Viewing in 'Original' size recommended.


Historians have written that Portuguese merchantmen anchored in the bay in the
15th century, and that the Kh’mer kings visited to water their elephants here in the 16th
century. The first Viet settlements, during the reign of Emperor Gia Long(b1762-d1820),were
often threatened by Malay bandits and pirates. Despite its shaky start, Vung Tau
did, however, grow slowly into a trading and fishing center.

The French began Vung Tau’s role as a seaside resort to provide comfortable
retreats for officials from Saigon - the list included the 'Governor General of Indochina'.
And the last Viet Emperor, Bao Dai, had a palace built close by. After the 1960-1970
turmoil, it was black gold - oil - which attracted foreign interests.

And now, it is a peaceful resort again, filled with laughing locals, and the middle class
and the wealthy who travel down from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), for their own Rest and Recuperation.

There are still bandits and pirates; mostly they can be found in the
markets and tourist traps, selling fake antiques and the like.