Weekend Visits to Vung Tau and Cat Tien Park, Vietnam

While living in Vietnam, we used our weekends to make several short trips out to other parts of southern Vietnam. All of these trips were a short ferry or drive out of the city.

Vung Tau
This was a popular weekend getaway, and the ferry ride was a much better way to get there than by car, because the traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) are horrendous! We travelled with friends and family a few times to enjoy the smaller city on the ocean. The fishing boats brought fresh seafood to our dinner plates. We were still able to book via Expedia.ca,

Getting There from Ho Chi Minh City

Vung Tau is about 95–125 km from Ho Chi Minh City and is one of the easiest coastal getaways from the city. Here are some current 2026 options:

• High-speed ferry: GreenlinesDP adult fares are VND 320,000 (about CA$17.50) one way Monday to Friday and VND 350,000 (about CA$19) on Saturdays and Sundays. The ferry connects Bach Dang in central Ho Chi Minh City with Vung Tau and takes about two hours. Senior and child fares are lower.
• Bus or limousine: Current shared limousine fares start at VND 300,000 (about CA$16.40), with departures listed at 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 17:00. The trip generally takes about 2–2.5 hours.
• Private car: A private 4–7 passenger car currently starts at VND 1,200,000 (about CA$66) for the vehicle. Larger private vehicles are available from about VND 2,300,000–2,500,000 (about CA$126–137). Door-to-door pickup makes this convenient for couples, families or groups with luggage.

Prices can change for holidays and busy weekends, so check the booking site before travelling. For us, the ferry was especially appealing because it avoided the road traffic and made the journey part of the getaway.

Dining in Vung Tau

For coffee, Lightroom Coffee is a popular choice close to the ferry terminal, with a scenic setting and views. It is a nice place to stop for coffee and a relaxed breakfast or brunch.

For dinner, Gành Hào Seafood Restaurant on Trần Phú is a popular waterfront choice. It specializes in seafood and has tables overlooking the water, making it especially attractive around sunset. The restaurant has two Vung Tau locations, including the original at 03 Trần Phú.

Why Vung Tau Makes a Great Weekend Getaway

Vung Tau is a great weekend escape because it gives you a genuine change of pace without requiring a flight. In roughly two hours, you can go from Ho Chi Minh City’s busy streets to beaches, ocean views, cafés, fresh seafood and coastal walks. It is compact enough to explore over a weekend but has enough restaurants, viewpoints and beaches to keep the visit interesting.

Three Reasons to Consider a Longer Stay

1. Easy access to Ho Chi Minh City: You can still get into the city for appointments, shopping, family visits or other activities without living in the middle of its traffic and noise.
2. A coastal lifestyle: Beaches, seaside walking areas, cafés, seafood restaurants and mountain viewpoints make it easy to build everyday activities around being outdoors.
3. A practical base for slower travel: Vung Tau has a well-established accommodation, restaurant and service infrastructure, plus an international and expat community. That makes it worth considering for travellers who want to settle into one place for several weeks or months rather than constantly moving on.

For us, the appeal of Vung Tau was simple: it offered fresh seafood, ocean air and a chance to slow down without travelling far from Ho Chi Minh City. That combination makes it worth considering for both a quick weekend and a longer, slower stay.

Cat Tien National Park
We hired a driver and made the 3.5 hour drive to Cat Tien National Park and stayed at the Cat Tien Jungle Lodge. and our favourite hotel was the Pullman. We even splurged on the breakfast buffet one morning- which was a reasonable price in comparison to prices back in Canada.
We enjoyed the less polluted air, the night markets, fresh seafood and pizza and a chance to be near the ocean.

Cat Tien National Park
We hired a driver and made the 3.5 hour drive to Cat Tien National Park and stayed at the Cat Tien Jungle Lodge. They were very accommodating and helpful. The lodge arranged our tours and it’s a very short walk to catch the ferry across the river to the Park. The ferry takes 5 mins to cross.

We hiked in the hot jungle to admire the huge redwood trees. I had never realized how many different kinds of vines there were. Since it was the dry season the insects were quite manageable! We did not see much wildlife (heat and time of day) and so, luckily, no snakes. It was a nice change from that of traffic noise and pollution to one of clear blue skies and the sounds of insects and birds. The night time noises were amazingly loud but very cool to hear. We enjoyed the lodge’s pool overlooking the river and park. We really enjoyed the conversation with our travel companions too! We also visited the Dao Tien Primate Rescue Centre. It does its best to rehabilitate rescued primates. It’s been illegal to capture the Pygmy Loris and the Golden Cheeked Gibbon since 2007 but many locals are financially lured by the illegal pet trade. Attitudes are slowly changing. The centre tries to make people aware of the need to protect these endangered species. One little guy had only been there 3 days. He was rescued when a student had contacted them through http://go-east.org/ to report that his school had a gibbon for their mascot! Once the primates arrive they are caged until they are medically fit and then they are transferred to the 50 acres of semi-open area to learn how to feed themselves and to start learning how to socialize. If that all goes well then they are fully released into the park. They track them with their radio collars and have had many successes. It was very exciting to see the good work being done.