Binh Chau hot springs & Ho Coc Beach

Binh Chau Hot Spring

"Ban muon vui ve song lau, Hay den Binh Chau-Ho Coc". Roughly translated, it means "If you want to be happy and live long, go to Binh Chau-Ho Coc". Seeing is believing. So why dont you try a tour to learn what makes the hot springs of Binh Chau and Ho Coc (Coc Lake) in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province popular.

Binh Chau-Ho Coc is located in the middle of a natural forest covering thousands of hectares of Binh Chau commune, Xuyen Moc district, 150km from HCM City and 70km from Vung Tau. The region was discovered in 1928 by a French doctor named Salle. He wrote about the hot springs in the "Indochina Research News". This rare and precious hot spa water and hot mud source has been exploited since 1989 for tourism purposes.

It takes three hours to drive from HCM City to Saigon-Binh Chau Resort in Xuyen Moc district and its hundreds of pools fed from underground.

The water reaches as high as 82 degrees Celsius, hot enough to cook an egg in 15 minutes, and the thermal spring is said to have curative properties for a number of diseases. For sufferers of skin disease or rheumatism, water at 73oC is piped into the pool. The hot water apparently has healing properties.

Even the healthy visitor can take time out to soak the feet in hot water in a long concrete channel winding through the area, or bathe in one of the swimming pools.

Theres a tale of a war veteran whose health was improved much thanks to the hot springs of Binh Chau. Ba Ca, whose real

Tourists soak their feet in hot water in a concrete channel winding through Saigon-Binh Chau Resort.

name is Pham Khai, and he was a prisoner on Con Dao Island for seven years during the war. As he grew old, he contracted several disease and his health deteriorated. In 1990, while in Thong Nhat Hospital , he met an old friend by chance. That person advised him and his wife, who was also suffering skin diseases and arthritis, to go to Binh Chau for the hot springs . "My wife and I went to Binh Chau but, to be frank, we didnt expect any miracles," said Ca. Surprisingly, the health of Ca and his wife completely recovered after several months and, even though they are nearly 80, many of their gray hairs have turned black again. Finally, Ca and his wife decided to buy a plot of land and build a house next to Saigon-Binh Chau Resort so that "we can not only enjoy the fresh air and nature but also have a chance to cure the diseases brought by old age."

Dr. Luong Le Hoang, a Vietnamese German who writes the "Businesspeoples Health" column in the weekly magazine Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon , said scientific research proves that the hot spring water in Binh Chau can help improve human resistance to disease. This helps scientists research and apply preventative measures by taking advantage of the natural resources, he said.

Ho Coc Beach

In addition to hot springs , the area teems with scenic diversity in the form of forests, beaches, hills, lakes and creeks, providing the perfect spot for camping, trekking and fishing. For the more scientifically inclined, the area is ideal for research into the primeval fauna and flora of the sea and forest down the coast some 15km southwest of Binh Chau lies a resort at Ho Coc Beach, another spot attracting an increasing number of day-trippers and overnighters.

The relatively remote beach has none of the frantic tourism of Long Hai but just a few simple huts overlooking the sands. Theres plenty of pristine coastline to explore on foot and clear water for swimming.

To get to Ho Coc from HCM City , take the road to Vung Tau but turn left before the end and follow the signs to Long Hai. Continue through Long Hai and along the coast until you reach Ho Coc, about 20km farther on.

(Source:vnstyle)