QUIET SEASON, OLD PEOPLE'S HOME ACCOMMODATION, SWIMMING WITH HARD HATS AND SEXUAL SCULPTURES
HEADING TO THE COAST
After four days in Ho Chi Minh, it was time to move off and start our journey along the coast of Vietnam. We’d decided that the first stop would be the beach town of Vung Tau and took a minibus to Vung Tau, which cost around 100,000 Dong (approx. £3.50).
We booked in for three nights at a place called Ky Hoa Hotel. This place was gorgeous. Overlooking the sea, with a beautiful pool and a huge, spacious room with a balcony.
The only thing was, that we felt incredibly out of place. The only other residents that we saw were very old and seemingly senile. No one really spoke any English here either, which made sense as this place is not on the traditional backpacker route, but I enjoyed seeing sights that typically only the locals would frequent.
WALKING THE GRID
We spent a lot of our time here walking around the town and taking in the sights.
Vung Tau is a gorgeous place and, although not necessarily too popular with backpackers, was certainly seen as a holiday getaway for Vietnamese.
It seemed that we were here during quiet season though, as the town was fairly quiet most nights, but I really enjoyed walking around here during the quiet times. It made for a pleasant contrast, after the craziness of Ho Chi Minh.
The local bicycle taxis were under-utilised during the quiet time:
On the beach front there were some beautiful gardens, interspersed with interesting and somewhat sexual sculptures.
Make of that what you will….
VUNG TAU BEACH
The beach in Vung Tau was well kept and seemed to be a nice retreat for the locals on their lunch hour.
While we were there having a swim, we noticed this guy donning a hard hat while enjoying a dip in the sea.
Who doesn’t need a hard hat for a swim?
It got a little busier later in the day and here we could see lots of locals (and possibly Vietnamese holiday makers) indulging in a bit of sea time:
Along the sea front was a beautiful promenade that people would walk and cycle along, admiring the sea view:
As was the case generally with seaside Vietnamese towns, there was a huge fishing industry and the majority of restaurants were stocked to the gills (pun intended) with seafood dishes. Definitely worth trying the local seafood when in town!
You could see many fishing boats lining the shore and fisherman sorting out their equipment on the beach.
We found many amazing spots to relax and have a coffee and watch the sun set over the ocean. This is where my love affair with Vietnamese coffee started. Trust me. It’s incredible.
Vung Tau was such a peaceful place to visit and I was excited to what else the Vietnamese coastline had to offer.
After three days here we headed to a town called Ho Tram for one night. Read on to see what this place had to offer.
