Back Beach (Vung Tau) Travel Guide - Free

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Back Beach in Vung Tau pairs a broad South China Sea shore with seafood, seaside walks, resort hotels and easy access to coastal sights in southern Vietnam.

Sea, Sand and the Vung Tau Skyline

Back Beach, known locally as Bãi Sau, is Vung Tau’s broad eastern seafront, stretching along the South China Sea beneath the city’s hotels, apartment towers and low coastal hills. Its name means “Rear Beach”, distinguishing it from Front Beach on the western side of the peninsula. The shore is the neighbourhood’s defining feature: a long sweep of sand, a wide road for walking and cycling, and changing views of fishing boats and offshore water. Sea conditions vary with the weather and season, so the beach is as much a place for strolling and watching local life as for swimming.

Resort Strip and Local Life

The streets behind the beach form one of Vung Tau’s principal visitor districts, with accommodation, seafood restaurants, cafés, convenience shops and seasonal beach services concentrated around Thuy Van Street. At busier times, especially weekends and public holidays, the seafront fills with visitors from Ho Chi Minh City and nearby provinces, while weekday mornings can feel considerably more spacious. The neighbourhood is more resort-oriented than historic, but its position makes it a useful base for exploring Vung Tau’s coastal landmarks.

Coastal Views and Nearby Icons

At the southern end of the beach, the rocky headland around Nghinh Phong Cape provides a dramatic change from the flat shoreline. The Christ the King statue stands on Small Mountain nearby, although access and exact boundaries should be checked locally. Back Beach is best understood as Vung Tau’s recreational coast: open, practical and lively, with the sea always providing the principal sense of place.

Explore Back Beach on the map

A handpicked selection of must-see spots in Back Beach, mapped for you.

Best bars in Back Beach

Back Beach is lively after dark but is better described as a resort dining and evening-strolling district than as Vung Tau’s dedicated club quarter. Hotel bars, casual cafés, seafood restaurants and modest drinking venues line parts of Thuy Van Street and the roads behind the shore, with activity increasing when weekend visitors arrive. The seafront offers an atmospheric walk, but it is not a continuous promenade of sophisticated cocktail lounges, and nightlife options can vary with season and business turnover. Some establishments cater to groups and domestic holidaymakers rather than late-night international club culture. Visitors seeking a quieter evening can remain near their accommodation or move towards Front Beach, where the wider city centre provides additional restaurants and waterfront venues; that area is nearby, not part of Back Beach itself.

Bar

Leo Coffee Beer & Wine

Discover the lively ambiance and diverse drink selection at Leo Coffee Beer & Wine, Vung Tau's ultimate bar experience for travelers.

6 min walk · 0.5 km from neighbourhood centre

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Back Beach essentials

Getting There

Back Beach is reached most easily by road from elsewhere in Vung Tau, with taxis and ride-hailing services commonly used for the final connection. Visitors arriving from Ho Chi Minh City by coach generally reach Vung Tau’s intercity bus terminals before continuing to the beach area. Hydrofoils and passenger boats from Ho Chi Minh City arrive at the Front Beach waterfront rather than Back Beach, so travellers using the river connection need a taxi or local transfer across the peninsula. Thuy Van Street is the main coastal reference point, and accommodation addresses should be checked carefully because some properties described as being near the beach are several blocks inland.

Getting Around

The central Back Beach strip is straightforward to explore on foot, particularly along the seafront and Thuy Van Street, although broad roads and traffic require care when crossing. Taxis, motorbike taxis and rented motorbikes are useful for reaching the southern headland, Front Beach and hilltop sights elsewhere in Vung Tau. The route towards Nghinh Phong Cape and Small Mountain includes slopes, steps and uneven surfaces, so it is less suitable for visitors with limited mobility. For longer coastal distances, use a recognised taxi or app-based service and confirm the destination in Vietnamese if necessary.

