Vũng Tau

Vũng Tau ( French Cap Saint-Jacques ) is a city in the province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu in the southeast of Vietnam with about 240,000 inhabitants (2005). The urban area is 140 square kilometers and includes 13 districts and a village. The city is a center for tourists as well as for oil processing . It is located approx. 60 km southeast of Hồ-Chí-Minh-Stadt at the tip of a peninsula.

Vũng Tau has always been an important port, especially during the French colonial era . Today it is mainly used to load oil from offshore drilling rigs off the coast and thus forms the basis for the petrochemical industry in the province.

In addition to industry, the city is also a tourist center. The long, year-round beaches are mainly used by Vietnamese people, many from H aus-Chí-Minh City. However, the number of foreign visitors has also increased in recent years.

The symbol of the city is a statue of Jesus on Mount Núi Nhỏ on the outskirts. It was built in the 1970s by the Christian minority . The Thich Ca Phat Dai Pagoda and the Niet Ban Tinh Xa Temple attract numerous Buddhist pilgrims.

During the Vietnam War , Vũng Tàu was the base of the Australian army and US supply units .