Vung Tau weekend trip from Ho Chi Minh City: a 2-day plan for 2026

No flight, no border, one night in a hotel with a sea view, and you're back home by Sunday evening.

One admin detail you will see on maps and booking sites: since 1 July 2025 the former Ba Ria–Vung Tau province has been part of Ho Chi Minh City. On paper you never leave the city. In practice it's still 95 km of road or two hours on the water.

Below: three ways to time the trip, how to get there, an hour-by-hour itinerary, three budgets in VND and USD, what to eat, and nine tips that save time. Prices are current as of September 2026 at $1 ≈ 26 000 VND.

Why Vung Tau works for a weekend

Vung Tau gives you three things Saigon can't: a beach within walking distance of your hotel, seafood at roughly a third of city-restaurant prices, and quiet once you close the door. In 48 hours you can fit in the beach, the 32-metre Christ statue, an 1862 lighthouse, the night market and at least one plate of proper bánh khọt in a plastic-stool diner.

The real argument is distance. From Tân Sơn Nhất airport it's 125 km on the old highway, or about 95 km on the new cao tốc Biên Hòa – Vũng Tàu expressway (CT.28). The fast boat takes two hours and the bus a little longer. A return bus ticket for two costs about $15–25; the ferry both ways for two is closer to $50. Either is cheaper than a flight to Phu Quoc.

Other weekend options from Saigon: Mui Ne (about 5 hours, kitesurfing), Bến Tre and Can Tho in the Mekong Delta (rice fields and floating markets), or Con Dao (a flight, or a fast boat from Vung Tau of 4 hours or more, with wild beaches and a prison museum). On travel time versus reward, Vung Tau wins.

When to leave: three scenarios

Timing matters more than transport. On Friday evening the road out of Saigon can turn a two-hour drive into something much longer, and Vung Tau hotels charge 20–30% more on weekend nights. These are the three plans that work.

Scenario B is the one most people pick. The 08:00 boat from Bến Bạch Đằng is the nicest way to start a weekend. Cargo ships work the Saigon River, the mangroves open up after an hour, and by 10:00 you're at the pier next to Ho May park (1A Trần Phú). Check-in is usually 14:00, but most hotels will hold your bag at reception.

When the season matters more than the day

The dry season in Vung Tau runs from November to April: 25–30 °C, a calm sea and the odd 20-minute shower. From May to October afternoons bring heavy rain, and in August–September the sea gets rough enough for GreenlinesDP to cancel some sailings.

Around Tết (Lunar New Year, late January to mid-February) half of Saigon seems to head for Vung Tau. Hotel prices go up by about half, Cây Bàng and Gành Hào take bookings only, and boats sell out a week ahead. For a quiet trip, pick early December or March–April.

The month-by-month picture is in our Vung Tau weather guide.

Getting there from Ho Chi Minh City

There are four ways to do Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau: the fast boat, the bus, Grab or a taxi, and a motorbike. With light bags, take the boat or the bus. Four people with suitcases will pay about the same for a Grab as for four ferry tickets.

Saigon to Vung Tau ferry (GreenlinesDP)

The most enjoyable way to go. The Bach Dang pier is at 10B Tôn Đức Thắng (the old District 1; since the 2025 reform it's in phường Sài Gòn), opposite the Majestic hotel. It's a 15-minute walk from Bùi Viện.

On weekdays four boats leave Saigon: 08:00, 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00. At weekends 09:00 and 16:00 are added. Boats back from Vung Tau run between 10:00 and 16:00, and the 16:00 is the last one, weekdays and weekends alike.

An adult ticket costs 320 000 VND (~$12) on weekdays and 350 000 VND (~$13.50) at weekends and on holidays. Children aged 6–11 pay 270 000–290 000 VND. Book three or more days ahead through the operator's app or website and you can sometimes get it from 260 000 VND. Resellers often list the same seat at $13–17 with fees added. The cabin is air-conditioned, with airline-style seats.

