Day Trips From Vũng Tàu: Top Places Within Easy Reach

Long Hải, Hồ Tràm, and Núi Dinh are the top day trips within a one-hour drive of Vũng Tàu. Long Hải sits 25 kilometers east along coastal Highway 44A. It offers a slower pace than Vũng Tàu, with an active morning fishing beach and the historic Dinh Cô temple right on the shoreline. Local fishing boats land early each morning, making Phước Hải village just past Long Hải an ideal stop for fresh steamed squid. A taxi or rented motorbike covers the route in 35 to 45 minutes.

Hồ Tràm lies 45 kilometers northeast of Vũng Tàu and works well as a full-day coastal excursion. The drive takes roughly one hour along the coastal road passing through Lộc An. The area features wide beaches bordered by natural melaleuca forests and quiet resorts. Continuing another 20 kilometers east leads to Bình Châu Hot Springs, where natural thermal pools and mud baths sit inside a forest reserve. Day passes for mineral pool access start from $10 (approximate).

Núi Dinh mountain sits in Bà Rịa, 30 kilometers north of Vũng Tàu along National Route 51. The mountain rises roughly 500 meters above sea level. It features walking paths through shaded forest leading to freshwater streams like Suối Tiên and Suối Đá. Pagodas like Chùa Hang and Chùa Phật Quang sit along the slopes. Routes range from gentle 30-minute walks along stream beds to two-hour climbs up to an old hilltop helicopter pad overlooking the valley.

A direct car and passenger ferry connects Vũng Tàu to Cần Giờ across Gành Rái Bay in about 30 minutes. Boats depart from Vũng Tàu's Bến Đá terminal to Cần Giờ's Tắc Suất terminal multiple times daily. Foot passenger tickets start from $3 (approximate). On the Cần Giờ side, travelers can tour mangrove waterways by wooden boat, visit monkey sanctuaries, and eat grilled seafood at Hàng Dương market before catching an afternoon return ferry.