Nha Trang Travel Information

Nha Trang is Vietnam’s most famous seaside resort-town. It's the place to go in Vietnam if you want to do some scuba diving or snorkeling.

Understand

Traces of human settlement in Nha Trang date back to the Cham Empire, though in times of Vietnamese rule, there wasn’t much more than small fishing villages. The French recognized that this beautiful bay, with its islands and white sand beaches, made for a perfect bathing spot, and began the transformation into a resort town. American soldiers agreed, and it became a favorite vacation stop during the war.

Today, most of the tourist infrastructure is in the southern part of town around Biet Thu, whereas most of the locals live around the Cho Dam in the northern quarters. Tran Phu is the backbone of the city, accompanied by a pleasant waterfront promenade, palm trees and the nearly 6km of beach.

Get in

By plane

Cam Ranh Airport (CRX), built on the grounds of an old American airbase in 2004, is located 30km from the city and serves only domestic destinations. Taxi fare from the airport to downtown locations should be about 170,000 dong, though many hotels have their own buses.

By train

Nha Trang is a stop on the main railway-line connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The railway station is close to the cathedral in the northern part of town. If you want a soft-sleeper (the highest class available on Vietnamese trains), book your train ticket directly at the train station as far in advance as you are able. Having a private travel agent book this ticket will quite often result in you paying the agent for a soft-sleeper — the agent will book a hard-sleeper and you will not know until you board the train and it is too late to make changes. This is one of the most common scams in Vietnam!

By bus

Most open tour buses arrive from Ho Chi Minh City in the south (8 hours) and Hoi An to the north (10 hours). They drop their passengers in the main tourist area around Bien Thu, while the public bus station is at 58, 23 Thang 10, about a 10 minute walk west of the center.

Get around

Nha Trang has a reliable and easy to navigate public bus system, where the ticket fare does not exceed 2000 dong for a ride on a modern, air-conditioned bus with Vietnamese music. You will find buses nr. 3 and 2 the most useful, since they pass through the southern quarters. Alternatively, you'll find the usual selection of taxis, cyclos and motorbikes.

There is no destination in Nha Trang that justifies a fare higher than 20,000 dong/person.

Sleep

Accommodation is abundant in Nha Trang. Most hotels catering for foreigners are in the area around Biet Thu, but be sure to walk north into the side lanes if you want to cut down on prices and avoid the noisy traffic.

Tourism

Nha Trang is one of the most important tourism hubs of Vietnam, thanks to its beautiful beaches with fine and clean sand, clear sea water with mild temperature all the year round. There are several resorts, amusement parks in this city and on islands off the coast. The most beautiful streets of the city is Tran Phu Street along the seaside. Nha Trang is a venue for annual sailing boat racing from Hong Kong. In recent years, the city has welcome many 5-star sea cruises. The city’s cuisine is famous for its fresh seafoods. Bird's nest soup are one of the best in Vietnam. Bird’s nests are collected naturally and in bird’s farms in the islands off the city coast and in some houses in the inner city. As a seaside city, its cuisine is characterized by several seafoods.

Recreation and night life

There is a lot of good cheap fun to be had in Nha Trang. Diving costs around $40, and there are several competing dive shops offering different dives to suit your taste, a top notch dive center that can provide you with either a PADI or a SSI certification is Sailing CLub Divers, they also offer fun dives and refresher courses. Nha Trang offers many different options for the watersport enthusiast; a great place to go to is Mana Mana as they can provide you with lessons and equipment. They can be found next door to the Sailing Club and, also, have an office next to The Louisiane Brewhouse.

The nightlife is limited, but far better than most Vietnamese costal towns (Mui Ne, Da Nang, Vung Tau etc.). It is usually busiest around the New Year period, but it's worth visiting any time of year, as even in the off season there is a buzz about Nha Trang. The Sailing Club, right on the beach, is not to be missed. Louisiane Brewhouse is a fantastic place to chill out either around their pool or on the beach whilst enjoying vietnam's finest craft beer which is brewed on the premises. Another popular watering hole is the Guava bar; it offers a lounge type atmosphere with some of the best tunes im Nha Trang. If you've got more time, there are dozens of smaller places from Bia Hoi (the local draught beer - an acquired taste) places to slightly trendier, very cheap, bars.

Tourist attractions

• Boat tour on Cai River, visiting islands off the coast and Ba Ho Waterfall.
• Bao Dai King Palace
• Thap Ba Hot Spring
• Nha Phu Lagoon
• Hoa Lan Stream
• Monkey Island
• Sạn Beach
• Hòn Chồng Island
• Hòn Tằm Island
• Hòn Mun Island
• Hòn Con Sẻ Tre Island
• Hòn Ông Island
• Đảo Yến Island (Swallow Island)
• Hòn Tre Island
• Suối Đổ Stream
• Suối Tiên Stream
• Hòn Bà Island
• Yangbay Waterfall
• Tháp Bà Ponagar Nha Trang (a Champa Tower)
• Chùa Long Sơn (Long Son Pagoda or White Buddha Pagoda)
• Nha Trang Oceanography Institute, the largest of its kind in Indochina where thousands of oceanic life samples, exhibits are on display. It is also home to the largest oceanic library in Vietnam.
• Chánh Tọa Church (or Mountain Church)
• Nha Trang Pasteur Instittute
• Trí Nguyên Aquarium (an aquarium where hundreds of rare oceanic species are fed)

(adapted from wikipedia)