Do Son Beach, Hai Phong

Do Son Beach occupies a peninsula in Do Son District, Hai Phong, on the Gulf of Tonkin in northern Vietnam, and has been a seaside resort since the French colonial period. It is the closest sea to Hanoi, roughly 120 km away, which explains its enduring popularity with day-trippers and weekend families from the capital. The peninsula is divided into three linked beach zones, each with its own stretch of seafront and hotels. The sand is coarse and grey-brown, and the water is brown with silt carried down by the Red River delta, so visitors expecting the clear turquoise of the central or southern Vietnamese coast will find something quite different. Swimming is nonetheless popular from May to September, when the water is warm and the beach fills with local families.

The beaches are open, gently shelving and exposed to the gulf, with modest surf and no dramatic tides beyond the usual daily variation. The atmosphere is that of a traditional domestic resort: loud, informal and centred on eating. Sun loungers and umbrellas are rented by the day, changing rooms and freshwater showers are available, and lifeguards patrol during the swimming season, though cover is not guaranteed outside peak weekends. Beachfront seafood restaurants line the road behind the sand and serve crab, squid, clams and grilled fish priced by weight, so agreeing a price before ordering is standard practice. Hotels and guesthouses range from simple family-run rooms to larger resort properties along the seafront.

Access is straightforward. The Hanoi-Hai Phong expressway (CT.04) makes the drive about two hours, and the resort is close enough for a return trip in a single day. Coaches from Gia Lam or Nuoc Ngam bus stations to Hai Phong cost about 100,000-150,000 VND (3.85-5.77 USD), after which local bus 3 or a taxi covers the final 20 km. Car and motorbike parking is available near the seafront, though it fills early on summer weekends. Outside the summer season the sea is too cold for swimming from December to February, the resort quiets considerably, and the appeal shifts to seafood meals and walks along the promenade and the wooded hills of the peninsula. Do Son is best treated as a practical, affordable sea day rather than a scenic beach destination.