Vung
Tau
About a 110km to the southeast of
Ho Chi Minh City is Vung Tau, a Vietnamese resort and the
centre of the country’s offshore oil industry, but a grubby
reputation acquired during Vietnam’s black gold bonanza
has dimmed. It’s a busy city with a few poor beaches, an
attractive summer palace, a couple of interesting temples
and other attractions and not much else. Nevertheless, Vung
Tau and its hinterland have enough attractions to make a
short visit worthwhile.
Vung
Tau is also the place to board a boat, plane or helicopter
to visit the remote Con Dao Archipelago, 180km away.
Vung
Tau’s history
Vung Tau has a long history. It’s believed that Portuguese
merchantmen anchored in the deep waters of the bay for shelter
and provisioning during the 15th century. In the 16th century,
it was used by the Kh’mer kings as a place to water their
elephants. The first settlements appeared during the reign
of Emperor Gia Long. At that time, Malay bandits and pirates
were active in the area region, threatening the nascent
trading centre.
Gia
Long deployed three garrisons of troops to deal with the
problem. In 1822, Emperor Ming Mang rewarded the three commanders
who had led the army to victory by assisting them to establish
three settlements in the area, which they became known as
Tam Thang (Three Wins). The modern name came later. The
geography in the area forms a natural bay where many merchant
ships sought shelter, hence Vung (puddle) Tau (ships).
The
French began Vung Tau’s role as a seaside resort by building
several fine villas to provide comfortable retreats for
civil servants and officials from Saigon, including the
Governor General of Indochina. Later, the last Emperor,
Bao Dai, had a holiday palace built not far away – today
it’s a luxury resort hotel.
Vung
Tau’s attractions
These do not include the beaches in the city, all of which
are small, grubby and poor for swimming!
The
most spectacular item of interest is the ‘giant Jesus’,
a 30m high figure along the lines of the statue in Rio de
Janeiro. It’s large enough to accommodate six people on
each of the viewing platforms on the arms. Niet Ban Tinh
Xa is a modern pagoda built ion the side of a hill. Reputedly
the largest in Vietnam, it boasts a half-tonne bell and
a 12m reclining Buddha.
A
late afternoon walk to the lighthouse on the top of Small
Mountain will reward you with excellent views.
In
the town, the Lang Ca Ong temple is dedicated to the whale.
It is one of a number of fishing areas where the little-understood
‘whale
cult’ of Vietnam is established. Inside are whale skeletons
revered as votive objects, and photographs of the rituals
and ceremonies involved in worshipping.
Probably
Vung Tau’s best attraction is the former residence of Paul
Doumer, the Governor General of Indochina (1897-1902), generally
considered to have been the architect of the colonial system
in Vietnam. Although the building and gardens are notable
in their own right, its main appeal is a selection of the
exquisite Ching Dynasty Chinese ceramics salvaged in 1990
from the Vung Tau shipwreck off Con Dao Island at the end
of the seventeenth century. The bulk of the enormous hoard
was auctioned in Amsterdam but the villa contains some splendid
pieces, some still encrusted with coral.
Near
Vung Tau
Twenty kilometres from the city is Long Hai town, once a
fishing village and now a decent small resort popular with
Vietnamese people. During the American war, about seven
thousand Australian soldiers were stationed in the area.
Many former soldiers, and the families and friends of the
423 servicemen and technicians who died in Vietnam, return
to visit the battle grounds and graves.
