Trần Phú Street and the beach

Nha Trang, sometimes spelt Nhatrang, is Vietnam's most famous seaside resort town, and the scuba diving centre of Vietnam. It's more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations such as Mui Ne and Phu Quoc.

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 here than small fishing villages. The French recognised 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 Nha Trang became a favourite R&R stop during the war.

After the end of Vietnam war, the Soviet military became increasingly more present in the Cam Ranh Bay, just south of Nha Trang. After retiring, many Russian military personnel settled down in Nha Trang and opened tourism businesses, leading to an increasing influx of Russian tourists to the city, who form nowadays the bulk of foreign tourists - in the main tourism area of Nha Trang, signs in Russian are even more common than in English. In the 21st century, Chinese tourists have become quite common as well, as in the rest of Southeast Asia.

However, Nha Trang is definitely not a Westernized resort town like Kuta in Bali - it is hugely popular among Vietnamese tourists, who go to the beach mainly on early morning and late afternoon, and spend the rest of the day enjoying other attractions including mud baths or Vinpearl Land - dubbed Vietnam's Disneyland, although it's probably more akin to Singapore's Sentosa.

Climate

The monsoon season is from Oct to mid-Dec. Sea winds can be heavy, and sometimes the weather can get pretty chilly. Summer, naturally, brings many vacation goers into town and hotel rooms get somewhat more difficult to find.

Get in

By plane

There are lots of domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh, Da Nang, Hanoi, Haiphong, with prices starting at 250,000 dong.

International flights to KL Malaysia (Airasia), Bangkok (BangkokAir, AirAsia), Seoul, South Korea and to cities in China including Hong Kong (via HK Express).

Getting there and away:

By train

Nha Trang is a stop on the main railway line connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The journey to Nha Trang from Ho Chi Minh City takes 6-8 hr on SE trains (often delayed), so a sleeper is not really necessary. The scenery on this journey is not that great compared to further north, so you are not missing out too much by travelling overnight.

The distance from HCMC is quite expensive, so better have a stop in Mui Ne (going there by bus) on the way.

By bus

Nearly all long distance sleeper buses stop in Nha Trang. They come from Ho Chi Minh City (10-12 hours, both morning and overnight buses available, both are sleeper buses), Hoi An (12 hours). Besides, there are hourly buses from Da Lat (3-4 hr, hourly between 07:00-15:00) and a couple ones from Qui Nhon (6 hr, 115,000 dong, at 07:30, 08:30, 13:00 and 15:30), Mui Ne (6 hr).

However, tourist (open tour) buses may drop off passengers near the tourist areas.

By car

Private car rental with a driver are usually modern air-con cars and can be rented for about 1,000,000 dong per day. Car rental prices (as mostly anything in Vietnam) usually increase during holiday seasons especially around Tet (Vietnamese New Year). Make sure to avoid high prices by booking it beforehand with the car rental services.

Get around

Map
Map of Nha Trang

Orientation

Nha Trang has two main beaches: a larger one south of the Cai river, and a smaller one on the north. The southern beach, lined by the Trần Phú avenue, is by far the most popular among the visitors. Tourism infrastructure catering to foreign tourists, including diving schools, tour agencies, western-style bars and international restaurants and cafes, is mostly concentrated in the southern part of the beach, between Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and the old airport. In the central part of the beach, lie the upmarket international chain hotels such as Sheraton, Novotel and InterContinental. The rest of the beachfront, as well as the northern beach, has infrastructure mostly aimed at Vietnamese tourists. A few blocks far from the beach, Nha Trang is a normal, bustling Vietnamese city.

By motorbike

In Nha Trang, as in the rest of Vietnam, motorbikes are the least safe but most convenient way of going around, especially to go to the beaches and sightseeing spots outside of the city. See the general advice: Vietnam by motorcycle.

By bus

Nha Trang's city bus system is surprisingly useful for travellers that have more time than money. And they can also be used to reach the more further away sights and interesting destination outside of Nha Trang.

Buses are white and blue in color, have air conditioning, Vietnamese music, and are very cheap, typically costing around 10,000 dong. While there is very few information available, online or otherwise, about city buses, there are not many bus routes such that it is relatively easy to understand them. Also, check OpenStreetMap (which is used by this travel guide and apps like OsmAnd, Mapy.cz, Organic Maps and Maps.Me) for bus stops around and in Nha Trang, which often have the bus number in their name and can give you a clue on where the bus route goes along.

In addition, buses are rarely crowded except on peak hours. On the negative side, buses are often infrequent and with limited working hours, drivers and fare collectors seldom speak English, and bus stops are often quite far from each other. Therefore, make sure that you have enough time and patience before going somewhere by bus.