In high season, book 3–5 days out or you may be left with the last boat of the day. Book at greenlines-dp.com, in the GreenlinesDP app, or through Klook or GetYourGuide. If a sailing is cancelled for weather, the refund goes back to your card in 3–7 working days.

Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau by bus: FUTA, Hoa Mai, Kumho Samco

The cheapest way. Buses leave Miền Đông Mới (New Eastern Bus Terminal), in the north-east of the city on the old boundary between Thu Duc and Dĩ An, every 15–20 minutes from 04:00 to 19:30. A ticket is 100 000–160 000 VND (~$4–6). For about 50 000 VND (~$2) more, the shuttle van will pick you up from your address in the centre.

Buses have air-con, Wi-Fi and USB charging. Allow 2–2.5 hours on weekdays and up to 3.5 hours on Friday between 17:00 and 20:00, when traffic backs up at Long Thành. Since 2026 some services use the new CT.28 expressway, which cuts 30–45 minutes.

Sit on the left: once you're out of the city you get rice fields and rubber plantations on that side.

Grab and taxis

With family or lots of bags, a Grab door to door costs 1 200 000–1 600 000 VND (~$46–62). Split four ways, it's close to the ferry and you skip the piers.

The Bien Hoa–Vung Tau expressway (CT.28) opened in spring 2026: a temporary opening on 29 April and the full route in May. It saves 30–45 minutes. Tolls on it and on the connecting sections are being introduced in stages, so check the final fare in the app. When you book, ask for đi cao tốc (take the expressway), because drivers don't always use toll roads by default.

Grab isn't the only option. Be is the local rival and usually a little cheaper, and Xanh SM runs VinFast electric cars that feel roomier in high season.

Motorbike

Only if you already rent and ride motorbikes in Vietnam with confidence. Highway QL51 is 95 km of decent tarmac, but it's full of trucks. Rentals in Saigon start at 150 000 VND (~$6) a day at shops like Tigit Motorbikes or RentABike.

Budget 2.5–3 hours with a coffee stop in Long Thành or a seafood break in Bà Rịa. A suitcase is a pain, and a helmet and closed shoes are non-negotiable. Fuel costs about 20 000–25 000 VND (~$0.80–1) a litre, and there are plenty of stations on the way.

Where to stay for one night

Vung Tau has around 650 hotels, from $5 dorm beds to the five-star Imperial, with its private beach, and Pullman. For a single night the choice comes down to two questions: which beach and what budget.

Back Beach or Front Beach?

Back Beach (Bãi Sau) is the main beach strip: 8 km of sand, sunbeds, restaurants, the night market and bars. At weekends it's loud, because thousands of families drive down from Saigon. If you want beach, dinner and some buzz in one night, stay here.

Front Beach (Bãi Trước) is the old part of town, with the promenade, a park and colonial buildings. Don't swim there (dirty water, boats everywhere), but the sunsets and evening walks are among the best in southern Vietnam. If you care more about quiet and architecture, pick Front Beach.

For one night, Back Beach makes more sense: you can swim in the morning before you leave. Front Beach works if you're staying until late on Sunday and want a sunset on the promenade.

When to book

Monday to Thursday you can find a room the day before. On weekends from November to March, Pullman and Imperial fill up 2–3 weeks ahead, and around Tết a month ahead. Friday and Saturday rates run 20–30% above Thursday's. Booking.com and Agoda both work fine with foreign cards.

Vung Tau itinerary: 2 days, 1 night

This itinerary follows scenario B: the 08:00 boat on Saturday and the 16:00 boat back on Sunday. If you come by bus or on Friday evening, shift the blocks by an hour or so either way.

