This post will guide you to 6 of Vietnam’s most surfed cities and coast by providing each location’s information in a north to south order. Find out which surf city in Vietnam that suits you best based on these evaluation provided – 5 stars for each 12 main criteria considered out of a total of 60 points.
All 6 of the coasts featured are located within the city or have a town nearby. We have listed the size and the convenience of the town, the distance from the town to the beach, and whether the place is suitable enough for expats. Almost everyone who decides to surf in Vietnam, whether as a tourist, on a surf trip, or those who relocate to Vietnam or for work, will surf in one of these 6 coastal city.
The 6 cities and beaches
- Northernmost major point, Lang Co Beach, Hue
- My Khe Beach, Da Nang – a city with everything
- Chill out at An Bang Beach, Hoi An Ancient Town
- Ongoing development in Bai Dai Nha Trang
- Phan Thiet, Mui Ne, popular with locals for its good climate
- Retro feeling beach resort in Back Beach, Vung Tau
Vietnam Surf City Map
Surfing in Vietnam – Beach and City
6th place | Lang Co Beach, Hue City | 47 points
Lang Co Beach is a surf spot in Hue, is 65 km – 1 hour 20-minute drive – from southeast of Hue city. The surf spot is actually closer to Da Nang, which is 32 km away from the city (approximately 50-minute drive away). The distance between the beach and the city itself is quite far, and the area along Lang Co Beach is undeveloped countryside. This makes it in itself hardly can pass as a surf city. However, it is included in here because it is the northernmost area where frequent surfing is possible, which is also listed on wave information websites. There are almost no surfers surfing at Lang Co Beach, but due to the low population in the area, the beach is clean. Lang Co Beach holds a potential surfing destination from the cities of Da Nang and Hue. There are many good Vietnamese local restaurants along QL1A street in front of Lang Co Beach.
- Distance between beach and city: ☆
- Hotel and accommodation: ☆☆☆☆
- Food: ☆☆☆☆
- Sightseeing/Shopping: ☆☆☆☆
- Migrating: ☆☆☆☆
- Wave quality: ☆☆☆☆
- Number of surf spots: ☆☆☆
- Wave count: ☆☆☆☆
- Seawater quality: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Sea temperature and climate: ☆☆☆☆
- Crowd number in the sea: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Security and people: ☆☆☆☆☆
5th place | An Bang Beach, Hoi An Town | 48 points
An Bang Beach, a surf spot in Hoi An, is located 5 km east of the World Heritage Site of Hoi An Old Town, a 12-minute drive away. The nearby Cua Dai Beach is heavily eroded by coastal erosion, whereas Hidden Beach and An Bang Beach are surfed more frequently than Cua Dai Beach. The climate is the same as in Da Nang and the waves are generated under similar conditions.
- Distance between beach and city: ☆☆☆☆
- Hotel and accommodation: ☆☆☆☆
- Food: ☆☆☆☆
- Sightseeing/Shopping: ☆☆☆☆
- Migrating: ☆☆☆☆
- Wave quality: ☆☆☆
- Number of surf spots: ☆☆☆
- Wave count: ☆☆☆☆
- Seawater quality: ☆☆☆☆
- Sea temperature and climate: ☆☆☆☆
- Crowd number in the sea: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Security and people: ☆☆☆☆☆
4th place | Back Beach, Vung Tau | 50 points
Photo: NISHI
Photo: NISHI
Back Beach is a surfing spot in Vung Tau – a tourist destination – located 2 hours by car or boat from Ho Chi Minh City and 100 km by land. The surf spot is located in the south-east part of the city. The main surfing season is winter, but there are also occasional waves in summer when the monsoon swells from the south come around. It is the closest surf spot in Vietnam to a major city. Even in winter, the sea water temperature is around 24°C, equivalent to July and September in Shonan. Seawater clarity is low.
