Today, Phu My in Vietnam and the sun over the sea early in the morning set
the tone of a great day to come. Again we docked in a container port some
distance from anywhere and a free shuttle service was provided into Vung Tau after tendering off the ship. This port is
a gateway to Ho Chi Minh but that is some 3 hours away so we decided to explore Vung Tau instead.
The main street was very busy and at this time of the morning quite light with traffic.
Not too far up the road was the Whale Temple which was very interesting to visit. Many whale bones
were on display and the temple had many icons and things to see. In 2005 there were approximately
240,000 people here in the resort area of Vung Tau and it is about 30 miles from the sea. Many
French and US troops spent time here in the Vietnam War as well as being a place that the Australians
were based at that time.
Life goes on here as usual and it was refreshing to see the girls in the hairdressers
enjoying a chat as well as having their treatments. Food shops abound and many locals were enjoying
early morning meals. The buildings again had a french influence and were quite well maintained. The
temples had lots of interesting decorations usually on top and gave the whole area a very unique outlook.
At the bottom of the main street was a very long beach with many chairs and umbrellas set up for rent and
it appeared that many tourists stay in this area at the many hotels scattered along the road.
Up on the hill we could see the city's most famous landmark, the tall statue of
Jesus Christ overlooking the South China Sea. It was a long hike along the shore but the footpaths
were very well built and there were lots of seats to rest on. We met a group of young people on
the way who wanted us to take their photo!
It was time to walk back and along the way we spotted a park with goats and buffalo statues
and even a large dragon on the path. A small tribute to a deceased person took our eye as we came to the
end of the walk. Back in the city we found the huge local market where there were goods of all kinds.
A little too early to go back to the ship so off on another walk to the main beach harbour or port
where there was a large park with many statues. Lots of the locals were playing, resting and just taking in the afternoon here so we enjoyed the ambience and then moved off to have a beer with an Aussie who owned a local
bar not far from the coach meeting place. after a while time to go back and return to the good ship, Arcadia.
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