One of the closest destinations from Hò Chí Minh downtown. Don’t be upset if you don’t meet pirates, as the game from 1990 implies. And no pirates here, either.
There are several spots to visit:
Khu dự trữ sinh quyển thế giới
It was part of a school trip from AISVN in 2019 with several classes of grade 9 (I was teaching all of them in Chemistry back then). Well organized, a lot of monkeys. Not that far. And good view from the tower. Google maps: Khu dự trữ sinh quyển thế giới with 102 reviews.
Further information:
- Location: Google - Khu dự trữ sinh quyển thế giới
- Distance: Google 40.1 km, 1h05
- Entrance fee: Ferry 7k, entrance …
Visits:
- Monkey Island I on 2019-01-15
Vam Sat Monkey Island Base - Khu căn cứ Vàm Sát Đảo Khỉ
This is further down the road:
- Location: Google - Khu căn cứ Vàm Sát Đảo Khỉ
- Distance: Google 52.8 km, 1h19
- Entrance fee: Ferry 7k, entrance is 100k, the first 500 meter by electric car 25k
One hour 20 to drive from HCM, ferry 7k. Entrance is 100k, the first 500 meter by electric car 25k. Walking 2 kilometers, at the beginning a crocodile farm. Later in the jungle some display of war time history. Motorized canoe back is 80k and takes only 5 minutes.
Visits:
- Monkey Island II on 2026-03-02
Links in Google Maps:
- Khu căn cứ Vàm Sát Đảo Khỉ 2882 reviews
- Chiến khu Rừng Sác - Rung Sac War Zone, 105 reviews
Beach of Cần Giờ - Bãi biển Cần Giờ
Not the nicest beach. Further down towards Vung Tao it has turned into a private real estate company, the beach is no longer accessible. And it’s not very clean.
- Bãi biển Cần Giờ with 1404 reviews
- Camping Eco Beach Can Gio with 242 reviews, no longer at the beach in 2026
- Bãi Biển Công Viên Cần Giờ - Can Gio Park Beach with 240 reviews
- Bến đò Tắc Suất - Ferry to Vung Tau, 125 reviews, 1 hour, 140k for 1 bike with 1 person