Binh Chau Hot Springs

Introducing Binh Chau Hot Springs

About 150km from HCMC, and 60km northeast of Long Hai, is Binh Chau Hot Springs (Suoi Khoang Nong Binh Chau; admission 20, 000d) and the Binh Chau Hot Springs Resort (871 131; www.saigonbinhchauecoresort.com; s/d/bungalow incl breakfast from US$25/35/125, camping per person 50, 000d).

Chief among the attractions on this 35-hectare site is an outdoor hot-spring-fed swimming pool (admission 30, 000d), though visitors wanting the full experience might opt for a soak in a mudbath (admission 120, 000d). The pool temperature is around 37°C, and the minerals in the water are said to be beneficial to your bones, muscles and skin, and are also said to improve blood circulation and mental disorders. There’s also a spa, with massages available. Also onsite are a golf practice range, tennis court, restaurant and playground.

If you want to stay overnight here, there’s a range of accommodation options. The rooms are airy and tidy, with trim furnishings, though the ones at the lower bracket are small. Suites and bungalows provide roomier quarters.

Until about a decade ago there was wildlife in the area, including tigers and elephants, but it seems humans have nearly won the area over. In 1994 six elephants were captured near the springs, but after a few months of keeping them as pets their captors turned them over to the zoo in HCMC. Nowadays the only wildlife you are likely to spot are ceramic lions, cheetahs and panthers, which decorate the marshes around the springs.

The hottest spring reaches 82°C, which is hot enough to boil an egg in 10 to 15 minutes. Vietnamese visitors like to boil eggs in the bamboo baskets set aside for this purpose; you’ll find a couple of giant chicken statues decorating the springs where you, too, can boil up a snack for yourself, with raw eggs on sale.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009