel (3-star) is another Vung Tau hotel that hasn’t changed in appearance over the decades.
[Royal Hotel Vung Tau.]
Another 3-star hotel is the Diamond Star Hotel.
Grand Hotel Vung Tau (4-star) is located opposite the Front Beach Park.
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[Grand Hotel Vung Tau.]
The Palace Hotel is in the heart of the expat bar street area of Nguyen Trai.
[Palace Hotel Vung Tau.]
Muong Thanh is one of the most prominent domestic hotel brands in Vietnam. The Muong Thanh Holiday Vung Tau Hotel is near the Front beach triangle area.
One of the modern hotels in the city is the Fusion Suites Vũng Tàu. This hotel opened in 2020 and it features a rooftop infinity pool and bar offering panoramic city and sea views.
[Vung Tau Fusion]
Back Beach
The Back Beach is the long stretch of beach that faces the East Sea. Sometimes it’s confused as the Front Beach as it is facing the front of the sea. In this situation, the beach is at the back of the city. It’s not the best swimming beach. but it’s a great walking beach and the steady sea breeze is refreshing.
The beach area is fairly quiet during the week, but on weekends it heaves with Saigonese weekenders. I have been to Vung Tau many times, and I’m still amazed that it goes from being a ghost town during the week to party town on the weekend. The cheap seafood restaurants spill out onto the street on the weekends, and expect to hear karaoke parties. If you are sensitive to crowds, then I would avoid the Back Beach if you happen to be there on the weekend.
Search for hotels in Back Beach Vung Tau.
[Seafood restaurants on the weekend in Vung Tau.]
The Back Beach road is Thuy Van, and the road begins in the south at the Phan Chu Trinh intersection. The Vung Tau RiVa Hotel (4-star) marks the start of the hotels along the Back Beach, and from here on up it’s wall-to-wall hotels.
The next main intersection is Hoang Hoa Tham and Thuy Van. Hoang Hoa Tham connects the Front Beach to the Back Beach, so this intersection feels like the main entrance to the Back Beach Area. This corner has the Thuy Van Hotel (2-star). This hotel is a faded glory beach hotel, but I hope the iconic observation deck is kept if they ever get round to renovating it.
[Thuy Van Hotel.]
One of the few international names on the beachfront is ibis Styles Vung Tau (3-star)
[ibis Styles Vung Tau.]
Next up from ibis Styles is the Victory Hotel, which is another old-school budget local hotel.
There are cheap hotels in the sides streets behind ibis Styles and the Victory Hotel. I’ve stayed at a few places around here, and here is what to expect at a cheap hotel in the Vung Tau Back Beach area.
[A typical cheap hotel room in Vung Tau.]
One of the few 5-star hotels on the beach road is The IMPERIAL Vung Tau Hotel.
[The IMPERIAL Vung Tau Hotel.]
Inland from the Back Beach is the Malibu Hotel (4-star). This marks the modern area of the Back Beach, with new hotels and apartments on the roads near the Monument for War Heroes roundabout.
[The Malibu Hotel.]
Opposite the roundabout is the Pullman Vung Tau. This is the fourth Pullman in Vietnam, and I would say the most iconic in design.
[Pullman Vung Tau.]
More development is happening along Thi Sach Road. One of the new apartment towers here is called The Song, though the building has the developers name of “An Gia” emblazoned on the top.
[Vung Tau The Song by An Gia.]
If you are doing an accommodation search in this area you will see lots of apartments listed in The Song. This apartment block was advertised as a second home for Saigonese, and it appears to have been a popular project. I have visited during the week to look at the cafes in the ground level, and I was surprised to see how busy it was. I have also read on some forums that there can be a long wait for the lifts when there are many people staying here.
[Shopping plaza at the base of The Song.]
Nearer to the beach on the same road is The Cap Hotel (4-star).
[The Cap Hotel]
Haiduong Intourco Resort (3-star) marks the end of the Back Beach area. This resort is unusual in that it’s on the beach side of the road.
Other areas to stay in Vung Tau
Here are some other areas in Vung Tau for consideration if you are a repeat visitor or curious about the rest of the city.
Ha Long Road (Ward 2)
[Ha Long Road Vung Tau.]
In between the Front Beach and the Back Beach is Tao Phung Mountain (The Small Mountain). The Jesus Statue and the Vung Tau Lighthouse are on this mountain, and Ha Long Road goes around the mountain to connect the beaches.
There is no beach along here and not many hotel options, but Ha Long Road is a popular spot to watch the sunset with many cafes and restaurants along the road.
There are some hotels near the Front Beach side of the road. I have stayed at the Front Beach Hotel by Joi Hospitality (here is my review of the Front Beach Hotel).
Mercure Vung Tau opened in 2020, adding another international name to Vung Tau’s hotel options.
Khu Á Châu (Ward 2)
Ward 2 covers the southern end of the peninsula (including Tao Phung Mountain), and there are two roads that run through it that connect the Front Beach to the Back Beach. The area between Phan Chu Trinh and Hoang Hoa Tham is known as Khu Á Châu (roughly translated as Asia Area).
This area has become a popular expat neighbourhood, and there are a number of western restaurants and monthly rentals here. There are some famous Banh Khot restaurants on Nguyen Truong To.
I wouldn’t stay here if it’s your first time in Vung Tau, but I am listing this neighbourhood if you are looking for an area for a longer stay.
The landmark apartment tower in this area is Melody Vung Tau. The booking sites list several rooms from different owners.
[Melody Vung Tau.]
Camy A Sin Hotel & Apartment is on Phan Chu Trinh, and there are many hotels around this area.
Another option for long-term stays is the check out the expats in Vung Tau forums on Facebook. There are agents that post room rentals here, or if you ask for a room you will get offers.
Thuy Tien Beach
Further up the coast from the Back Beach is Thuy Tien Beach. I rented a motorbike to have a look as it’s too far to walk from the city centre. I was here on a weekend and it was packed with weekenders.
[Crowd at Thuy Tien Beach.]
There is a big picnic area by the beach where groups of people bring their own food to have a party by the sea. The beach reminded me of Bang Saen near Bangkok, which is only popular because it’s close to Bangkok.
There are some hotels on the beach, including Long Cung Resort. There are some other resorts under construction, but as a foreigner there is no need to stay here.
[Long Cung Resort Pool.]
