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Ba Ria - Vung Tau
Area: 1,989.6 sq. km.
Population: 926,3 thousand habitants (2006)
Capital: Vung Tau City
Administrative divisions:
Town: Ba Ria.
Districts: Chau Duc, Xuyen Moc,Tan Thanh, Long Dien, Dat Do, Con Dao.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Hoa, Cho Ro, Khmer...
Introduction: Geography, Tourism, Transportation.
Attraction:
- Historical & Cultural Vestiges: An Son Temple, Niet Ban Tinh Xa, Thich Ca Phat Dai.
- Scenic Landscapes: Binh Chau Thermal Springs, Con Dao Island.
- Cultural Travel: Nghinh Co Festival at Dinh Co Shrine, Nghinh Ong Festival in Vung Tau.
Geography
 Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province is located in the Southern Vietnam, to the northeast of the Mekong Delta. It shares its border with Dong Nai Province to the north and Binh Thuan Province to the east, Ho Chi Minh City to the west and East Sea to the south - east.
Climate: There are two distinct seasons: the dry (from November to April) and the rainy (from May to December). The annual average temperature is 27ºC.
Tourism and Economy
Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province is a large tourist center. It has over 100km seashore with beautiful swimming beaches, as well as many lakes and thermal springs. The offshore bench has two kinds of importance resources: petrol and seafood.
In Vung Tau City there are Thuy Van, Chi Linh, Back, Front, and Dau beaches; Long Dien District has Long Hai Beach; Xuyen Moc District has Ho Tram, Ho Coc beaches. In Con Dao Island, tourists are able to swim in Dam Trau, Hon Cau, and Hon Tre beaches... then they can climb in Thanh Gia Mountain, Nho Mountain. If tourists would like to improve their health, they could go to Binh Chau Hot Spring, which its temperature comes up to 80ºC, then visit Binh Chau - Phuoc Buu Natural Preservation Zone.
Other popular places are Communal House of Dao Ong Tran, Ben Da Church, Bach Dinh vestige, Long Phuoc Tunnels,  Minh Dam Revolutionary Area... and over one hundred Buddhist pagodas and temples such as Niet Ban Monastery, Thang Tam Communal House, Linh Son Pagoda, Dinh Co Temple.
Located in the 90km southern part of Vung Tau, Con Dao Island has a dense forest, which is Con Dao National Park with rich flora and fauna. The sea in this area is home to various valuable marine species. Especially, tourists have a chance of watching the turtle laying the eggs. It also used to host a convict prison during French colonial era, and later, during the American War.
Aside these, tourist can participate in some traditional festivals as Dinh Co Festival, Nghinh Ong Festival (Welcoming the Lord Whale Festival), play golf or watch dog racing in Lam Son stadium in Vung Tau City every Saturday.
Transportation
Vung Tau is 129km from Ho Chi Minh City, 95km from Bien Hoa (Dong Nai), 513km from Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa)
Road: Ba Ria - Vung Tau has National Highway 56 to Dong Nai Province, National Highway 55 to Binh Thuan Province, National Highway 51 to Ho Chi Minh City. Express buses leave for Bien Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho and some others.
Air: There are flights from Vung Tau to the Con Dao Islands.
Boat: Vina Express operates hydrofoils from central Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau.
Attraction
1) Historical & Cultural Vestiges
Location: An Son Temple is situated in Con Son Island, Con Dao Island District.
Characteristics: An Son Temple is an ancient temple. It was built in 1785 in honor of Lady Phi Yen, wife of Lord Nguyen Anh who later became King Gia Long.
I n 1783, Nguyen Anh was defeated by Tay Son and ran away to Con Dao Island. Together with fishermen, Lord Nguyen Anh founded three villages: An Hai, An Hoi, and Co Ong. Nguyen Anh sent Prince Canh followed by Ba Da Loc to France to ask for reinforcements to fight against the Tay Son troops. Lady Phi Yen, the second wife of Nguyen Anh, advised him not to do so. Nguyen Anh got angry with her and thought that his wife might have been dealing with Tay Son troops. He intended to kill her. Just before Tay Son troops attacked the island, Nguyen Anh put his wife in prison and went to sea. Prince Cai, who was then four years old, wanted his mother to come with them. Nguyen Anh got angry and threw his son into the sea. The body of Prince Cai drifted onto Co Ong Beach where it was buried by villagers.
According to the legend, Lady Phi Yen was rescued from the stone prison by a tiger and an ape. She lived with the villagers, taking care of Prince Cai’s grave. After an unfortunate encounter with a man, she killed herself to keep her pride.
The villagers mourned her and built a temple in her honor. In 1861, the French colonialists occupied the island and destroyed the temple. In 1958, the temple was rebuilt on its present location.
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Niet Ban Tinh Xa
Location: Niet Ban Tinh Xa Monastery is located on Ha Long Street, Vung Tau City, approximately 130km from Ho Chi Minh City.
Characteristics: It is one of the largest pagodas with modern architectural lines in Vung Tau.