• GreenlinesDP pier at Ho May (Bến tàu Hồ Mây): 1A Tran Phu, the boat from Saigon arrives here — Last boat back at 16:00 — Pin position is approximate
• Back Beach (Bãi Sau): 8 km of sand — Sunbed with umbrella 80 000 VND (~$3)
• Front Beach (Bãi Trước): Promenade and the best sunsets — Not for swimming
• Christ of Vung Tau (Tượng Chúa Kitô Vua): 32 m, about 800 steps — Free, 07:00–17:00
• Vung Tau Lighthouse (Hải Đăng Vũng Tàu): Since 1862, about 10 000 VND — 360° views
• White Palace (Bạch Dinh): Colonial governor-general's villa — 15 000 VND, 07:00–17:00
• Ho May cable car (Cáp Treo Hồ Mây): Day ticket with cable car 500 000 VND — Evening 200 000 VND, 08:00–22:00
• Co Ba banh khot (Quán Bánh Khọt Cô Ba): 60 000 VND (~$2.30) for 10 pieces — Opens at 07:00
• Cay Bang seafood (Nhà Hàng Cây Bàng): Seafood since the 1980s — Lobster 800 000 VND/kg
• Xom Luoi night market (Chợ Đêm Xóm Lưới): 17:00–23:00 — Seafood cooked to order and fruit
• Pullman Vung Tau (Pullman Vũng Tàu): 5★, rooftop pool — From ~$65 a night
• Bai Dua (Bãi Dứa): Quiet rocky cove — Few visitors

Day 1, Saturday: check in, beach, dinner, night market

What the main stops cost: a sunbed with umbrella is 80 000 VND (~$3), a Ho May day ticket with the cable car is 500 000 VND (~$19) and the evening ticket 200 000 VND (~$8), and a seafood dinner for two runs 600 000–1 200 000 VND (~$23–46).

Day 2, Sunday: sunrise, the statue, the lighthouse, home

If the last boat is sold out, take a FUTA bus at 17:00 or 19:00 (arriving around 19:30 or 21:30). Book ahead in high season.

It's hot, and it's humid. By 09:00 the steps up to the statue are already at 28 °C, so bring water and a hat. In the rainy season, swap the cable car for a massage at Pullman or Imperial (about 1 200 000 VND, ~$46, for an hour).

How much a weekend costs

These are real per-person figures for someone travelling as a couple, not counting flights to Vietnam. Prices as of September 2026, without tips or souvenirs.

Budget: around $40–45

A FUTA bus both ways, a hostel on Back Beach and street food: bánh mì for 25 000 VND, phở for 50 000 VND, the Xom Luoi market for dinner. You walk everywhere, and the statue and the beach cost nothing. A realistic plan for a solo traveller or a couple of students.

Mid-range: around $110–130

The boat one way for the views, the bus back to save money. A four-star hotel with a pool, dinner at Cây Bàng and the Ho May cable car. Good for a couple celebrating something, or a family with teenagers.

Splurge: $300 and up

A suite at the Imperial with its private beach, dinner at The Imperial Restaurant, a spa session at Pullman, a beer at Czech Brewery, and Grab door to door. This is the version for a birthday, an anniversary or a business traveller who wants a proper break.

Ways to save

• Many beach cafés let you have a sunbed free if you order drinks. Get a coconut and a beer and keep the 80 000 VND
• Cây Bàng has a two-dish minimum, but the portions are big. Two people eat well on one plate of prawns and one fish
• A portion of bánh khọt at Cô Ba is 60 000 VND for 10 pieces, enough breakfast for two
• Ho May tickets are 5% cheaper on the park's own website, and the evening ticket (200 000 VND) costs less than half the day ticket

The bill is mostly cash. Hotels and bigger restaurants take Visa and Mastercard, but seafood stalls, the night market and street food want dong. Withdraw in Saigon or at a bank ATM in town and check the dong exchange rate before you change money.

What to eat

Eating in Vung Tau means seafood and bánh khọt. In one night you can fit two or three proper meals, each about a third of what the same dinner costs in central Saigon. Everything outside this weekend route is in our Vung Tau food guide.

