Beaches in Vietnam

An Bàng Beach is Hội An's best beach - 4km from the Ancient Town, with a long stretch of fine sand, a relaxed strip of cafes and beach bars, and none of the resort overdevelopment that has overtaken Đà Nẵng's coastline to the north.

Đảo Bé - An Bình Island - is a small outer island 3 nautical miles west of Lý Sơn's main island, reachable by a 15-minute boat ride. With clearer water, more intact coral reefs, and a fraction of the crowds of the main island, it is the best snorkeling location in the Lý Sơn archipelago and a quieter alternative for a half-day by the sea.

Ba Hòn Đầm is a cluster of three small islands in the Bà Lụa Archipelago, Kiên Lương - undeveloped, rarely visited by foreigners, and reached by a 30-minute boat from Kiên Lương pier, with clear water, rocky coves, and basic overnight options on the island.

Back Beach is Vũng Tàu's main beach - a 9km arc of open coastline facing the East Sea that serves as the primary weekend beach escape for Ho Chi Minh City, with a dense strip of seafood restaurants, hotels, and beach services backed by the Giant Jesus statue on the hill above.

Bãi Môn is a pristine crescent beach at the foot of Mũi Điện - the first place in mainland Vietnam to receive the sunrise each morning. Sheltered by a headland, the beach is reached by a short mountain trail and feels completely removed from the coastal development nearby.

Bình Sơn Beach in Ninh Thuận is a stretch of undeveloped coastline north of Phan Rang with clear water and a fishing community backdrop - in a province that gets less rain than anywhere else in Vietnam and has some of the most reliably sunny beaches on the south-central coast.

Cần Giờ Beach is Ho Chi Minh City's own beach district - a 70km drive from District 1 through mangrove forest to a dark-sand coastal town where Saigonese come for weekend seafood, a swim, and a break from the city without leaving city limits.

Cape Cà Ná is a dramatic headland on the Ninh Thuận coast where granite boulders meet the East Sea against a backdrop of near-desert scrubland - one of the most visually distinctive coastal landscapes on the north-south motorbike route.

Cát Cò is a series of three beaches on the southern edge of Cát Bà town - the island's most accessible swimming spots, set against karst peaks with forested cliffs dropping to the sand, 10 minutes walk from the town centre.

Cổ Thạch Beach is a photogenic stretch of coastline in northern Bình Thuận where moss-covered granite boulders and tide pools create one of the most distinctive beach landscapes in southern Vietnam - largely undeveloped and rarely crowded.

Cù Mi Beach is a largely undeveloped stretch of coastline in Hàm Tân district, Bình Thuận - a quiet fishing community beach that sits between the resort development of Mũi Né to the north and the emerging coast of Hồ Tràm to the south.

Cửa Đại Beach is the closest beach to Hội An Ancient Town - 4km east on a flat cycling road, with a wide sandy shore, a strip of seafood restaurants, and views of the Cham Islands on the horizon.

Bãi Đầm Trầu is one of the most striking beaches on Côn Đảo - a 1km crescent of fine white sand backed by primary rainforest, ranked in Travel + Leisure's Top 25 Beaches in the World in 2021. Its most unusual feature: it sits directly below the flight path of Cỏ Ống Airport, where planes pass just overhead on approach - one of the only places in Vietnam where you can swim while watching aircraft land.

Điệp Sơn is a remote island cluster in northern Khánh Hòa where a narrow tidal sandbar connects three islands at low tide - one of Vietnam's most photogenic natural phenomena, reached by boat from Vạn Giã fishing port.

Dốc Lết Beach is Nha Trang's best day-trip beach - 18km of white sand on a sheltered bay 50km north of the city, with calmer and clearer water than Nha Trang's main beach and significantly fewer crowds.

Đồi Nhái Beach is a 3.8km undeveloped stretch of coastline near Phước Tỉnh in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu - no facilities, no crowds, and one of the better sunrise spots on the southern coast within 100km of Ho Chi Minh City.

The Hai Tac Islands are a remote archipelago of 16 islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Kien Giang coast, historically known as the Pirate Islands. One of the least visited island groups in Vietnam, with coral reefs, white sand beaches, and almost no tourist infrastructure.

Hàm Tiến Beach is the quieter northern stretch of the Mũi Né coastline - less developed than the main resort strip, with a long arc of sand, fishing boats pulled up on shore, and the red and white sand dunes visible in the distance.

Hòn Chồng is a coastal granite rock formation 3km north of Nha Trang centre - a stack of weathered boulders jutting into the sea with views back to the city skyline and across to the offshore islands.

Hon Kho Island is a small uninhabited rocky island off the coast of Quy Nhơn in Bình Định province, known for its clear turquoise waters, coral reefs, and dramatic boulder-strewn coastline accessible by short boat trip from Nhơn Hải fishing village.

