The US military established a Rest and Recuperation (R&R) Center at Vung Tau. The Viet Cong also used Vung Tau for R&R, as did Australian and New Zealand troops. The 3rd Platoon of the 10st RRC had the severe misfortune of working a mission there on occasion, where they worked in air-conditioned buildings. They recall that there were a lot of bars and nightclubs downtown, along with plenty of cau bois (young thugs, pronounced ‘cowboys’), and that the beaches were beautiful. One day, while ‘working’ at the beach, they swam out to the Ionnis K, a Greek freighter that had run aground, sustaining extensive bottom damage, and had been abandoned. They climbed a rope up to the steel deck, which scorched their bare feet. Looking over the side, they viewed a large barracuda swimming around just below the water’s surface. It’s time to make a decision – blistered feet or fish food? One fish can’t eat them all, can it?
The city, which does have wealthy residents, has a middle-class feel to it. There are well-maintained parks and residential neighborhoods. Vung Tau, being located on the tip of a peninsula, is nearly surrounded by beach. On the east is Front Beach, and on the west is Back Beach, both on the South China Sea. Today, Front Beach is geared more toward ex-patriots, while Back Beach draws more tourists and Vietnamese.
Being the sunniest place in Vietnam, it has been a favorite retreat from Saigon for more than a hundred years. As it was during the war, Vung Tau is still a party town with plenty of sunshine, surf, good food, over a hundred bars and clubs to choose from, and even a few discos, for those who for whatever inexplicable reason, have a fondness for that particular era.
Vung Tau has not always been a place to lie on the beach all day and party into the night. In fact, in the 14th and 15th centuries, the entire area was a swamp, where European ships would anchor. Vung Tau means ‘anchorage,’ but this name was bestowed upon the town much later. It was first called Tam Thrang, or Three Boats, in reference to the three original villages in the area. When Malay pirates build a base in the area, posing a danger to traders in Gia Dinh (later renamed ‘Saigon’) in the early 19th century, Emperor Gia Dinh sent an army to engage and disperse the pirates. As a reward for their success, the emperor’s troops were given the land. February, 1859, saw the first use of Nguyen Dynasty cannon, as they fired at French battleships which sat off the coast of Vung Tau’s Front Beach. In 1901, when the area had been decreed by the French governor to be called ‘Cap Saint Jacques,’ most of the population of 6,000 made their living in dancing. Paul Doumer, French Governor of Indochina,1897-1902, , built a mansion on a hill in Vung Tau overlooking the sea. He became President of France in 1931 and was promptly assassinated eleven months later. His mansion, however, which is generally called “La Villa Blanche,” remains a prominent landmark.
During the 1960s, Vietnamese General Nguyen Khanh and American General William Westmoreland considered Vung Tau as a possible evacuation point if that became a necessity. This proved to be prophetic. Following the war, many of the Vietnamese ‘boat people’ fled the new government via Vung Tau, hoping they would be picked up by passing ships before they ran out of food and water, their craft was capsized and they perished, or they were set upon by pirates, who were plentiful in the South China Sea at the time. Another outcome which many of them met with was to be turned back, arrested, and imprisoned.
Vung Tau’s historic significance as a seaport, especially during French rule, has diminished substantially. Since the discovery of large oil deposits in 1981, the offshore oil industry has become very important to the area, making Vung Tau the wealthiest province in Vietnam. Oil and gas exploitation dominate the city’s economy and contribute mightily to the country’s exports. PEB Steel also operates several factories here, and the shipyard has been rebuilt in the past few years.
The city of Vung Tau has welcomed visitors for 150 years. They come from Saigon for the weekend and ocean breeze. Surfers and joggers come here, and seafood lovers visit for the outstanding restaurants with a laidback beach town atmosphere. Australian veterans come here every August to remember the Battle of Long Tan, in which 106 Australians and 3 New Zealanders successfully fought off 2,500 attacking Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars, losing but 18 men.
The population of over a half-million people includes thousands of westerners who have made this their home. They are predominately Americans and Australians, but there is also a Russian community in Vung Tau. A few of these expats have opened their own restaurants, bars, and other businesses.
The most prevalent religion in Vung Tau is Mahayana Buddhism, which is dominant throughout Vietnam. Before the arrival of the ethnic Vietnamese in the area, it was populated by the Khmer people, who practice Theravada Buddhism. There are three notable Buddhist temples in Vung Tau – Thich Ca Phat Dai, Pho Da Son Quan Am Bo Tat Tu, and Niet Ban Tich Xa, to which many Vietnamese Buddhists make annual pilgrimages. Vung Tau also has fourteen active Catholic wards, and the Russian community has established a Russian Orthodox church in Vung Tau. The Vung Tau Christian minority has erected a statue of ‘Christ the King’ atop Nho Mountain, which sits between Vun Tau’s Front Beach and Back Beach and looks to the South over the sea. The statue is 32 meters tall, and its outstretched arms span 18.4 meters. Construction of the statue began in 1974 and was completed in 1993.
Another Buddhist temple of note is the Mieu Ba, or ‘Mistress temple,” built on the peak of Hon Ba Island in 1881. The temple has a 6 kilometers long tunnel which was used as a secret meeting place for the communists during both the French and American wars. Today, the temple is used for religious rituals in January, April, July and October. Normally, Hon Ba can be reached only by boat. At low-tide on the 14th and 15th days of the lunar cycle, though, a secret causeway of rocks and coral becomes accessible, making it possible to walk to the island. The timing, though, has to be right in order to avoid being stranded.
Vung Tau is constantly in development. The city has seen a lot of investment in the past decades in resorts and luxury hotels, as well as shopping, sailing and entertainment venues. It draws many tourists, not only for the beach and atmosphere, but for the Whale Holiday, the Kite Festival, and the World Food Festival. Not only does it have fine restaurants and street food vendors, it also has beachside concession stands. Some food vendors walk the beach plying their wares.
