Do Son Beach
A French-era resort near Hai Phong, its water brown from the delta, and a buffalo fight each autumn.
Saved in this browser only - no account, nothing sent anywhere. See your map
Do Son is a peninsula south-east of Hai Phong developed as a beach resort under the French and used by Hanoi and Hai Phong ever since, with villas on the headland and a long shore. The water is the honest problem: this is the mouth of the Red River system and the sea here carries a heavy silt load, so it is brown rather than blue in any season, which surprises people expecting a Vietnamese beach. What Do Son is genuinely known for is the buffalo fighting festival on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month, an old local tradition in which pairs of buffalo are set against each other.
What you actually see
- A French-era resort peninsula - villas and a long shore.
- Brown water from the delta - the Red River silt load.
- A buffalo fighting festival - on the ninth of the eighth lunar month.
- Hai Phong's nearest sea - used heavily in summer.
When to go
May to September for the beach; the eighth lunar month for the festival. Half a day.
Honest expectations
The sea is silty and not clear, which is geography rather than pollution alone. It is crowded in summer weekends. The buffalo festival involves animals fighting and being slaughtered afterwards, which many visitors will not want to watch.
Nearby
Hai Phong is north-west; Cat Ba is east by ferry.
What to pack for Do Son Beach
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