- Distance between beach and city: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Hotel and accommodation: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Food: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Sightseeing/Shopping: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Migrating: ☆☆☆☆
- Wave quality: ☆☆☆
- Number of surf spots: ☆☆☆
- Wave count: ☆☆☆
- Seawater quality: ☆☆☆
- Sea temperature and climate: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Crowd number in the sea: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Security and people: ☆☆☆☆
3rd place | Phan Thiet and Mui Ne | 51 points
Mui Ne is a surf spot in Phan Thiet that is located 25 km (30-minute drive away) from east of Phan Thiet town. The surf spot covers the entire east coast of the Mui Ne peninsula. It is considered a winter surf spot, but there are also small waves in the summer. Mui Ne is very popular with surfers due to its mild climate and frequent surf throughout the year. Even in winter, the sea water temperature is around 24°C, which is equivalent to July and September in Shonan.
The city of Phan Thiet caters for Vietnamese locals, while Nguyen Dinh Chieu, a coastal street on the eastern side of the city, is lined with resorts. This resort street is conveniently located with restaurants, convenience stores and pharmacies lined up through the area. Further along the street is the Sea Links City development, which has a south-facing beach in front of it. The goofy waves by the embankment on this beach are good and rippable enough even with a shortboard.
- Distance between beach and city: ☆☆☆☆
- Hotel and accommodation: ☆☆☆☆
- Food: ☆☆☆☆
- Sightseeing/Shopping: ☆☆☆☆
- Migrating: ☆☆☆☆
- Wave quality: ☆☆☆☆
- Number of surf spots: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Wave count: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Seawater quality: ☆☆☆☆
- Sea temperature and climate: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Crowd number in the sea: ☆☆☆☆
- Security and people: ☆☆☆☆
2nd place | Bai Dai Nha Trang, Nha Trang | 53 points
Bai Dai Nha Trang, a surf spot in Nha Trang, is located 25 km south of Nha Trang city which is about 35-minute drive one way. It is the most surfed and beautiful beach in Nha Trang. A number of beach resorts are being built on the Bai Dai Nha Trang. At the same time, Nha Trang City is as convenient as Da Nang, so it would be a good idea to stay in Nha Trang City and surf at Ba Dai Nha Trang. The reef point break at Hon Chong Beach, north of Nha Trang City, offers good surfing in the city when the larger swells come in. There are small waves in summer from May to September, and monsoon waves from October to April. The area can expect typhoon swell a few times a year. Even in winter, the sea water temperature is around 24°C, equivalent to July and September in Shonan.
- Distance between beach and city: ☆☆☆☆
- Hotel and accommodation: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Food: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Sightseeing/Shopping: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Migrating: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Wave quality: ☆☆☆☆
- Number of surf spots: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Wave count: ☆☆☆
- Seawater quality: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Sea temperature and climate: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Crowd number in the sea: ☆☆☆☆
- Security and people: ☆☆☆☆
1st place | My Khe Beach, Da Nang | 58 points
My Khe Beach, a surf point in Da Nang, is located on the east coast of Da Nang. Da Nang is the most convenient surf city in Vietnam. There is an airport and surf point in the city, and hotels and restaurants around the surf point. In addition to that, there is plenty of shopping and sightseeing to go to. It is also the safest place on the Vietnamese coastline, where you can feel the goodness of the Vietnamese people. Surf season is from mid-January to November. The best time to surf is the transition period between autumn and spring, when the waves are good and the winds are light. Although there are variations from year to year, the transitional months of October, November, February and March are generally the best time to expect the best wave quality and the best weather. During this transitional period, there are days when the waves are chest-shoulder high. This makes for surfers of all levels to be able to enjoy surfing be it in a shortboard to longboards and even SUP surfing. The sea temperature is around 20°C, in the coldest winter months, which is about the same as June or October in Shonan. The summer months from May to September are extremely hot and the waves are small. The waves are especially small and almost non-existent from June to August. However, if there are waves, they are of good quality as it is the season when the terrain is good. Possible typhoon swells in the summer and autumn can be great waves, depending on the course.
- Distance between beach and city: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Hotel and accommodation: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Food: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Sightseeing/Shopping: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Migrating: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Wave quality: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Number of surf spots: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Wave count: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Seawater quality: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Sea temperature and climate: ☆☆☆☆
- Crowd number in the sea: ☆☆☆☆
- Security and people: ☆☆☆☆☆
