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What is Long Hai like?
Long Hai is a small fishing town on the coast of Ho Chi Minh City, about 25 km from Vung Tau and 110 km from Saigon. It has a long public beach, a fishing harbour, a famous temple and a mountain behind the town. People come for a quiet weekend by the sea. It’s less crowded than Vung Tau, with fewer restaurants and a slower pace, so it’s easier to relax.
Since July 2025, Long Hai has been part of Ho Chi Minh City, after the old Ba Ria–Vung Tau province was merged in. On the ground it’s still a town on its own, with its own market and its own beach.
How long from Saigon to Long Hai by car?
A private car from Tan Son Nhat airport takes about 2 to 2¾ hours to Long Hai, covering roughly 110 km. The car goes east on the Ho Chi Minh City–Long Thanh–Dau Giay expressway, then south on the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau expressway, and finishes on the local coast road. The Bien Hoa–Vung Tau expressway opened in full on 18 May 2026 and is open only to vehicles of fewer than 9 seats, which includes our sedans and 7-seaters.
The airport is inside Saigon, so the first stretch crosses the city. Land at 10 pm on a weekday and you’re at your hotel before 1 am. Leave at 5 pm on a Friday and the first hour is a crawl. The expressway is free for now, and our prices include tolls whatever happens.
Limousine vans and 16-seaters can’t use the expressway yet, so they take Highway 51, and the trip takes 30–45 minutes more.
Bus, hydrofoil or private car to Long Hai?
For one person with a backpack, the bus or van is the sensible choice: it’s cheaper per seat than any car. The catch is that it leaves from a Saigon office, not the airport, and you finish on the main road, not at your hotel. The hydrofoil from Bach Dang pier in District 1 is a pleasant way to reach Vung Tau, but Long Hai is another 25 km on, so you still need a car.
A private car comes out ahead from two people and up, and for anyone landing at the airport. It’s door to door, the price is fixed before you leave, the driver tracks your flight and waits up to 90 minutes after landing, and you can stop on the way. We hold our drivers to a standard: non-smoking cars, working seatbelts, no overpowering air freshener, a changed cabin filter and calm driving without leaning on the horn. Private-car quotes for this route that we saw in October 2026 ran from about 0.8 million to 1.8 million ₫ for a sedan, so compare the whole package, not only the figure.
Which car for Long Hai
Choose by luggage as well as passengers. A sedan or electric VinFast is fine for two people with normal cases. A family of four or five, especially a tall one, will be happier in a 7-seater such as an Innova or Xpander, which is also the car for a pram or beach gear. Child seats are available on request when you book. Groups can take a limousine van or 16-seater, but allow the extra time on the older road.
Meeting your driver at Tan Son Nhat
- Book in the box above and put your flight number in the notes.
- The evening before, you get the driver’s name, photo and number plate.
- After landing, walk out of arrivals and find your name on a sign. Our Saigon airport transfers page shows where drivers wait.
- Pay the driver at your hotel in dong or by VietQR. Tolls and parking are included.
Immigration queues at Tan Son Nhat can run past an hour. You can add fast-track immigration when you book, and a SIM or eSIM can be waiting in the car.
Things to do in Long Hai
The attractions are modest, and that’s the appeal. Most visitors spend their time on the sand, in the temple and at the seafood restaurants.
Long Hai beach
Long Hai beach is a long public beach, with fishing boats and small stalls selling dried seafood. It’s a local beach, and it’s busy on Saturdays and Sundays. In the week it’s quiet.
Dinh Co temple
Dinh Co is the temple at the sea end of the town, dedicated to Ba Co, a woman honoured by local fishing families. Its festival in the second lunar month, usually March or April, draws crowds and includes a procession from the sea. Visit with respect: cover your shoulders and knees.
Minh Dam
Minh Dam is the hilly area behind the town. It has a temple, paths up the slope and a wartime history as a base. Ask your hotel about current access before you go.
Seafood
Fresh seafood is the food: grilled squid, crab, clams and fish by weight. Ask the price per kilo before they cook it.
Where to stay in Long Hai
Stay near the beach on the coast road if the sea is the point. Long Hai has a mix of resorts and small family-run hotels, and prices rise at weekends and on public holidays when Saigon fills the coast. If you want more restaurants and nightlife, stay in Vung Tau and take a taxi over for the day.
When to go to Long Hai, and when to avoid it
The dry season, roughly November to April, has the calmest sea and the most sun. From May to October expect hot mornings and heavy afternoon storms. Weekends and public holidays are the busy times, and the drive back to Saigon on a Sunday afternoon is slow. The long holidays at the end of April and the start of September, and Tet in early February 2027, sell out the coast. Midweek is the quiet time.
Onward from Long Hai
Long Hai sits between two bigger names. Vung Tau is about 25 km one way, with the beaches, the statue of Christ and a livelier evening scene. Ho Tram, the resort and golf stretch, lies further along the coast the other way. Mui Ne, the next big beach, is covered on our Mui Ne and Phan Thiet page. To book any of these legs, change the From and To in the booking box.