Jesus Christ Statue — Attraction in Vung Tau City

Things to note:

Not accessible if you have limited mobility or difficulty climbing steps. The stairwell upto the shoulders of the monument is extremely narrow - space only for single file (in one direction!). Me and my partner only had to walk past one person on the stairwell, and he was considerate and stood well back. My partner turned back down before getting to the top as it's not great if you feel heights and/or claustrophobic. I made it to the shoulders, really only room for 2 people to stand side-by-side, it's squashy even for slim/fit and healthy people. I counted that there were only 5 other people in the statue (at various stages) when me and the bf were in there. I guess the 'crowd control' is managed by the man working there.

There is no entry fee, but there are donation boxes, and at no time were we asked/pressured to make a donation. The warden swept the place regularly and the whole area is very clean. We were asked to remove our shoes, and to leave our bags at the entrance (the man said to take out our phones and wallets and leave the bag where the shoes were). So this is something to keep in mind if you don't trust leaving your bag, especially if you're by yourself. There is a board by the entrance with clothes you can't wear. I think ideally shoulders and knees should be covered, and clothes not too tight. Hwr, my bf was wearing shorts that stopped just above the knee and the warden said it was OK. The other men I saw in the statue at the same time were all wearing similar length shorts. The shutter closed at 4.40pm, and we carried on sitting in the seating area around the statue for much longer.

I really liked this place and would recommend if you're ok with all of the above. The climb gives great views and there was a breeze en route despite the heat. The seating area around the statue was lovely and shaded, and the statue is well maintained. The area emanates peace, but perhaps we're here at a particularly good time. Tuesday, March 2024 between...

Wow…I was honestly expecting a small statue, but this is a towering colossus on top of the mountain! It’s definitely worth making the trip for this. Not only is it quite a sight to behold, but you can also go inside of the monument and climb a staircase all the way to the top for arguably the best view of Vung Tau. There are a fair bit of stairs up to the monument and then also inside of it, but anyone in decent physical shape should be fine.

One quick note: Google maps doesn’t recognize the staircase as a legitimate route. As such, if you try to get walking directions to here, the only route it presents to you is to hike the mountain that the monuments sits atop, approaching from the rear and snaking your way slowly up the mountain. That path is fine, but be aware that if you start at the official Jesus Christ Statue Entrance (easily found on Google maps), you can just take a series of staircases directly up to the monument.

Additional note in case you do take the mountain (maybe more of a hill) hiking path like I did : for some reason, after you reach the top, they have the path blocked by several signs saying that they are doing construction work and you cannot go further. I was a bit disheartened, but since there’s no actual fence blocking the sides, I slipped through to see if the construction warning was legitimate. As soon as I went around the sign, I was at the main staircase leading up to the Jesus Christ Statue, with many tourists all around coming from the official entrance. Meaning that the sign is completely false…they tell you not to go beyond, but immediately past the sign is a public area allowed to be accessed by everyone 😂 I feel like they may have done construction many years ago and just forgot to remove the signs. Either way, I’ve included and image of them below for all of those accessing via the mountain: just go around the left side and you...

The fastest way to get up to the base (staircase) of the statue is via a motorbike, but the road leading there is really rocky and sandy.

There is some risk that the bike’s wheel might burst if you’re unfortunate and happen to go on a sharp rock on the path there. It’s hard to manoeuvre a bike with a family versus one person on the bike too, so proceed with caution if you’re planning to rent a bike to go up.

The walk up from the base (staircase) of the statue to Jesus Christ’s top shoulders is approximately 800 steps according to online websites.

Walking up the staircase alone to Jesus Christ’s foot takes about 15mins for healthy young adults with a sporting toddler and the climb up in Jesus Christ’s body itself to his shoulders takes about 5mins when there are not a lot of people.

Do note that there are a lot of rules to enter Jesus Christ’s body before ascending to the top; hats are definitely not allowed, there are times when they are not so strict such as males with berms and kids with short skirt are allowed in.

The staircase is really narrow inside (for one person to pass through only) his body, so be sure to expect leaning against the wall when someone else is trying to pass through.

The platforms on his shoulders are only able to accommodate a maximum of 3-4 fit adults, you’ll have to wait for your turn during the peak period.

Might want to wear socks when doing the climb as well, because the floor and stairs in Jesus Christ is really sticky, not sure if they do clean it (often enough).

However, the view is beautiful once you get your turn though it might be scorching hot. Recommended to visit for the view at least once...