Note: the most recent pictures are on pages
1, 2, 3 and 4.

Back Beach is a ten minute walk from our house.  

This shot looks south to the
Hon Ba Pagoda island.

Looking north, you can see some of the big resort hotels in the distance. 

The road contines south, curls around the end of the peninsula, and then connects to Front Beach, which is the center of town .

This lady keeps the road clean .

At the very edge of Back Beach, this abandoned Greek Revival mansion commands some killer property. It's been bombed out and empty for 4 years. 

Rudi thinks it was purchased with Mob money, but the bad guys got busted..

Hon Ba Pagoda sits on this island about 100 yars off the south tip of the peninsula. At low tide, you can actually walk out to it on the sand .

Vung Tau has two dragons made of shrubbery.

The dragons guard the entrance to the giant Jesus statue who dominates the south face of Small Mountain.

We have yet to visit this Cao Dai temple, but the book says it's cool.

Cao Dai is a Vietnamese religion that mixes Buddhism, Catholicism, and worship of modern saints like Victor Hugo.

Another look at the Cao Dai temple.

Big boat.

Little boat.

This restaurant is still under renovation. Rumor says it has a fantastic bar with windows at water level.

The view from the above restaurant, looking north towards Front Beach.

The curvy-shape building under construction will be the new hovercraft ferry.

One more Cao Dai temple.  

The squat white bulding up the hill from the main gate is Rudi's house.

Also featured: a street cleaner.

Fisherman's bicycle.

Two fishermen.

Chillin.

Tom's bar is the local hangout for Australian oil workers, and expats in general.

Trang, the owner of Tom's bar, was our real estate agent when we first arrived.

The glare bright day leaks into the bar.

Vung Tau is chock full of cafes, which serve a truly massive assortment of drinks, but no food or alcohol. 

This is one of the fancier cafes, called "the Garden."

The Garden has fancy shade hangings, including (not pictured) a big parachute.

Petrolimex is the gas station right next to the hovercraft ferry.

Local fruit market.

At the fruit market, a lady in a totally stylin' polka-dot outfit.

Her matching pants/shirt outfit is not the traditional ao yai, but this new version is really common for women.

We have three dry-goods stores which satisfy most western tastes. This store we call the L-Mart, because it's floor layout is shaped like an L.

Another view of L-Mart .

When you come in on the hovercraft, this is basically your first view of Vung Tau.

The water's edge here is called Front Beach, but there is no beach at all during high tide.

Front Beach harbor is always full of little fishing boats.

Lots of boats.

Front beach also boasts a seaside park and sculpture garden.

The sculptures range from wonderful to abominably cheesy.

Mickey and Minnie and Donald, for instance.

This foot is one of the coolest statues.

Sometimes children sleep in the foot's hollow.

Rather a dark shot, but the big image shows some more statues.

A long view of Front Beach, from the north.

Looking further north, towards the fishing village that sits up the coast from Front Beach.