Vung Tau is about 120km away from Saigon and its one of the prime resort towns in south Vietnam. The French built many villas and bungalows in the area and many of the rich and famous of Saigon also built their holiday homes in Vung Tau (before the Vietnam War, that is). Aside from beautiful colonial period villas, Vung Tau also has its share of temples and pagodas that lean against the mountain and face the ocean. We did go to a temple in Vung Tau although it's nether built against a mountain nor facing the ocean. This is the Whale Temple (Lang Ca Ong Temple). This temple is dedicated to a sea-deity who apparently appeared in the form of a whale to save the people of Vung Tau. I found a travel website that has an interesting write-up about the "whale-cult" in Vietnam. Anyway, here are some pictures from the Whale Temple:
