Bien Hoa is one of the cities next door to Ho Chi Minh, therefore it is not so far from HCM depending on where you are located, of course. From Ho Chi Minh city center, Bien Hoa is about 30 km away, which is not such a great distance, so Bien Hoa is accessible by car within 1 hour. But, I’m not staying in the city center, and I’m not traveling there by car either.
The reason why I decided to visit Bien Hoa was that after some research, I found this place called Buu Long tourist area that seemed to have some limestone cliffs as per the pictures I see on google. When I decided to visit the Buu Long tourist area in Bien Hoa, I was not sure about what I would encounter, but I didn’t regret my visit and I definitely think that the place is a great Ho Chi Minh city getaway. As I am living in Ho Chi Minh, I’m always in search of new possibly interesting places to discover and this was a good find. If you are a tourist staying in Ho Chi Minh for a few days, I wouldn’t say this place is worth a visit because, for short trips to the city, there would be way more interesting places to visit before the Buu Long tourist area in Bien Hoa. As a city getaway, I would say this place is definitely worth a visit.
So, to get to the Buu Long tourist area in Bien Hoa, I hopped on bus number 5 which connects Ho Chi Minh and Bien Hoa. It is a public bus so it is slow. It took me less than 1h30 to reach Bien Hoa bus station and cost me about 30.000 dongs. The bus stops a bit far from the Buu Long area… too far for a walk, but a short motorbike trip to get there from the bus station.
I left bus number 5 at the last stop and then ordered a Grab bike to take me to the Buu Long tourist area. Grab bike is operating here so moving was not a problem. I think there is also a bus that goes there from Bien Hoa bus station, but I didn’t feel like waiting for it, or finding info about it as no one speaks English here anyway.
It was a rainy day, but I finally made it to the Buu Long tourist area. This is like a fenced area, hence to enter you have to pay 120K dong which is about 5 €. I didn’t know that the area was so big and had different “themed areas” within. In the beginning, there is some kind of an amusement park with entertainment majorly for kids like carts, a swimming pool, and other things. But the interesting part is behind it and this is why I came here. There is a lake with some limestone cliffs standing in the middle and even surrounding it. It is weird how a natural landscape like that was totally isolated for profit. At some point, I thought that maybe the cliffs would be man-made, but it didn’t look like it… It seems to be a natural landscape. I really wanted to visit a quiet and chill place to run from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City and this place offered me what I wanted.
Maybe the fact that I visited it on a weekday also helped, but the place was not crowded at all and was quiet and relaxing. Maybe the fact that it was raining also helped.
In Buu Long tourist area you will find many types of decorations spread along the area that is nice for pictures, but my favorite part was overlooking the lake and the cliffs. There are some bridges and paths that connect the area and I walked everywhere I could. I even found some dinosaur statues near a man-made cave-like structure. It is a big area, so if you visit it slowly you might spend a few hours around the place. There are some paddle boats on the lake that can be rented but as I was solo I didn’t do it although it looks like a fun activity.
There are also some restaurants overlooking the lake and a cute bridge with some artsy heart structures hanging. Looking really good.
After all, this is a thoughtfully decorated place where people come to take some pictures and also enjoy the chilled vibe of the lake.
For me, it was worth it cause it was really what I was looking for. It offered me the quietness I was looking for and I was not expecting to find such a nice place so near Ho Chi Minh city. In the end, the Buu Long tourist area turned out to be a very good surprise and it surpassed my expectations. I recommend it as a Ho Chi Minh city escape, as well as Chau Thoi temple not far from Bien Hoa too.
