Vung Tau One of the nice things about visiting Vietnam has been the opportunity to reconnect with a very good friend from my school days. He’s living in Saigon and suggested that we spend a couple of days in a resort called Vung Tau, which is reachable from the city by a hydrofoil service. Rooms were booked and off we set. The views on the way out there weren’t as impressive as they may have been, Vietnamese people don’t like being exposed to the sunshine and the closed cabin in which we were all seated, although comfortable, had the curtains partly closed. Never having heard of our destination I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the lovely, clean modern city-by-the-sea that we landed at. I’ve been surprised at just how much money there is in Vietnam, it’s visible in the amount and quality of infrastructure investment there is. And it’s very evident in this resort. Vung tau occupies a peninsula, one side of which has a bay which houses a fleet of small fishing boats and is also home to the restaurants and bars which form the ‘Golden Triangle’ of a lively nightlife. On the other side is a very long beach with a wide marble-tiled promenade. A six lane road runs parallel with this and is itself lined with a strip of hotels, restaurants and apartments. There’s the usual assortment of square unimaginative blocks, which spring up in almost every coastal city worldwide, but there’s also a selection of buildings done in that brightly coloured, slightly nautical, cod art-deco that was so popular in many British seaside resorts, to me it’s nostalgic and cheerful, Morecambe but with sun. Because of the long ‘prom’ and the broad road there’s also a slight ‘Riviera’ feel. The weather’s glorious and the place is a real treat, we’ve secured a top notch hotel right on the ‘front’ for not much more than £15 per room, but here’s the thing. Aside from some locals and the inevitable touts selling sunglasses and hats, we’ve got the promenade more or less to ourselves. Now, in mitigation, apparently this is a weekend town, everybody piling in from Saigon at the end of the working week, but I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere that feels quite so strange. My mate hires a motorbike and I head off to explore on foot, wandering through Lidos with just a couple of people swimming in them, large, modern, well stocked malls of which I’m the only inhabitant, apart from bored staff, and along the lovely beach. The area is rich in ‘features’; some to lure in tourists and others devotional, although I’m sure a few pilgrims can’t hurt business. A ‘Christ the Redeemer’ style statue overlooks the bay, this edifice can be reached by scaling 800 steps and is large enough that you can climb into the arms. I had intended to give that a go on the second day but the beers on the first night put paid to that idea, unless I plan on meeting Christ himself sooner rather than later. Due to a slight sea mist, visibility is bad too but it’s mostly the beers. Exploration reveals lovely parks featuring sculptures which range from the outright kitsch to attractive and modern. There are also quirky places of worship, including a Christian church with Asian architectural touches and a Temple which seems to be a mix of the Buddhist and Hindu faiths, apparently there’s a Russian Orthodox Church which caters to Soviet ex-pats who’d been working here and stayed, but I didn’t come across that. A cable car provides transportation to a theme park which has roller coasters and zip lines but I pass – really shouldn’t have had those beers. There is a petro chemical industry here, although I saw no trace of it. Vung Tau is also a place of pilgrimage for many Australians as their troops were stationed here during the Vietnam War, there’s a memorial nearby and in fact quite a strong contingent of Aussies seem to be settled here, judging by the restaurants which have sprung up to cater for them. Visible from my hotel room is an offshore island which houses a Buddhist Temple, it’s reachable by a ‘causeway’. I’d somehow garnered the impression that access would be difficult, but on the last morning I glance out of my window and can see that it’s just past low tide and the island is do-able. Grabbing my camera and a plastic bag to put it in, just in case, I head down the beach and start to pick my way across the slick, randomly scattered rocks. My reward is a wonderful view back across the bay. This islet is supposed to be a place of great peace but unfortunately my OCD is speaking loud and clear about the incoming tide so I take my photos and have a brief potter before picking my way back to the beach, past the locals who are rummaging in the rock pools for tonight’s dinner or waist deep in the surf, casting nets. It’s been a great side trip, not least because I got a chance to spend more time with my friend than I have since we were both at school together. All that and beautiful surroundings too. We’re heading back to Saigon tomorrow afternoon and then I propose heading north to take a look at the famous Vietnamese coast. Next stop, Dalat.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 03:05:54 +0000