Vietnam

Where to surf in Vietnam

Da Nang

Anyone who's seen the movie Apocalypse Now, will already know that there is the possibility to surf Vietnam. Although the surfing scenes were shot in the Philippines, the reality is that US servicemen first surfed sandy China Beach, Da Nang back in the ‘60s and it is now the epicenter of surfing in Vietnam stretching 30 kilometres south from Da Nang. Equipment is available to rent and unlike most surfing zones, crowds are never a nuisance. Most of Vietnam’s surf is beachbreak with an outside sandbank, trough in the middle and a reform on the inside. The outside waves are the biggest, up to 8ft on the strongest NE wind push, which creates a choppy, disorganised line-up. The outside mushburgers quickly die in the trough before reforming into the shorey, which is where the power is.

South Vietnam

Between Da Nang and Nah Trang, the central coast has lots of unsurfed E-facing beaches exposed to both monsoonal and typhoon swells, but are off the usual backpacker trail and are rarely visited. Check Dung Quat's rocky peninsulas that may provide a sheltered left reef in big seas and other rock-based waves. Further south the beaches at Tuy Hoa and Tuy Hiep are proper swell magnets and guaranteed empty.

Other areas with regular waves include Nha Trang which gets it share of swell at the beginner-friendly beaches of Bai Dai where rentals and lessons are available. Nah Trang itself is usually just a shoredump, but just north of town at Hon Chong, there is a reefbreak that makes the most of stronger swells, despite losing wave height due to its sheltered position.

The southern coast closest to the capital Ho Chi Minh City faces a little SE so doesn't receive the monsoon NE as readily as the central coast. The main surf spots to check out are Mui Ne, Ham Tien, Phan Thiet and closest to the city Vung Tau. Don't expect much in the way of shape or power unless a typhoon tracks from the SE.