If Vung Tau feels too busy and Ho Tram feels too polished, Long Hai sits in the sweet middle. This easygoing fishing town offers a long sandy beach, a beloved seaside temple, and seafood so fresh it barely leaves the boat.
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Long Hai sits on the coast about halfway between Vung Tau and Ho Tram, and it has the rare gift of being easy to reach without feeling overrun. The main beach runs for several kilometers in a gentle curve, with soft sand and water that stays shallow a long way out. On weekdays you can walk long stretches and meet more fishermen than tourists.
The town grew up around fishing, not tourism, and that shapes everything. Mornings start with boats coming in and the small harbor filling with baskets of squid, shrimp and silver fish. By afternoon the beach belongs to swimmers, strolling couples and kids flying kites. Unlike Back Beach in Vung Tau, there is no long promenade of high rise hotels here, just low guesthouses, seafood restaurants and casuarina trees.
Stay for sunset and you will see why locals love this place. The sun drops behind the hills to the west and the whole bay turns gold, with the silhouettes of basket boats bobbing near the shore. Bring a camera, or just bring an appetite, because the evening is when the seafood grills along the beach road light their charcoal.
At the southern end of the beach, the Dinh Co temple stands on a low hill facing the sea. It honors a revered female deity whom local fishermen credit with protecting boats and guiding lost sailors home. The temple complex mixes shrines, courtyards and old trees, and on most days you will see fishermen stopping to light incense before heading out.
The temple comes alive during its annual festival, held on the 10th to 12th days of the second lunar month. Fishing crews from along the coast bring offerings, lion dances fill the courtyard and the whole town turns out. If your trip lines up with it, go in the morning when the rituals are at their most vivid, and expect crowds.
Even outside festival time, the walk up is worth it for the view alone. From the temple terrace you can see the full curve of Long Hai beach on one side and the open sea on the other. Modest dress is appreciated here, as at any Vietnamese temple: cover shoulders and knees and speak softly inside the shrine halls.
People drive to Long Hai for one reason above all: seafood that goes from boat to grill in hours. The beach road is lined with open air restaurants where tanks of live crab, mantis shrimp, oysters and sea snails sit by the entrance. Point at what you want, choose your cooking style, and it arrives steaming at your table with a view of the waves.
Prices stay honest compared with the bigger resort towns. A feast of grilled squid, steamed clams with lemongrass and a hotpot shared between two often lands around 300,000 to 500,000 VND (about $12 to $20) total. For the full local experience, visit the morning market near the harbor where fishing families sell the night catch, then ask a nearby eatery to cook your picks for a small fee.
Do not leave without trying the town specialties. Grilled stingray with scallion oil, oysters baked with cheese, and the simple perfection of squid steamed with ginger all show up on nearly every menu. Pair it all with cold beer or fresh coconut, and you have the definitive Long Hai evening.
Long Hai works as a day trip, but it is better as an overnight. Coaches and shuttle vans run from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau in about two hours, and from there it is another 40 minutes by taxi or local bus along the coastal road. Driving yourself via National Road 51 and then the coastal route takes 2.5 to 3 hours door to door. Our guide to getting to Vung Tau covers the first leg of the journey in detail.
The smart move is to pair Long Hai with its neighbors. Spend the morning on the beach, lunch on seafood, then continue 30 minutes up the coast to Ho Tram for a resort style afternoon, or head inland to the Binh Chau hot springs for a sunset soak. Guesthouses in town charge 300,000 to 600,000 VND a night, while a handful of mid range resorts sit right on the sand.
Visit between November and April for the calmest seas and clearest skies. The rainy months from May to October can bring rough water and afternoon downpours, though mornings often stay swimmable. Pack reef safe sunscreen, cash for the market stalls, and an extra bag: you will want to bring seafood home.
Yes. The beach is public and free. You only pay if you rent a lounger or umbrella.
About 30 km along the coastal road, roughly 40 minutes by taxi, Grab or motorbike.
The 10th to 12th days of the second lunar month, usually falling in March.
Yes. The water is shallow and gentle, good for families, though the sea can be rough from May to October.
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