Do Son (Đồ Sơn) Beach: Swimming, Seafood and Hon Dau Island

On a summer weekend the seafront road through Do Son fills with scooters parked two deep and a steady wind comes off the Gulf of Tonkin. The sea is the colour of milky tea. For many local visitors, the appeal is the sea breeze, seafood and an easy afternoon out: a quick dip, then a table of steamed crab.

Is Do Son worth it?

Do Son sits close to the mouths of the big rivers of the Red River Delta, and the sea carries their silt. The water at the Zone 2 beach has been murky and pinkish-red for years, yet the beach is still packed on public holidays. If you are used to Nha Trang, Bali or Phuket, adjust your expectations: this is a traditional Vietnamese seaside town with pine hills, a tiny island with a lighthouse, a pagoda tower, a fish market and an unusual village festival.

What Do Son has going for it is proximity. It works well if you are already in Hai Phong and want sea air for an afternoon, you like eating seafood by the water or you are curious about the buffalo festival. If clear water for swimming and snorkelling is the point of your trip, spend that time on Cat Ba (Cát Bà) and Lan Ha Bay (vịnh Lan Hạ) instead.

Which part of the beach

Three zones are numbered from the town end out towards Hon Dau; the Dragon Hill resort area (Đồi Rồng) sits between the end of Zone 2 and Zone 3.

Photo: Tttrung

Dragon Hill is the newer face of Do Son: a man-made beach, the Thuy Tinh (Thủy Tinh) water park, a mangrove walk, a golf course and resort hotels, with a free shuttle from central Hai Phong. The water park is a summer thing; outside summer, check it is open before you go.

Swimming safely

The main swimming season is May to August, which is also when the beach is busiest. In September the water is still warm but rain and storms are frequent; it is also buffalo festival time. From late autumn to spring the north-east wind turns cold, and Do Son is better for walking, hills and the island. Treat the months as a planning guide: whether you can swim on the day depends on the weather, the sea and the lifeguards on the beach.

In storm season the rule is simple: when the city bans sea activities, stay out of the water and off the sea wall. A ban can take effect well before the storm itself arrives. Once a storm passes, check the beach has reopened before heading out.

Hon Dau island and its lighthouse

Hon Dau, also spelt Hòn Dấu, sits just off the tip of the peninsula. Boats leave from the pier inside the Hon Dau resort area and take about 10 minutes. Boats only run when they are cleared to sail; postpone if there is strong wind, a thunderstorm warning or a sea ban.

The trip involves three separate charges: the boat fare, the island visiting fee and the lighthouse ticket. Some sellers offer a VND90,000 ticket that covers a VND70,000 return boat trip plus the VND20,000 visiting fee. Under the fee table for city council resolution 47/2025, the island visiting fee is VND20,000 per adult and VND10,000 per child; this covers the island visit, not the boat or lighthouse. The lighthouse ticket is only a few thousand dong. Before you pay, ask whether the price includes the return trip, the island fee and which part of the lighthouse, and check the time of the last boat back.

A path through old forest passes red-bud fig trees, 35 of which were recognised as Vietnam Heritage Trees in 2013, and leads to the Nam Hai Than Vuong (Nam Hải Thần Vương) temple beside a rocky shore. The lighthouse has been working since 1898; the lamp room is up 125 steps of a wooden spiral staircase. It is still an operating navigation light, so ask when you buy your ticket how far up visitors can go that day. Bring water and shoes with grip, keep back from the rock edge when waves are up, and allow about two hours in total.

Photo: VuThiAnh

Pagoda tower, Bao Dai villa and Pier K15

Tuong Long Pagoda Tower (Tháp Tường Long) stands on a summit behind the seafront. The original tower dates from the reign of Ly Thanh Tong (Lý Thánh Tông) in the 11th century; the nine-storey tower you see now was rebuilt from 2007 on the old site. It is a working place of worship, so cover shoulders and knees and keep your voice down.

The Bao Dai villa (Biệt thự Bảo Đại), built in 1928 on Vung hill, was a summer house used by Vietnam's last emperor and still takes visitors. It is about 3 to 5 km by road from Dragon Hill. The reason to go is the French-era architecture, the hilltop setting and the terrace facing the sea. Tickets are about VND20,000-30,000 depending on the source; check the price and closing time at the gate.

Photo: Qjafcc

Pier K15, where the unmarked supply boats of the wartime "Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea" set out, became a special national monument in 2024. History fans can allow 20 to 30 minutes.

Seafood: the market or a restaurant

For the most local side of Do Son, get up early. The Ngoc Hai (Ngọc Hải) fish market runs from midnight to morning, except when low tides or storms stop the boats docking. Much of the catch is pre-ordered by traders and trucked away at dawn, but you can still walk round the fish, crab, prawns and clams just off the boats and ask to buy.

Pick medium-sized seafood rather than the biggest, and watch while it is weighed: short weights and swapped goods still happen. A restaurant meal by the sea starts at about VND200,000 a person. Wherever you eat, ask the price per kilo and the cooking charge before anything goes on the scale. If you are allergic to shellfish or fish, say so clearly: broths and dipping sauces may be made with seafood too. Taking seafood home? Keep it on ice the whole way and refrigerate it as soon as you arrive.

The buffalo fighting festival

Do Son's buffalo fighting festival (chọi trâu) is a community ritual, not a show staged for tourists. Pairs of buffalo are set against each other at the central stadium of Do Son ward, 274 Ly Thanh Tong, in a knockout final held on the 9th day of the 8th lunar month. In 2026 the festival brought back its traditional two rounds, adding a qualifying round on the 8th day of the 6th lunar month. The Western-calendar date moves every year (in 2026 the final fell on 19 September). To plan for a later year, work from those two lunar dates and wait for the organisers to announce the dates, times and how to get in; do not book rooms or transport around the previous year's calendar dates.

The rituals run through the first half of the 8th lunar month, from the opening ceremony on the first day to a water procession at Do Son's Nghe temple (đền Nghè) and a night of offerings. Following tradition, the champion buffalo is sacrificed early the morning after the final. If animal welfare is a concern for you, weigh that before going; some visitors find the fights themselves hard to watch.

Getting there from central Hai Phong

From the Opera House, Pham Van Dong (Phạm Văn Đồng) road, provincial road 353, runs straight out to the peninsula; the Dragon Hill gate is about 25 km away, roughly 30 minutes when traffic is light. A Grab or Xanh SM car or a metered taxi is the easiest option if you do not ride a scooter. City bus 03 runs from the VSIP industrial park via the new civic centre in Thuy Nguyen (Thủy Nguyên) to its terminus in Zone 2; the Zone 2 stop operates 6am to 7pm. Check the stop nearest you and the last departure in the city bus app.

Traffic into Zones 2 and 3 backs up on weekends and holidays. Park in attended lots and agree the fee first. Plenty of people cross the seafront road on foot, so ride slowly and look carefully. Coming from the capital? Start with the train or bus from Hanoi.

Day trip or overnight?

For most visitors a day trip from the city is enough: crab noodles in town for breakfast, seafood in Do Son for lunch, then the pagoda tower or Hon Dau in the afternoon and back to town for dinner. An overnight stay makes sense if you want the fish market at dawn, an early swim before the crowds or a festival day. Resorts run at about VND1.5-4 million a night, mid-range hotels VND500,000-1 million and guesthouses, mostly in Zones 1 and 2, from VND200,000 a room; book early for a summer weekend or the festival.

Photo: Laser