Location: Sam Son Beach is situated in Sam Son Town, Thanh Hoa Province.

Characteristics: Sam Son Beach is a famous beach with the cool wind, healthy sun, fine sand and clear water all made this a sought out place for rest and relaxation.

At the turn of the 20th century, people discovered the priceless geographical treasure of Sam Son. In 1907, the French colonial government started to develop Sam Son into a holiday resort for French civil servants and officials based in Thanh Hoa and northern Vietnam. The area has a long history steeped in legend and mysticism.

In 208 BC, Vietnamese King An Duong Vuong was tricked by his Chinese son-in-law Trong Thuy. Trong Thuy had stolen the magic trigger of the King's cross bow. The Golden Tortoise had given the trigger to the King as a gift. The trigger gave the cross bow extraordinary powers. It was able to kill hundreds of people in a single shot. Trong Thuy gave the trigger to his father Trieu Da. Trieu Da led his Chinese army to invade Vietnam. As his cross bow had lost its magic powers, King An Duong Vuong could not win the battle. The King retreated with his daughter My Chau to the south.

Local legend says that when King An Duong Vuong reached the location which is now Binh Hoa Village Quang Duong District, about 4km from Sam Son Beach, he found himself completely cornered. In front of him was the sea and behind him was the enemy. In despair, he prayed to the Golden Tortoise to help him. The Genie appeared and took the King to the Underwater Palace.

The legend coincides with the geographical development of the area. About 2000 years ago, Binh Hoa Village bordered on the vast sea. At the moment there is still the temple dedicated to King An Duong Vuong and Princess My Chau. No one has ever seen the Golden Tortoise, but the land bears its shape very clearly. Its hind legs are the two stretches of land pushing against the Truong Le Mountain. Its head is another land stretch reaching as far as the Lach Hoi Estuary. The Golden Tortoise is also called the Green Envoy. Probably that is why this area is always green with trees. Some distance from the shore is the Truong Le Mountain. It shields the boats and beach from strong hurricanes. The entire area is known as Sam Son.

In the early days, Sam Son was only a collection of sun-baked sand dunes rising above long pools of blue water. The name Sam Son did not appear in written documents or verbal language until the beginning of the 20th century. At the foot of the mountains, north of the Truong Le Range, there is Sam Village. It is popularly referred to as Nua Village. This is the oldest village in the area.