Safety

Use ordinary coastal and urban precautions around Back Beach: keep valuables secure in crowded areas, take care with phones near the water and watch traffic when crossing Thuy Van Street. Swimming should be approached cautiously because surf, currents, weather and supervised areas vary. The seafront can become crowded during weekends and public holidays, and wet sand or rocks around the southern headland may be slippery. At night, remain on well-used roads and make transport arrangements for quieter stretches rather than walking unfamiliar areas alone.

Emergency Situations

Vietnam’s emergency numbers are 112 for general emergency assistance, 113 for police, 114 for fire and rescue, and 115 for medical emergencies. Explain the location as Bãi Sau or provide the hotel name and the nearest point on Thuy Van Street; sharing a map pin can help when language is a difficulty. For non-urgent medical care, ask accommodation staff or a local clinic for current guidance, since facilities and English-language support can change. Keep travel insurance details and a copy of identification accessible.

Do's and Don'ts

Dress considerately when leaving the beach, cover swimwear before entering shops or restaurants, and avoid loud behaviour around hotels and residential buildings late at night. Use bins where provided and do not leave food packaging or plastic on the sand. Ask before photographing people at close range, particularly vendors and families, and take care around informal beach activities. At seafood restaurants, confirm the weight or price of a selected item before it is prepared, and follow local queueing and payment customs without assuming that every establishment accepts international cards.

Local Tips

For a clearer sense of the neighbourhood, combine an early beach walk with a later look at the restaurant and hotel streets behind Thuy Van. Walk south towards Nghinh Phong Cape for a more rugged coastline, then return by taxi if the heat or slopes become tiring. Back Beach is more exposed than Front Beach, so sun protection and water are useful even on hazy days. Weekdays generally offer a calmer experience, while weekends provide a livelier picture of Vung Tau’s domestic resort culture.

From Eve

Local phrases worth knowing

You don't need to get them perfect. A few words go a long way, and locals appreciate the effort.

6 phrase groups · English, local and pronunciation

Basics

English	Local	Say it
Hello	Xin chào	[sin chow]
Goodbye	Tạm biệt	[tam byet]
Yes	Có	[koh]
No	Không	[kohng]
Please/You're welcome	Xin vui lòng	[sin voo-ee long]
Thank you	Cảm ơn	[gam un]
Excuse me/Sorry	Xin lỗi	[sin loy]
How are you?	Bạn khỏe không?	[ban kwee kohng?]
Fine. And you?	Khỏe. Còn bạn?	[kwee. kawn ban?]
Do you speak English?	Bạn có nói tiếng Anh không?	[ban koh noy tieng anh kohng?]
I don't understand	Tôi không hiểu	[toy kohng hye-oo]

Eating & Drinking

English	Local	Say it
I'd like to see the menu, please	Tôi muốn xem menu, xin vui lòng	[toy mown sem menu, sin voo-ee long]
I don't eat meat	Tôi không ăn thịt	[toy kohng an tit]
Cheers!	Dô!	[doh]
I would like to pay, please	Tôi muốn thanh toán, xin vui lòng	[toy mown thanh to-an, sin voo-ee long]

Emergencies

English	Local	Say it
Help!	Cứu!	[kyoo]
Go away!	Đi xa!	[dee sa]
Call the Police!	Gọi cảnh sát!	[goy keng sat]
Call a doctor!	Gọi bác sĩ!	[goy back see]
I'm lost	Tôi lạc đường	[toy lakt doo-ong]
I'm ill	Tôi ốm	[toy om]

Shopping

English	Local	Say it
I'd like to buy...	Tôi muốn mua...	[toy mown mwa]
I'm just looking	Tôi chỉ xem thôi	[toy chee sem toy]
How much is it?	Giá bao nhiêu?	[za bao nyew]
That's too expensive	Đắt quá	[dat kwah]
Can you lower the price?	Giảm giá được không?	[yam za doo-kohng?]