Bánh khọt at Cô Ba

Small crispy rice-flour pancakes with a shrimp on top, coconut milk and spring onion. They come with lettuce, mint and sweet-and-sour nước chấm for dipping. Quán Bánh Khọt Cô Ba has been on Nguyễn Trường Tộ street since the 1990s, a 10-minute walk from Back Beach.

A portion of 10 costs 60 000 VND (~$2.30), and two portions feed two people. Weekends between 09:00 and 11:00 there's a queue, so come at opening (07:00) or after 14:00. Plastic tables, Vietnamese families at the next table. That's the recommendation.

Seafood at Cây Bàng

Nhà Hàng Cây Bàng has been around since the 1980s. Lobster is 800 000 VND (~$31) a kilo, tiger prawns 450 000 VND (~$17) a kilo, grilled scallops 30 000 VND each. You pick from the tanks and they cook it while you wait. For two, with one lobster, a plate of prawns and beer, expect 1 200 000–1 500 000 VND (~$46–58). The same meal in Saigon would be 3 000 000–4 000 000 VND.

Other options: Lẩu Cá Tư Hiền for fish hotpot (250 000 VND, ~$10, for two), or Gành Hào 1, more touristy but with a sea view.

Xom Luoi night market

Chợ Đêm Xóm Lưới runs from 17:00 to 23:00. You buy seafood by the kilo and they grill or boil it on the spot. Prawns go for 200 000–300 000 VND/kg (~$8–12), squid for 250 000 VND/kg, oysters for 80 000 VND a dozen.

Where not to eat

The tourist restaurants along Thùy Vân with long menus in English, Chinese and Russian are a trap. The seafood there is two or three days old and costs about half as much again as at Cây Bàng. The tell: an empty dining room at 19:00 on a Saturday and loud touts outside.

Things to do in Vung Tau in one weekend

Over a weekend you can realistically do three sights well: the Christ statue, the lighthouse and a Front Beach sunset. Leave the rest for next time.

Christ of Vung Tau (Tượng Chúa Kitô Vua)

The statue is 32 metres tall. Work started in 1974 and finished in 1993, and it stands on top of Small Mountain (Núi Nhỏ). It is billed as the largest Christ statue in Asia and is 2 metres taller than the figure on Corcovado in Rio. A 133-step staircase inside takes you up to the shoulders and a viewing platform.

From the bottom it's about 800 steps on a shaded stairway. At the top you see the whole peninsula: Front Beach on one side, Back Beach on the other, oil rigs on the horizon.

Open 07:00–17:00. Entry is free; you only pay for parking at the foot of the hill. Cover shoulders and knees (they lend sarongs at the entrance). Go at 07:00 or after 15:30 to avoid the queue and the heat.

Vung Tau Lighthouse (Hải Đăng Vũng Tàu)

The French built the first lighthouse here in 1862, making it one of the oldest working lighthouses in Southeast Asia. The white tower is 18 metres tall and visible from 35 km out at sea. The platform at its base gives you a 360° view: Big Mountain, Front Beach, the port and open water.

The road up is 800 metres of switchbacks, 20–30 minutes on foot. Entry is about 10 000 VND. It's open in daylight hours, and a tiny café at the top sells coffee and coconuts for 30 000 VND.

Front Beach sunset and the promenade

Sunset on Bãi Trước is the best free show in town. Between 17:30 and 18:30 in the dry season the sun drops straight into the sea behind fishing boats and palms. The Quang Trung promenade fills with locals: benches, sugarcane juice carts, grilled corn, kids on rollerblades.

What won't fit into a weekend

• The water park (far from the centre, and average)
• A day in Long Hải (30 km away, separate logistics; easier with a Vung Tau tour)
• The Côn Đảo islands (4 hours or more by fast boat, so a holiday of its own)
• Camping at Hồ Tràm (you need a car and another night)

To go deeper, come for 3–4 days and start with the Vung Tau travel guide. The full list of Vung Tau attractions covers more than 20 places with prices and hours.

