The best things to do in Ho Tram are simple and close together: watch the basket boats come in at dawn, swim at the calmer Ho Coc beach 10.5 km up the coast, soak in the Binh Chau hot springs 28 km away, eat seafood cooked to order at the Ho Tram fish market and walk the coastal forest of the Binh Chau–Phuoc Buu reserve. From Ho Tram Beach Boutique Resort & Spa every one of them is under 45 minutes by car.
Ho Tram has no town centre to wander, so plan one outing a day and keep the afternoons for the beach and the pool.
Ho Tram things to do at a glance
Distances are by road from Ho Tram Beach Boutique, measured in October 2026; times allow for the coastal road and village traffic rather than the best case.
| Idea | Distance | By car | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise and basket boats on Ho Tram beach | On the doorstep | Walk | 5.30–6.30 am |
| Hamptons Pier | 1–1.6 km | 15–20 min walk | Sunset |
| Ho Tram fish market | 5.4 km | 8 min | Around 6 am or 4 pm |
| Ho Coc beach | 10.5 km | 15–20 min | Morning, March–October |
| Binh Chau–Phuoc Buu forest reserve | From about 12 km | 20–30 min | Early morning |
| Phuoc Hai fish market | 15.6 km | 20–25 min | Dawn |
| Minh Dam mountain relic site | 20 km | 30–35 min | Dry season, morning |
| Dinh Co temple, Long Hai | 25 km | 35–40 min | Weekday morning |
| Binh Chau hot springs | 28 km | 40–45 min | Weekday, from 9 am |
| Vung Tau city | 53 km | About 1 h | Full day |
Start on the beach at first light
Ho Tram’s beach is long, wide and lined with casuarina trees, and it is at its best before 7 am. Clam fishers walk the shallows with bamboo rakes, and round woven basket boats are dragged up the sand near the village. Walk east from the resort and you will have most of it to yourself on a weekday.
Treat the sea with respect. Ho Tram has strong currents, the north-east monsoon raises the waves from November to February, and a teenager drowned off the public beach in May 2026. Paddle close to shore in calm weather and swim in the pools on rough days.
The Hamptons Pier at sunset
The 270-metre sea pier at the NovaWorld development, 1 to 1.6 km along the beach, is the one place on this coast where you can walk out over the water. It is lit in the evening; entry arrangements change, so check at the gate.
Ho Coc: the calmer bay
Ho Coc, 10.5 km north-east along the coastal road, is the beach to choose when Ho Tram’s surf is up. Pale sand slopes gently into clearer water, rounded granite boulders break the shoreline, and forest runs right down behind it with no town in sight. The public beach is free; fenced beach parks charge day visitors.
Go in the morning, before the light flattens and the weekend campers arrive, and stay for lunch at one of the open-air seafood houses behind the sand. Our distance table shows how it fits with the other trips.
Binh Chau hot springs and the coastal forest
Binh Chau hot springs, 28 km
About 70 hot vents bubble up at 64–84 °C inside a forested park 40 to 45 minutes from the resort. The famous ritual is boiling eggs in a railed spring at around 82 °C; the bigger draw for most adults is a mud bath and a soak in the warm mineral pools. The park opens 9 am to 6 pm; 2026 entry is listed at 165,000 VND on weekdays and 200,000 VND at weekends for adults, with mud baths and pool combos extra.
Binh Chau–Phuoc Buu nature reserve
Beyond Ho Coc the coastal road runs through more than 10,000 hectares of protected lowland forest. Short trails of about 3 km are open to visitors, and the longer core routes need a ranger guide. Go early: by late morning the forest is hot and the mosquitoes are out.
Seafood, cooked the way you choose
The fish market in Ho Tram village, about 5 km from the resort, is busiest when the boats land, around 6 am and again late in the afternoon. You pick crabs, clams, squid or fish from the tubs, pay by the kilo, and a stall next door grills or steams it for a small cooking fee.
For a bigger spread, drive 16 km west to the Phuoc Hai fish market at dawn, or eat at the seafood houses behind Ho Coc beach. Wherever you go, agree the price per kilogram and the cooking charge before anything goes on the fire, and carry cash: the nearest ATMs are about 9 km away.
Minh Dam, Long Hai and a day in Vung Tau
Minh Dam mountain, 20 km
A low, boulder-covered ridge 355 m high that sheltered resistance fighters in its caves during the wars. It is free to visit, the rocky trail is steep, and two-thirds of the way up the view opens over the Long Hai and Phuoc Hai coast. Go in the dry season and start before 9 am.
Dinh Co and Long Hai, 25–28 km
Dinh Co is a hillside temple of three tiled halls above the sea at Long Hai, devoted to a young woman revered by local fishermen; entry is free. Its festival in the second lunar month packs the roads, so visit on a weekday at another time of year.
Vung Tau, 53 km
Vung Tau is about an hour away: a city day of beaches, the lighthouse and the hilltop Christ statue, with banh khot, the crisp little rice-flour cakes, for breakfast. Combine it with Long Hai on the way and be back before dark, when the coastal road is unlit in stretches.
Without leaving the resort
Ho Tram Beach Boutique has two pools, including a 30-metre salt-water pool, plus kayaks on its calm lagoon, two tennis courts, pétanque and a yoga pavilion. The resort also lists a Vietnamese cooking class, rice-paper making and guided outings into the countryside; ask reception for the weekly schedule. The facilities guide has opening hours.
For families, the indoor kids’ club, the sand playground under the casuarinas and the children’s pool with its slide fill the hot middle of the day, which is exactly when you want to be out of the sun.
Questions about things to do in Ho Tram
How many days do you need in Ho Tram?
Two to three nights is enough for most people. That gives you a dawn walk on the beach, a morning at Ho Coc, an afternoon at the Binh Chau hot springs and a seafood dinner in the village, with time left for the pool. Add a day if you want Vung Tau or the Minh Dam climb.
Can you get around Ho Tram without a car?
Only just. There is no public transport along the coastal road, and Grab cars are few, especially at night. Most visitors hire a car and driver for the day or ask their hotel to book rides. Scooters are an option for confident riders with a valid licence, but the road is fast and dark in stretches.
Is Ho Tram good for families with children?
Yes, if you plan around the sea. The beach is wide and soft, but currents are strong, so young children are safer in resort pools and at calmer Ho Coc in settled weather. The hot springs, with their egg-boiling well and warm pools, are popular with children.
What is there to do in Ho Tram when it rains?
The rainy season, May to October, usually brings short afternoon showers rather than all-day rain. Plan outings for the morning, then use the spa, a cooking class or the covered lounges. The hot springs work in light rain too; Minh Dam and the forest trails are best left for a dry day.
Is Ho Tram worth visiting from Ho Chi Minh City?
Yes, for a quiet beach break rather than sightseeing. It is about 2 to 2.5 hours by car, the coast is far less built-up than Vung Tau, and the trips around it are short. Avoid Friday evenings and public holidays, when traffic out of the city and crowds on the beach both peak.
Distances measured by road from the resort; opening hours, entry prices and sea conditions checked October 2026.