Sam Son: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Sầm Sơn has been a seaside resort since the French came here to escape the summer heat at the start of the twentieth century, and today it is the beach where much of northern Vietnam learns to swim. At its south end the sand runs into Trường Lệ, a low green mountain full of temples and legends. This walk goes along the sea, up the ridge and back down to the market. About three hours with some climbing; start early in summer, before the sun is on the hill.
A short history of Sam Son
Sầm Sơn is a seaside city in Thanh Hóa province, about 150 kilometres south of Hanoi. In the early 20th century the French developed a resort here for officials of the colonial administration, and it has been one of the oldest bathing beaches in Vietnam ever since. At the end of the beach stands Trường Lệ hill, with the Hòn Trống Mái rock on it: two rocks leaning against each other which, according to legend, are a pair of lovers. Today millions of holidaymakers come in summer, most of them from northern Vietnam.
The ten best sights in Sam Son
1Sầm Sơn BeachPacked with Hanoi families in June and July, almost empty out of season; the sea is cold until May
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2Trường Lệ Mountain
The green ridge at the south end of the beach; a road and paths lead up to the temples and the view
3Trống Mái RocksTwo balanced boulders named the rooster and the hen; the symbol of Sầm Sơn
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4Độc Cước Temple
On a rock above the waves at the end of the beach; fishermen pray here before going to sea
5Cô Tiên TempleTemple to a fairy on the tip of Trường Lệ, with the widest sea view on the hill
6Tô Hiến Thành TempleHonours a 12th-century chancellor of the Lý dynasty remembered for his honesty
7Hới PortFishing harbour at the mouth of the Mã river, north end of town; boats unload at dawn
8Thanh Hóa Provincial MuseumBronze drums of the Đông Sơn culture, which is named after a village in this province
9Hàm RồngThe Dragon's Jaw hills over the Mã river and the bridge that US bombers attacked for seven years
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10Nhồi Stone Village
Stone-carving workshops along the road at the foot of Nhồi hill; you can watch them work
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Sam Son →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Sam Son:
Free walking tours in Sam Son
The beach and the mountain
Sầm Sơn has been a seaside resort since the French came here to escape the summer heat at the start of the twentieth century, and today it is the beach where much of northern Vietnam learns to swim. At its south end the sand runs into Trường Lệ, a low green mountain full of temples and legends. This walk goes along the sea, up the ridge and back down to the market. About three hours with some climbing; start early in summer, before the sun is on the hill.
- Sầm Sơn Beach · The beach runs for several kilometres of fine sand facing the Gulf of Tonkin. It is only about 170 km from Hanoi, which is why on summer weekends the hotels fill up with families from the capital.
- Độc Cước Temple · Độc Cước means one-legged. The legend says a giant cut himself in two with his sword, so that one half could fight the demons of the sea while the other guarded the fishermen on land.
- Tô Hiến Thành Temple · Tô Hiến Thành served the Lý kings in the twelfth century, and when he was dying he recommended a rival for his post over a friend, because the rival was more capable. Vietnamese schoolchildren still learn the story.
- Trống Mái Rocks · Trống and mái are the Vietnamese words for the male and female of a bird, and the two rocks lean against each other like a rooster and a hen. Legend says they were a loving couple turned to stone so they would never be parted.
- Cô Tiên Temple · The temple stands at the very tip of Trường Lệ, the head of the ridge that locals say looks like a dragon lying by the sea. From its terrace you see the whole curve of the beach to the river mouth.
- Cột Đỏ Market · Sầm Sơn's fishermen are known for squid, and much of the catch is dried on racks and sold here in bags. Next to it you will find nem chua, the sour pork rolls that Thanh Hóa sends all over the country.
Three dynasties from one province
Thanh Hóa is a province of kings. The Hồ dynasty built its capital here, Lê Lợi raised his rebellion against the Chinese Ming in these hills, and both the Trịnh lords and the Nguyễn emperors of Huế traced their families to Thanh Hóa villages. This drive goes inland from the coast, past the stone-carvers and the Mã river, to the citadel and the royal tombs, and ends at a forest lake. A long day by car, with a lot of driving; take lunch at the citadel and leave Lam Kinh for the afternoon light.
- Thanh Hóa Provincial Museum · The Đông Sơn culture, whose bronze drums are found from southern China to Indonesia, takes its name from Đông Sơn village on the Mã river, where the first finds were dug up in the 1920s. The museum shows drums found in the province.
- Hàm Rồng · The Americans called the bridge here the Dragon's Jaw, after the hills. From 1965 hundreds of strikes failed to bring it down, and only laser-guided bombs in 1972 finally knocked it out.
- Nhồi Stone Village · The villages at the foot of Nhồi hill have carved its grey stone for centuries, and their work is in temples and tombs across the province. Today the road is lined with lions, Buddhas and gravestones waiting for buyers.
- Citadel of the Hồ Dynasty · Hồ Quý Ly built this citadel in 1397 from huge cut limestone blocks fitted without mortar, and it was finished in only a few months. It was listed by UNESCO in 2011 as an outstanding example of a new style of Southeast Asian imperial city.
- Lam Kinh · Lê Lợi started his uprising against the Ming in 1418 from Lam Sơn, his home village, and after ten years of war he founded the Lê dynasty. He and several of the kings after him were buried here, and the place became a second, sacred capital.
- Bến En National Park · After the tombs, the road south reaches a reservoir in the forest, with some twenty wooded islands. It became a national park in 1992, and a boat ride on the lake is the way to end a day of dynasties.