Time & Numbers

English	Local	Say it
What time is it?	Bây giờ mấy giờ?	[bay zoh my zoh]
It's one o'clock	Một giờ	[mowt zoh]
Half past (10)	Mười giờ rưỡi	[mooee zoh ruh-ee]
Morning	Sáng	[sang]
Afternoon	Chiều	[chew]
Evening	Tối	[toy]
Yesterday	Hôm qua	[hom kwah]
Today	Hôm nay	[hom nai]
Tomorrow	Ngày mai	[nyai my]
1	Một	[mowt]
2	Hai	[high]
3	Ba	[bah]
4	Bốn	[bun]
5	Năm	[nahm]
6	Sáu	[sow]
7	Bảy	[bahy]
8	Tám	[tam]
9	Chín	[cheen]
10	Mười	[mooee]

Transport & Directions

English	Local	Say it
Where's a/the...?	Chỗ...ở đâu?	[choh...uh dow]
What's the address?	Địa chỉ là gì?	[dia chee la zee]
Can you show me (on the map)?	Bạn có thể chỉ cho tôi (trên bản đồ) không?	[ban koh tee chee cho toy (tren ban do) kohng?]
When's the next (bus)?	Xe buýt tiếp theo khi nào?	[se bwit teep the-ow kee now]
A ticket (to ....)	Một vé (đi ...)	[mowt vay (dee ...)]

History of Back Beach

The Rear Beach Name

Bãi Sau means “Rear Beach” in Vietnamese, a practical name reflecting the beach’s position on the eastern side of Vung Tau’s peninsula when viewed in relation to Front Beach, or Bãi Trước, on the bay-facing western shore. The distinction is geographical rather than a precise administrative boundary. Back Beach looks towards the open sea, while Front Beach faces the sheltered waters around the city’s older maritime centre. This contrast shaped the two shores differently: Back Beach became associated primarily with open-air recreation and seaside bathing, whereas Front Beach retained stronger links with the port, parks and urban waterfront.

A Colonial-Era Seaside Resort

Vung Tau, historically known to French colonial authorities as Cap Saint-Jacques, developed as a seaside retreat during the colonial period, when its peninsula, beaches and hilltop positions attracted visitors seeking cooler coastal surroundings. Back Beach formed part of that wider resort landscape, although its present appearance is largely the result of later urban development. Roads, beach access and accommodation expanded gradually as Vung Tau became a popular weekend destination for residents of southern Vietnam. The neighbourhood’s resort identity therefore rests on a long coastal tradition, rather than on a single historic building or preserved old quarter.

Postwar Tourism Expansion

After national reunification, Vung Tau’s position near Ho Chi Minh City and its beaches helped it develop into an important domestic tourism destination. Back Beach became the focus of increasingly intensive visitor infrastructure, with hotels, restaurants, apartment buildings and leisure facilities extending along and behind Thuy Van Street. The scale of construction changed the shoreline from a relatively open recreational coast into a busy urban resort strip. This growth also brought a strongly seasonal rhythm: holiday periods and weekends attract large numbers of domestic visitors, while quieter periods reveal more of the beach’s everyday coastal character.

The Contemporary Coastal District

Today, Back Beach is one of Vung Tau’s most recognisable visitor areas, combining a public shoreline with a dense accommodation and dining corridor. Its identity is shaped less by surviving historic fabric than by the relationship between beach, road and resort city. Nearby Small Mountain, Nghinh Phong Cape and the Christ the King statue add cultural and scenic depth to the southern end of the coast, while the beach itself remains the principal public space. Ongoing redevelopment and changing tourism patterns continue to influence the appearance and atmosphere of the neighbourhood.

Back Beach in Photos

Browse through our photo collection highlighting the charm and character of the destination.

Neighbourhoods near Back Beach

The closest neighbourhoods to Back Beach, if you have time for more than one stop.

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