灵应寺与红腿白臀叶猴

The Son Tra peninsula juts into the sea north-east of the city and is almost entirely forested. Linh Ung Pagoda sits halfway up, marked by a 67-metre Lady Buddha facing the water; from its terrace you see the bay and the city behind it.

The old-growth forest behind the pagoda shelters the red-shanked douc langur, a rare primate the city treats as its conservation emblem. Going early and driving the ring road slowly is the surest way to see one.

There and back fits inside a single morning, which makes it a sensible choice for the hours before a flight.