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head straight along to the resort area east of town, where the aptly named Anoasis Beach Resort (064/386 8227, www.anoasisresort.com.vn; US$76–150) is a lovingly restored former residence of Emperor Bao Dai overlooking a deserted coastline. The thatch-roofed individual bungalows discreetly set amongst pine-studded hills are very special, with gorgeous bamboo furnishings and fittings and huge bathtubs. Facilities also run to a business centre, swimming pool and charming open-air terraced restaurant. The resort has won many awards, and non-residents can enjoy its facilities for $10 a day at weekends or $6 a day on weekdays. Just east of here, the new Long Hai Beach Resort (064/366 1355, www.longhaibeachresort.com; US$51–150) has tastefully furnished rooms, a large swimming pool, a casino and fitness centre, but is mostly geared towards large groups. A little further along, the Thuy Duong Resort (064/886 215; 064/388 6180; US$31–75) is a good mid-range option, standing behind a fine beach lined with casuarinas: its accommodation ranges from pleasant beach huts to luxurious suites in the main hotel, and there’s a pool and tennis courts too.

Trace the road eastwards hugging the coast and just beyond Thuy Duong Resort you’ll find a signposted left turn that runs up to the elevated Minh Dam caves, a Communist bolt-hole from 1948, from where you can enjoy prodigious views of the rice fields that quilt the coastal plain stretching to the horizon to the northeast, and of the boulder-strewn coastline below. The caves are not much more than gaps between piled boulders, yet with a little imagination it’s still possible to picture Viet Minh and Viet Cong soldiers lounging, cooking and sleeping here. Bullets have left pockmarks on some of the rocks, and joss sticks are still lodged in crevices in memory of those who fell here. Since there are many forks in the path, however, you really need a guide to find your way around.

From here, the coast road continues eastwards through the village of Phuoc Hai, then after a couple of kilometres passes the brand-new Tropicana Beach Resort (064/367 8888, www.tropicanabeachresort.com; US$76–150), with a spa and pool, though its rooms hardly justify the high price tag. About 8km later, the road passes the isolated Loc An Resort (064/388 6377, www.locanresort.com; US$31–50), nestled beside a lagoon cut off from the sea by a line of sand dunes: it has cosy rooms with all facilities, and bicycles and tandems are available for guests’ use. The pick of the bunch on this remote stretch of beach, however, lies 4km west of Ho Tram, the Ho Tram Beach Resort (064/3781525, www.hotramresort.com; US$76–US$151 and over), where all the rooms ooze character with elegant furnishings and fittings. As all these resorts are just a couple of hours’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City, they are very popular with urbanites at the weekend when rates rise and reservations are often necessary.

The south–central coast | Vung Tau and the coast road | The northeast coast road |

Ho Coc Beach

The new road continues to wind along the coast, fringed by casuarinas and sand dunes, until it reaches Ho Coc Beach. Ho Coc is a spellbinding, five-kilometre stretch of wonderfully golden sand, dotted with coracles and large boulders, lapped by clear waters and backed by fine dunes. As with most places around here, it gets crowded with day-trippers at the weekend but is practically deserted during the week. There are a couple of decent accommodation choices here, including the Saigon-Ho Coc Resort (064/379 1036, 064/387 8175; US$76–150), on the beach itself, with good-sized and well-furnished brick bungalows; guests get free entry to the nearby Binh Chau Hot Springs. Set back from the beach, but better-value, the Ven Ven (064/379 1121, info@kimsabai.com; US$21–30) has so-so rooms in the main building, but the villas out back are good value, and there’s a cosy restaurant. Buses from Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau and Ba Ria trundle as far as Xuyen Moc, about 10km north of here, from where you’ll need to take a motorbike taxi.

The south–central