By late afternoon the promenade along Front Beach fills with locals and visitors watching the sun drop behind the water, and the restaurants and kiosks around Front Beach Park start filling up for the evening. Further along the coast, Back Beach draws a steadier crowd through the day, with its promenade running behind the sand.
Vung Tau's nightlife is low-key and spread out rather than concentrated in one strip. It suits travellers who want a relaxed beer, a coffee, or a meal with a view rather than a late, loud club scene, and who are happy to move between the beachfront, the streets between the two beaches, and a few long-established bars. The sources describe a handful of specific venues and one regular evening spectator sport, but no single district that functions as a nightlife quarter.
Where to go out in Vung Tau
1. The Front Beach area
Front Beach sits in the centre of the city between Big Mount and Small Mount, with restaurants, kiosks and hotels close to the sand. It is connected through a small park, Front Beach Park, and the area is popular with local tourists for sunset viewing.
This suits an early evening: a meal, a walk, and the sunset rather than a late night. The sources place several bars within reach of this part of town, including Matilda's Pub on Nguyen Du behind the Grand Hotel, and Belly's Restaurant and Watering Hole on Phan Chu Trinh, roughly halfway between Front Beach and Back Beach.
2. The Back Beach (Thùy Vân) strip
Back Beach, also called Thùy Vân Beach, is the main beach for tourism, running about 3 km from Small Mount to Paradise Park. There is a promenade leading directly to the beach in most places, and the water is shallow for a good distance out.
This is the area for a beach-focused day that rolls into the evening. Mr Splash Cocktail Bar on Thuy Van is named in the sources for coffee, tea and cocktails. Note that in some places you pass through water parks to reach the beach, and that signage warns about dangerous swimming along parts of the sandy eastern beach.
3. The Aussie pub circuit
A few long-established pubs, described in the sources as Australian-run, form a loose circuit rather than a district. Matilda's Pub on Nguyen Du is described as laidback, with happy hour daily from 09:00 to 18:00 and standard beers at 25,000 dong or five for 100,000 dong. Belly's on Phan Chu Trinh has a pool table and shows sport.
This suits anyone wanting a familiar, sociable drink and a conversation with regulars, expats and locals. Both are also places to eat, and both are described as reasonably priced.
4. Coffee houses
Coffee is a genuine evening option here, not just a morning one. Cafe Rin on Nguyen An Ninh, near Paradise Golf Course, is open all day and is noted for strong coffee ground to order, popular with locals and tourists for takeaway.
Bistro Nine on Truong Vinh Ky is another option, open daily 06:00–22:00 with a happy hour from 15:00 to 19:00, serving espresso, cappuccino, fresh juice and house-made French ice cream, indoors and out. This suits an early, quiet evening or a stop before dinner.
5. Lam Son Greyhound Racing Stadium
Racing takes place on Saturday evenings, with gates opening at 18:00 and racing from 19:00 to 22:30. You are given a form card to bet with, and you can watch from beside the track with the locals or pay a little more for the air-conditioned VIP area. Beers cost a little more than in local bars.
This is the closest thing the sources describe to a fixed evening out with a start time. It suits groups and anyone interested in a local spectator sport; entry is 60,000 dong, slightly more for VIP.
6. Ho May Park
Reached by cable car from the station next to the hydrofoil terminal, Ho May Park is open daily from 07:30 to 23:00, with fairground rides, go-karts, dodgems, a water park, a games centre and an alpine luge. The ticket, 400,000 dong including the return cable car, covers the attractions.
It works as an evening out for families or groups, and the late closing means you can go after the heat of the day. The sources describe it as a good option if you have children.
7. Long Hải and Long Sơn
Further afield, Long Hải is a smaller seaside town about 20 km northeast, with a local goddess temple, Dinh Cô, that holds an annual cultural festival. Long Sơn has the wooden Nhà Lớn Long Sơn complex dating from the 19th century.
These suit a half-day or evening trip out of the city rather than a night on the town, and are best treated as daytime excursions that end with a meal before returning.
How a night out unfolds
The sources give few fixed timings. Happy hours at the pubs and bars start as early as 09:00 and run to 18:00 or 19:00, which suggests drinking begins in the afternoon rather than late at night. Bistro Nine closes at 22:00, the greyhound stadium runs until 22:30 on Saturdays, and Ho May Park stays open until 23:00. Sunset at Front Beach is described as the moment the area becomes busy with local tourists, so the natural pattern is an early evening at the beach or park, dinner nearby, and then a bar or coffee house rather than a long night. No source describes a late-closing club scene.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Dinh Cô Festival at Long Hải, an annual cultural festival described as one of the three well-known traditional festivals in southern Vietnam; the source does not give a month.
- Vietnam Culture Day, 24 November.
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 24–25 December.
- New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, 31 December–1 January.
- Tết, with Vietnamese New Year's Eve on 5 February and New Year on 6 February, followed by the Tet holiday through 10 February.
- Easter Sunday, 28 March.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a club scene in Vung Tau?
The sources describe pubs, cocktail bars, coffee houses and a greyhound stadium, but no nightclubs. The evening economy they document is centred on drinking, eating and coffee rather than dancing.
What can I do in the evening that does not involve drinking?
Ho May Park is open until 23:00 and includes rides, a water park and a games centre. The coffee houses, including Cafe Rin and Bistro Nine, are open into the evening, and Front Beach Park is popular at sunset.
When is the best time to watch the sunset?
Front Beach, in the centre of the city between Big Mount and Small Mount, is where most people gather for the sunset, and it becomes busy with local tourists at that hour.
Do I need to book anything in advance?
The sources do not mention bookings for any of the bars, coffee houses or the stadium. Ho May Park is ticketed on arrival, at 400,000 dong including the return cable car.
Plan your evening around sunset at Front Beach, then pick a direction — the pub circuit, a coffee house, or a Saturday at the dogs — and let the rest of the night stay unhurried.