North to the stone cathedral
North of Sầm Sơn the coast is flat rice and sedge country, crossed by the mouths of rivers, and it was largely won from the sea by hand. This drive crosses the Mã river, stops at the shrine where Vietnam's last dynasty began, and ends over the provincial border at Phát Diệm, where a nineteenth-century priest built a cathedral that looks like a Vietnamese temple. About half a day; on Sunday morning the cathedral is full for Mass, which is the best time to see it alive.
- Bắc Sơn Market · Start with breakfast at the market: Thanh Hóa's bánh cuốn are thin steamed rice sheets served with small grilled pork patties and a bowl of warm dipping broth, not the cold sauce used in Hanoi.
- Hới Port · Hới sits on the mouth of the Mã, the great river of Thanh Hóa, which rises in the mountains of Điện Biên and loops through Laos before it reaches the sea. The fleet that lands here supplies the squid and crab sold along Sầm Sơn's beach road.
- Triệu Tường Shrine · The Nguyễn family that ruled Vietnam from Huế came from Gia Miêu village here. The first Nguyễn emperor, Gia Long, built this shrine to his ancestors soon after he took the throne in 1802, and the war left it in ruins.
- Nga Sơn · Nga Sơn is famous across Vietnam for its sedge mats, woven from the cói reed grown in the brackish fields near the sea. Look for the bundles drying beside the road and the weaving done in the front rooms of houses.
- Phương Đình · The first building you meet at Phát Diệm is not a church front but a three-storey stone and wood hall built like a temple gate. A huge bronze bell hangs at the top, and a stone platform in front was made for watching processions.
- Phát Diệm Cathedral · The parish priest Trần Lục built the cathedral and its chapels between 1875 and 1899, on land reclaimed from the sea earlier in the century. He used ironwood columns and curved temple roofs, so that the church would feel Vietnamese to the people who came to it.
Getting to Sam Son and getting around
- Thọ Xuân Airport · Domestic flights only, sharing a runway with an air force base; a good hour's drive from the beach
- Thanh Hóa Station · The Reunification Express stops here, about 16 km from Sầm Sơn; Hanoi is roughly four hours north
- Thanh Hóa North Bus Station · Buses to Hanoi and Ninh Bình; from here to the beach it is a 20-minute taxi
Cheap eats in Sam Son
Sầm Sơn eats squid. It comes grilled, steamed with ginger, fried, or dried and pulled into strips with chilli salt, and the crab and clams come off the same boats. From Thanh Hóa inland come nem chua, small rolls of raw pork fermented sour in guava and banana leaves, and bánh gai, sticky rice cakes stained almost black with ramie leaf. Seafood is sold by weight, so ask the price per kilo before they cook it.
- Nem chua at Cột Đỏ Market · A string of ten small rolls about 30,000-50,000 dong
- Dried squid · Sold by weight; ask them to grill a piece for you to taste, from about 800,000 dong a kilo
- Seafood at Hới Port · Fresh squid about 200,000-300,000 dong a kilo, cooking fee extra
- Beach road seafood · Grilled squid, steamed crab and clams; a meal for two about 300,000-600,000 dong
- Bánh cuốn at Bắc Sơn Market · Steamed rice rolls with pork patties and warm broth, a plate about 25,000-35,000 dong
- Bánh gai · Black sticky rice cakes with mung bean, wrapped in leaves; about 5,000-10,000 dong each
Holy places in Sam Son
- Độc Cước Temple · Free; steep steps from the beach
- Cô Tiên Temple · On the tip of the ridge; quiet early in the morning
- Tô Hiến Thành Temple · A short walk from Độc Cước; incense sold at the gate
- Lam Kinh · Small entry fee; about 70 km inland
- Phát Diệm Cathedral · Masses daily, Sunday morning the busiest; shoulders and knees covered
Museums in Sam Son
- Thanh Hóa Provincial Museum · Allow an hour; signs mostly in Vietnamese
- Citadel of the Hồ Dynasty · Small entry fee; little shade, go early
- Lam Kinh · Rebuilt palace hall, tombs and steles in a large park
- Triệu Tường Shrine · Ruins and a rebuilt gate; few visitors
- Nhồi Stone Village · Open-air workshops; free to look
Nature and day trips near Sam Son
- Trường Lệ Mountain · Walk up in the early morning or at sunset
- Sầm Sơn Beach · Swim between the flags; the waves can be strong
- Trống Mái Rocks · On the ridge above the sea; a short climb from the road
- Bến En National Park · Entry and boat fees; about an hour and a half from Sầm Sơn
- Hàm Rồng hills · Limestone hills over the Mã river at the edge of Thanh Hóa
Things to do in Sam Son with kids
- Sầm Sơn Beach · Chair and umbrella about 30,000-50,000 dong; agree the price first
- Trống Mái Rocks · Children like to find the rooster and the hen in the rocks
- Boats at Hới Port · Free; best before 7 am
- Boat ride at Bến En · A lake trip between forested islands
Frequently asked questions about Sam Son
What is there to see in Sam Son?
The top sights in Sam Son are Sầm Sơn Beach, Trường Lệ Mountain and Trống Mái Rocks. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Sam Son?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Sam Son without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Sam Son?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Sam Son, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The beach and the mountain.
How do you get to Sam Son and get around?
The main ways are Thọ Xuân Airport, Thanh Hóa Station and Thanh Hóa North Bus Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Sam Son, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Sam Son that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Sam Son for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.