6 Best Restaurants in Vung Tau, Side Trips from Ho Chi Minh City

This sprawling seafront eatery is regarded as the best seafood place in town. Like many Vietnamese places, the interior design takes a back seat to the food and the view. It's pricier than the more local joints farther along Tran Phu Street, but you get what you pay for, which in this case, aside from the great food, is English-speaking staff, an English menu, and servers used to dealing with international tourists.

Banh khot (tiny rice flour pancakes topped with shrimp that you wrap in baby mustard leaves) is Vung Tau's signature dish and locals rate Banh Khot Goc Vu Sua as the best in class. This is simple, inexpensive, and 100% delicious local street food—and adventurous foodies will enjoy the whole banh khot experience, sitting on tiny chairs in a big tin shed that fills with smoke every time a new batch is cooked.

The interior is a bit worn around the edges, but this Ukrainian restaurant—Vietnam does have a knack for the unexpected—serves some tasty Eastern European, Western, and Asian dishes, along with Russian, Vietnamese, and imported beers. If you need a break from Vietnamese food, this will hit the spot. Expect lackluster service and you won't be disappointed.