Hanoi (VNA) – Vung Tau belongs to Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. It is a coastal city with 42km of coastline surrounded by Big mountain (Tuong Ky mountain) which is 245m high and Little mountain (Tao Phung mountain), 170m high.
On the Little Mountain there is a lighthouse which is 18m in height, reaching to 30 nautical miles and has a lifetime of over 100 years. It is considered the oldest lighthouse in Vietnam. On the Big mountain is May lake, a large freshwater lake and primeval forest.
The city is surrounded by the sea, primeval forests, high mountains, in addition to rivers and many large lakes to help the climate here cool and peaceful all the year round. In the city there are many trees and flowers everywhere.
Vung Tau has ideal beaches for relaxation such as the Back Beach, Front Beach, Dau and Dua beaches.
Shakyamuni Buddhist Temple
This is one of the largest temples of Vung Tau located on Tran Phu street. The temple gate is elaborately built with reinforced cement, carved on the marble with words “Sakyamuni Buddha.” In the temple there is a stupa with the relics of Buddha, the statute of Buddha sitting on the lotus and many relics of Buddhism. The temple is a unique architecture. When constructing the stupa, people used materials brought from the homeland of Buddha.
Statue of Christ
The statue of Christ the King atop Little Mountain, built in 1974 as a religious site, belongs to Ba Ria Diocese managed by Vung Tau parish. The work was interrupted for a while. Under the authorization of Bishop Xuan Loc, Father Peter Tran Van Huyen, parish priest of Vung Tau along with parishioners everywhere participated in the reconstruction. By 1994, the project was completed and officially welcomed all visitors. This is also one of the places that tourists visit the most.
The statue of Christ in Vung Tau (Vietnam) is 32m high, considered the tallest statue of God in the world while the Statue of Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro) in Brazil is 30m high.
White Palace
Bach Dinh, or the White Palace of Vung Tau City is located at 4 Tran Phu Street, on the slop of Big Mountain. Standing 50 meter above the sea level, White Palace has its French name which is La Villa Blanche. Tracing back to the year of 1898, it was considered as a summer holiday villa of French Governor General Paul Doumer. This palace was named after his lovely daughter. Unfortunately, while the structure was being built, Doumer had to come back to France and became the President of France later. It was not until 1916 that it was officially used for holiday resting of some Indochina-French Governors. Once visiting the White Palace, you will be attracted by its all white appearance, which is the reason why people here call it “Bach Dinh” (“Bach” means white color in Vietnamese).
Since it was designed and constructed by French, this three-floor building was strongly influenced by French and a little bit Greek style with the height of 19 meters and length of 25 meters.
Little mountain, Big Mountain
Little Mountain is one of the two mountains in Vung Tau city, located close to the sea. At the foot of the mountain is the coastal road of Ha Long which is recognized as the most beautiful road in Vietnam with many hotels, restaurants and cafes. On the mountain is the Vung Tau Lighthouse and the famous Christ Statue.
Big Mountain is one of the two beautiful mountains of the coastal city. On this mountain locatedt the White Palace and Thich Ca Phat Dai. On the mountain is the Ho May tourist area. Around the mountain there is the coastal road of Tran Phu surrounded the beautiful beaches. sThere is a cable car project connecting these two mountains.
Nghinh Phong Cape
Nghinh Phong cape is the longest stretching point in the south of Vung Tau peninsula. This is the place to receive wind during the four seasons, thus it is named Nghinh Phong. It creates two beaches, namely Vong Nguyet and Huong Phong, two large bays in the West and East.
Hill of Pigs
Located right behind Bai Sau (or Back Beach), the Hill of Pigs is considered a natural lighthouse of Vung Tau city. The path leading to the peak is rough but as soon as people set a foot on the top of the hill, the stunning panorama view wipes out any tiredness.
There are many rumours surrounding the name “Hill of Pigs”. Among those, the most popular above all is that local people in the past used to breed pigs on the hill./.
