Ho Coc Beach
Keep heading along the coastal road, another 12km or so from Ho Tram, and you’ll arrive at the remote and beautiful Ho Coc Beach. Golden sands backed by dunes and clear waters, along with the lack of development, make it a draw – particularly on weekdays, when you’ll have the beach largely to yourself. As elsewhere along the coast, weekends bring crowds of Vietnamese tourists.

The area around the beach is part of an 11, 000-hectare rainforest that was designated a nature reserve in 1975. Most of the larger wildlife was exterminated or else relocated for safety reasons (most of the elephants were sent to Thailand), but plenty of birds and monkeys can be spotted in the forest. Guides for the walking trails can be hired for about 50, 000d a day. Inquire at Hang Duong Ho Coc.

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Getting there & away
There’s no public transport out here, but some of the budget cafés in HCMC offer appealing day and overnight trips to Ho Coc. Saigon Tourist (08-829 8914; www.saigontourist.net; 49 Ð Le Thanh Ton, HCMC) puts together trips to Ho Coc that include a visit to Binh Chau Hot Springs Resort. This also makes for a good (but very long) day trip on a motorbike – which you can also hire in Vung Tau. The new road is in decent shape, and it’s a particularly magical ride past sand dunes with lovely ocean views on certain stretches of the road between Ho Tram and Ho Coc.

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See more Viet Nam

About Hanoi Vietnam | Around Ho Chi Minh City | About Halong Bay Vietnam | Ba Be National Park | Ba Vi National Park | Bac Lieu | Bai Tu Long Bay  | Bo Nau Cave (Pelican cave) |  Beaches North of Nha Trang |  Ben Tre | Buon Ma Thuot | Ca Mau  | Dien Bien Phu | Dong Hoi | Ha Giang | Haiphong | Halong City | Ho Coc Beach | Dong Hoi | Kon Tum | Kim Quy Grotto | Lang Son | Lao Cai | Long Hai | Luon Grotto | Long Xuyen | Mai Chau | Mekong Delta | Mui Ne Beach | My Tho | Phan Rang & Thap Cham | Phan Thiet | Phat Diem | Phong Nha Cave | Phu Quoc Island | Pleiku | Quang Ngai | Rach Gia | Soc Trang | Song Cau | Tam Coc | Tam Dao  | Tay Ninh | Thay & Tay Phuong Pagodas | Tra Co Beach | Tra Vinh | Tuy Hoa  | Van Don Island  | Vinh Long | Vung Tau |