Vung Tau

A popular weekend escape from HCMC, Vung Tau rocks at weekends when beach-starved locals and expats descend in numbers, but it is relatively quiet during the week. The city enjoys a spectacular location on a peninsula, with ocean on three sides; the light and sea air make it a refreshing break from sultry Saigon.

Oil is big business here, so the horizon is regularly dotted with tankers, and petro dollars dominate the economy, inflating prices considerably. But all that money also helps with the upkeep of the city's broad boulevards and colonial-era buildings.

Few travelers bother to visit the city, but it makes a good place to start (or end) an intriguing coastal road trip to Mui Ne and beyond.