Vung Tau beaches · Tours from Vung Tau · Con Dao islands guide

9 tips for the trip

These nine tips save at least an hour and a few dollars over a weekend.

1. Book the boat 3–5 days ahead in high season (December to March, and public holidays). On Friday to Sunday the later sailings sell out a week before. Use greenlines-dp.com, the GreenlinesDP app, Klook or GetYourGuide.
2. Don't leave Saigon on Friday between 16:00 and 19:00. City traffic plus the Long Thành bottleneck adds about two hours. Leave at 14:00 or after 20:00.
3. Ask your Grab driver for "đi cao tốc". The CT.28 expressway saves 30–45 minutes, but not every driver takes toll roads by default.
4. Check out by 12:00 on Sunday and leave your bag at reception. Most hotels store luggage free until you go. A beach afternoon without a suitcase is a much better afternoon.
5. Go up to the Christ statue at 07:00 or after 15:30. On Saturday from 09:00 to 11:00 the steps are crowded and it's 30 °C. Early, you get it almost to yourself and your photos are empty.
6. Carry cash. Seafood places, the night market and street stalls rarely take cards. Take dong out in Saigon or at a bank in town; Vietcombank on Quang Trung has better rates than hotel exchange desks.
7. Sort your SIM or eSIM in Saigon. A Viettel or Mobifone tourist SIM is about $5 for 30 GB. Prices are the same in Vung Tau, but weekend queues are longer. More in our Vietnam SIM card guide.
8. Don't drink tap water, even in a 5★ hotel. Bottled Lavie is 10 000 VND a litre at any 7-Eleven or Circle K.
9. Allow an extra 30 minutes on Sunday between 16:00 and 18:00. Everyone leaves at once and traffic jams up near Bãi Trước. Get to the pier or bus station early.

Visa-wise the trip changes nothing: Vung Tau is inside Ho Chi Minh City, so there's no checkpoint, but your e-visa or visa-free stay still has to be valid. The current rules by passport are in our Vietnam visa guide. If you're based in Saigon and plan to do this often, the Ho Chi Minh City guide covers neighbourhoods, transport and banking.

Common first-timer mistakes

These mistakes come up for almost everyone on their first Vung Tau trip. Reading about them costs less than a ruined weekend.

1. Expecting turquoise water. Vung Tau isn't Phu Quoc or Cam Ranh. The water off the town beaches is murky from river silt, especially July to September. For clear sea, fly to Phu Quoc or Cam Ranh. People come here for seafood, the statue and the feel of a real Vietnamese seaside town.

2. Swimming at Front Beach. The water is cloudy, there are lots of boats and the bottom is muddy. Swim at Back Beach or Bãi Dứa and keep Front Beach for walks and sunsets.

3. Eating at the tourist restaurants on Thùy Vân. Five-language menus, touts on the pavement and prices half as much again as Cây Bàng. Go where Vietnamese families are eating and point at what looks good.

4. Booking a hotel the day before for a weekend. In the dry season (November to March) Pullman, Imperial and Malibu sell out 2–3 weeks ahead. Turn up without a booking and you'll end up in the residential blocks in the north of town or in Long Hải.

5. Not checking the boat in bad weather. Between May and October GreenlinesDP sometimes cancels sailings when the sea is rough. If it's pouring in Saigon on Friday night, check greenlines-dp.com or call the hotline on 0988 009 579 before you set off on Saturday.

6. Spending half a day on the Ho May cable car. It's a nice ride, but 1 000 000 VND for two on the day ticket is hard to justify on a short trip. Without a car, pick the statue over the cable car.

7. Leaving the trip home to chance. In high season the last decent bus back is around 19:00, and after that it's overnight sleeper buses only. Book your return when you book the trip out.

FAQ: Vung Tau weekend questions

Read next: Vung Tau hotels · Vung Tau beaches · Vung Tau weather by month · Con Dao hotels

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