First built in 1907 on the lower peak of Small Mount, it burned kerosene in its lamp. In 1911, it was rebuilt to 3 meters in diameter and 18 meters in height, and moved to the higher peak where it stands today.
The Lighthouse
The Vũng Tàu Lighthouse projects light as far as 35 sea miles (64.75 km) and is equipped with telescopes to follow and direct ships at sea.
Next to the platform, 4 old French cannons (about 10m long and weighing several tons) were once used to defend the area from naval attacks.
The lighthouse affords a panoramic view of the whole of Vung Tau and is a really interesting site. No ticket is needed, but tourists are required to pay 4,000 VND per visit.
Đình Thần Thắng Tam (Thắng Tam Temple), Thắng Tam Ward, Vung Tau City (From the Front Beach, follow Truong Cong Dinh St. to Tran Hung Dao Park. Here take Hoang Hoa Tham Street to Thang Tam). �
Thắng Tam Local Gods Communal House
Aka Thang Tam’s Local Gods Communal House, is a special feature in Vũng Tàu. According to legend, it was built in the Minh Mạng dynasty (1820-1840) as a place to worship the three men who set up the 3 villages of Thắng in Vũng Tàu. Visit this site to discover the story of the three men who led three villages’s inhabitants to Vũng Tàu and started a new way of life. The architecture is particularly interesting around the Tam Quan gate, the sanctum, the public commune, the meeting room and the scene for military opera stage that is skillfully engraved.
The sanctum is roofed with yin-yang tiles and is in the shape of “a couple of dragons joking upon the moon” and the pillars are engraved wit the shapes of dragons. This commune stores twelve pieces of sanction of Nguyễn dynasty.
On the right of Thắng Tam commune is the Whale tomb where there is a set of great bones of whales picked up from 100 years ago and on the left is Ngũ Hành Temple (5 elements of the space: metal, wood, water, fire and the earth).
Fireworks at Đài Liệt Sĩ, Vietnamese New Year's Eve
Đài Liệt Sĩ (Martyr's Memorial), Lê Hồng Phong Street. �
A stone obelisk on a hill-top, located on the way to the sea, the Martyr's Memorial hill is said to be the biggest traffic circle in Indochina. A cool hang-out place for lovers.
Statue of Jesus Christ with outstretched arms, On top of Small Mountain. �
The enormous 28m figure of Jesus gazing across the East Sea with outstretched arms is located at the southern end of Small mountain.
Built in 1971, this Giant Jesus rests on a 10m high platform. The interior of the statue is hollow and contains a spiral staircase of 129 steps, ascending from the foot of the statue to its neck. The two shoulders of the figure are balconies, each able to accommodate up to six people, which offer a splendid view of the surrounding landscape.
This is the largest sculpture in the Southern Vietnam. Recent construction of a pathway has made the 30-minute hike up the mountain more pleasant and the panoramic view from various vista points along the way is magnificent. Definitely a must do!
Jesus statue on top of Small Mountain
Beautiful pagodas, Small Mount top. �
Niết Bàn Tịnh Xá and Thích Ca Phật Đài are most popular among the pagodas and temples in Vũng Tàu.
Bạch Dinh (Villa Blanche), Along Trần Phú Street. �
Bach Dinh as seen from Trần Phú Street
Built by the French (1898-1916) as a summer holiday house of French Governor General Paul Doumer. The building was named Villa Blanche after his favorite daughter. The name Villa Blanche or Bach Dinh coincides its appearance, for that season, the local people call it Bạch Dinh (White palace).
Later, some Indochina-French Governors used this summer house occasionally so it’s also called “Villa du Gouverneur” (Dinh Toan Quyen).
Both Ngo Dinh Diem and Nguyen Van Thieu used it as well for recreation and holiday. It made the name Dinh Ong Thuong (Palace of Lord appear).
Villa Blanche is located on the slop of Big Mountain, along Tran Phu St., at 50m above sea level. The outside walls were decorated with beading and the Hellenic statues.
This was also the location where the French colonialists placed Thanh Thai Kin under house arrest. He belonged to the last feudalistic dynasty in Vietnam and fought against the French before exiling him to Reunion Island off the coast of Africa (1909-1910)
From its balcony there's a panoramic view of Front Beach and opposite the Villa at the foot of that mountain is Hai Nguu islet with a stone rock shaped like a water buffalo wallowing in water. Next to Hai Nguu at the seaside was the helicopter yard.
Today Villa Blanche exhibits hundreds of antiques collected from Cau Islet-Con Dao and is the culture destination attracts hundreds of tourists every day.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Vung Tau
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Vung Tau - updated May 2024
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Vung Tau Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