Hòn Sơn is a mountainous island in the Gulf of Thailand, Kiên Giang province - larger and more scenic than most of the province's outer islands, with clear water, hill trails, fishing communities, and almost no resort development.

Hòn Tằm is Nha Trang Bay's most developed private island - a resort island 5km offshore with white sand beaches, clear water, water sports, and coral snorkeling, reached by speedboat in 15 minutes from Cầu Đá pier.

Hòn Thơm Cable Car - the world's longest non-stop three-rope cable car crossing 8km of open sea from Phú Quốc to Hòn Thơm island, with panoramic views of the southern island archipelago.

Hon Yen Island is a small coral island off the coast of Phú Yên province accessible by boat or on foot at low tide, known for its clear shallow reefs, lobster farming, and the unhurried atmosphere of one of central Vietnam's least-visited island day trips.

Kê Gà Lighthouse is a French colonial lighthouse built in 1899 on a granite islet off the Bình Thuận coast - reached by a short boat crossing from the mainland, it is the oldest standing lighthouse in Vietnam and a striking landmark on the south-central coast.

Khem Beach - one of Phú Quốc's most beautiful and least crowded beaches, a long arc of fine white sand on the southern coast backed by jungle hills and lapped by exceptionally clear water.

Kỳ Co Beach is a secluded cove near Quy Nhơn with turquoise water, white sand, and dramatic cliff scenery - accessible only by boat or a mountain trail, making it one of central Vietnam's most visually striking beaches.

Mũi Trô is a tiny, nameless-on-most-maps fishing village on the Bình Thuận coast - a handful of houses, round basket boats, and a rocky pebble beach that almost no foreign traveler has visited, sitting 2km off the road near Cô Thạch beach.

Mỹ Khê Beach is Đà Nẵng's most famous stretch of coastline - 9km of white sand on the South China Sea, named by Forbes as one of the world's most luxurious beaches, and the closest major beach to a Vietnamese city centre.

Nam Du is Vietnam's southernmost island archipelago - a group of 21 islands in the Gulf of Thailand, Kiên Giang, with some of the clearest water in southern Vietnam, untouched outer islands, and a fishing community that has operated without resort infrastructure.

Bãi Nhát is one of Côn Đảo's most dramatic beaches - a tide-dependent stretch of white sand and multicoloured rock formations on the road between Con Son town and Bến Đầm port. Ranked among the top 6 wild beaches in Asia, it is best known for its sunset views across to Đỉnh Tình Yêu (Love Peak), its boulder-strewn shoreline that vanishes completely at high tide, and the memorial to 198 prisoners who attempted a failed escape from the island in 1952.

Phuoc Binh Beach is a 4km stretch of quiet coastline near Phuoc Tinh fishing village between Long Hai and Ho Tram, a broad shallow beach where local fishermen land their boats each morning and foreign travelers rarely stop.

Phước Hải is a working fishing village and beach in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu - a long sandy beach backed by a genuine fishing community, with a morning market, colorful boat harbor, and seafood restaurants that serve the daily catch at prices far below Vũng Tàu city.

Phú Quý Island is a remote coral island 120km off the Bình Thuận coast with some of the clearest water and best diving in southern Vietnam - a 3-hour ferry from Phan Thiết that delivers an island experience with fishing community character and minimal resort infrastructure.

Ghềnh Đá Đĩa is a coastal basalt reef on Phú Yên's northern shore where hexagonal rock columns stack in tight formations directly into the sea - one of Vietnam's most distinctive geological formations and a growing photography destination.

Bãi Sao Beach on Phú Quốc island - powdery white sand, crystal-clear turquoise water, and far fewer crowds than the main tourist strip. One of the most beautiful beaches in Southeast Asia.

Six Senses Beach is the most beautiful stretch of coastline on Côn Đảo - a crescent of white sand and clear turquoise water fronting the Six Senses resort, with coral just offshore and the forested national park hills rising directly behind the beach.

Sơn Trà Peninsula is Đà Nẵng's wild backyard - a 4,400-hectare nature reserve of dense jungle rising directly from the sea, home to one of Vietnam's last populations of the endangered red-shanked douc langur, and connected to the city by a scenic coastal road.

Ti Top Island - named after Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov, who visited with President Hồ Chí Minh in 1962 - is Ha Long Bay's most iconic stop: a crescent-shaped white sand beach for swimming and a 400-step summit climb rewarded with a 360° panorama of the bay.

The Vinpearl Cable Car is the world's longest over-sea cable car - a 3,320-metre gondola crossing from the Nha Trang mainland to Hòn Tre Island, with aerial views over Nha Trang Bay, the city skyline, and the surrounding islands at 50 metres above the water.

VinWonders Phú Quốc is Vietnam's largest theme park - a resort island connected to Phú Quốc by the world's longest over-sea cable car, with water parks, rides, aquariums, and a private beach on the northern tip of the island.