I have read quite a number of answers from long term members when asked the question of Vung Tau being worth a visit, stating a day or two maximum is more than enough. I disagree.. I regularly visit Vung Tau with my visits being up to week in duration.
I will write a bit of a review along with some suggestions of things to do. A laid back sleepy beach town with light traffic. Sadly, as the Gary Glitter case demonstrated, it is a town frequented by pedophiles. Older Vietnamese living there may have served along side Aussies and Kiwis and will be very welcoming.
He changed his politics. VT does not offer a lot in the way of scenery or an attractive beach. A lot of really good restaurants offering mixed cusine VN, Continental, French and Aussie menus. For relaxation, away from the dense noise of heavily populated cities, Vung Tau offers the food lover and history buff a great place to visit. The windows are almost all cloudy scratched perspex and give little in the way of views as you travel.
However, central on each vessel is the open area to access the engine rooms. Also, the side doors give an area to step outside the cabin to catch the breeze and enjoy the views along the river. Really not much in the way of scenery along the way. Some really cheap quality hotels are available just minutes walk from the beach. That latter is in my opinion worth the money as VT is not really to be regarded as beach resort area.
In a word, polluted. The main beach is several kilometres long offering wide sand and a very mild surf. Waves generally only occur with bad weather and are not at anytime decent enough for surfing. The beach high tide debris line is riddled with all kinds of rubbish washed ashore having drifted down the Saigon river from HCMC. Apart from the plastic bags, disposable nappies and used syringes are often seen. The locals who congregate heavily on the beach on weekends have no problem dropping their rubbish next to where the sit.