This monastery was built on a hill from 1969 to 1974. The monastery has a flag pillar, a symbol of an ancient lotus stupa. Among the many items to observe are the 42 stairs paved with bricks, a 3.5-ton bell, intricate mosaic work, and a 12-m Buddha statue.
 Location: Thich Ca Phat Dai is situated about 3km from the center of Vung Tau City.
Characteristics: Thich Ca Phat Dai Pagoda is one of the largest pagodas in Vung Tau.
The site of the pagoda occupies an area of 6ha on the side of Big Mountain. The beauty of the 19m high pagoda lies in the harmonious combination between the natural surroundings and the architectural structure.
This pagoda exists exclusively for religious worship. The pagoda is unique in its white cement construction of the giant statue of Thich Ca Buddha sitting on a large lotus blossom.
2) Scenic Landscapes 
Location: Binh Chau Thermal Springs are situated in Bung Rieng Commune, Xuyen Moc District, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province
Characteristics: The hot water is used for its medicinal values; water that is 73ºC is led to pools used to cure skin diseases and rheumatism.
Binh Chau Thermal Springs are located 70km east of Vung Tau City.  Covering an area of 1km2, Binh Chau Thermal Springs consist of many lakes and ponds joining through an underground pool of mineral water coming from a network of 70 main sources. The water temperature reaches up to 80ºC, a temperature at which an egg can be boiled in 10 minutes.
Binh Chau Thermal Springs belong to a protected area that also features numerous forests, coasts, and lakes. Hotels and restaurants have been built to accommodate visitors who come here for health as well as for recreational purposes.
Location: Con Dao Island is situated in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province
Characteristics: Con Dao Island is also famous for its nice beaches shaded with evergreen trees, fresh air, clear blue waters, and primitive  forests.
Looking at a map, Con Dao Island looks like a bear rising from the sea to south east of Vietnam. Originally a prison for patriots and revolutionists during the French and American resistance, Con Dao Island sheltered brave revolutionary spirits of the Vietnamese people. More than 22,000 prisoners who dedicated their lives to national independence were incarcerated on the isolated island of Con Dao.
Con Dao was recognized as a nature reserve in 1984 and a national park in 1993. The total protected area of the park is 20,000ha, including 14,000ha of sea and 6,000ha of forest on 14 islands. There is also a buffer zone that is 20,500ha wide. Con Dao National Park encompasses oceanic and coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, coral reefs and sea grasslands. Over 1,300 species of sea animals have been identified here.  The park is the most important egg-laying area in Vietnam for sea turtles. The island also has many precious animals, the most important being dugong (called “sea cows” by locals). Between late 1996 and early 1997, officials at the park counted 10 dugong in the sea surrounding the island. With high oceanic biodiversity, Con Dao is classified as one of the areas given optimum priority in the world's system of oceanic reserves.
The best time to visit Con Dao Island is from March to June, when the sea is calm. Some of those beaches include Dam Trau, Hang Duong and Phi Yen where visitors can relax and enjoy the warm temperature. The ocean around Con Dao Island is a heaven for sea life and the splendid forest cloaks the land. This is ecotourism at its best. Clean, smooth sand banks, blue sea, dolphins jumping and racing after boats, tropical almond trees swinging in a cool sea breeze, peaceful narrow roads, and forest covering most of the island, make Con Dao seem like heaven to visitors from far and wide. 
Con Dao is one of the few places in Vietnam that is home to rare dugong, sea turtles, and dolphins, and to varieties of orchids found nowhere else in the country. In addition, the island has large and diverse coral reefs comparable to the most famous ecotourism spots in the region. This peaceful island district has 5,000 people whom nature seems to have created with kind hearted and generous characters and adventurous enough to choose the remote island as their home. Visitors will arrive there to enjoy themselves in an intact natural environment and have a good time with dugong, sea turtles and dolphins playing freely around the island paradise.
3) Cultural Travel
- Nghinh Co Festival at Dinh Co Shrine
 Time: The 12th day of the second lunar month.
Place: Long Hai Town, Long Dien District, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province.
Objects of worship: “Co” (young lady) is named as Le Thi Hong Thuy.
Characteristics: Water festival (procession is used by boats and ships on the sea); many people take part in.
The birth anniversary of co becomes the big festival, attracts many visitors from other provinces. The teams of unicorn dancing, ngu am (castanets) musical band from many southern provinces come to add the fun.
Ceremonies in the festival: cau an (pray for peace) in the main sanctuary at the night before while Flower festival takes place outside. A procession takes place in the morning of the 12th day on tens of decorated barges to pray for nice sky and calm sea, full of fish and shrimp in the hold of boat
- Nghinh Ong Festival in Vung Tau
Time: From the 16th to the 18th day of the eighth lunar month.
Place: Ca Ong Tomb, Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Vung Tau City.
Objects of worship: Ca Ong.
Characteristics: Procession of Ca Ong on sea.
This is the chance for fishermen pray for safe, catching many shrimps and fish. Time of the festival coincides with the day of whale's death. The festival involves the rites of Ong worshipping, procession of Ong on sea by a big decorated boat with flag and flowers, bustling with drums and gongs. After the rituals are games such as boi singing, ba trao singing, martial performance.
(Source: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism) |