Buses are always paid with cash. Fare collectors can provide you change, but avoid using large bills. As in other cities in Vietnam, buses often do not completely stop to allow people to board, and even when they stop, they will often start moving as soon as the first person climbs the stairs of the bus. Therefore, do not stop or try to pay the fare as soon as you board the bus; instead, find a place to sit or stay and the bus fare collector will walk towards you.

Buses:

On foot

Although not as treacherous as in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, walking in Nha Trang is certainly no walk in the park. Zebra crossings are almost meaningless as no vehicle will ever stop for pedestrians crossing the street, and the few traffic lights in the city are systematically ignored. Pavements are often unusable for walking, as they are almost entirely occupied with parked motorcycles, kiosks and restaurant tables, such that pedestrians are expected to walk mostly in the road. See the general advice for crossing the road in Vietnam.

One of the few pleasant places to walk in Nha Trang is the walking path along the beach, which is quite well-maintained and lined with nice gardens, monuments and public places, although sometimes interrupted by motorcycle parking lots.

By taxi

The drivers of Mai Linh (preferably) or Vinasun taxis usually use the meter and do not attempt to cheat on tourists. A ride inside the city of Nha Trang should never cost more than a few dozen thousand dong. On the other hand, going to places outside of Nha Trang by taxi can cost hundreds of thousand dong, and possibly much more if you would like the driver to wait for you to bring you back to the city. See full list taxi Nha Trang

Grab now operates in Nha Trang for car and motorbike taxis via their smart phone app.

By cyclo

A wonderful option for seeing the sites is to hire a cyclo-driver for the day. This runs about US$15 plus tip. All the in-town highlights, the post office, and a choice of restaurants from 08:00-19:00. English skills may be basic. The driver will keep the touts away--a real bonus! It seems all cyclos are electric assist powered now with colourful LED lights at night. More expensive than using taxi cars for short trips.

By bicycle

Nha Trang is quite flat and bicycles can be rented for typically 30,000 to 50,000 dong for one day for a basic no-gears bike if you lucky to find somewhere. Locals on bicycles are more commonly seen at night when its cooler and no sun to burn their skin. However, if you have no experience with Vietnamese traffic, you should think twice about using a bicycle as your main means of transport in Nha Trang. Electric bikes (ebikes) are a common sight in Nha Trang.

See

Temples

Po Nagar Cham Towers
Nha Tho Nui Cathedral
Buddha statue of Long Sơn

Museums

Further afield

Dien Khanh front gate

Do

Performance of the water puppet theatre

Beaches

Nha Trang's beach

Amusement and mud bath parks

Vinpearl waterpark

Diving & snorkeling

Close off-shore from Nha Trang sit a series of islands that offer decent diving and snorkelling, easily accessible by day trip. The city has about two dozen dive shops, making for fierce competition and great value. PADI open water courses with equipment rental are available for US$250. A two-dive boat trip with equipment rental and modest lunch can be had for US$45.

Coastal and undersea construction has stirred up a lot of sediment in the area, so underwater visibility is sometimes not great. The area is heavily fished, so fish life is also limited. You wouldn't cross the world just to dive at Nha Trang. But if you always dreamed of getting a scuba certification, Nha Trang is a good place to do it. The shops generally offer good quality equipment and experienced, certified dive masters. Diving goes on year round, but in the Oct-Dec windy season, the boat ride can be a bit rough and diving is limited to a few sites in the lee of the islands.

Organisation of the Nha Trang dive industry is sometimes complex. If you sign up for a trip with shop A, you might find yourself joined with a group and divemaster from shop B, which shares a boat with another group and divemaster from shop C, the boat itself being independently owned. Consolidation is especially active in the off-season, when few if any shops can fill a boat on their own. It's a good illustration of Vietnamese culture, which does not stand on ceremony, and loves a bargain, and is very skilled at making maximum use of resources. The local divemasters are mostly great, friendly guys with lots of stories to tell.


Other watersports

Buy

Money

ATMs are everywhere — see Vietnam#Money for general information.

Shopping

Eat

A night market in Nha Trang, a place to sample street food

The local speciality seems to be Bánh Căn, special rice cakes mixed with egg, meat, or seafood — 6 of them go for 25–40,000 dong. But also Bánh Hỏi and Bánh Xèo can be found here and more consistently throughout the day than in Quy Nhon.

Budget

Check out 1 Núi Một nearby the Central Market — this street is spotted with many authentic local and inexpensive eateries with every one offering something different; Bánh Hỏi, snail soup, spring rolls, Cơm Tấm, Pho, drinks and more. Be careful walking this sideroad since many motorbikes take it as a speedy shortcut.

Otherwise many inexpensive places can be found around the Central Market:

Mid-range

Splurge

Coffee shops

Drink

Sleep

Night in Nha Trang

Budget

There are plenty of budget hotels in Nha Trang with rooms costing around US$20 per night and nearly all are en suite and have the usual air-con, cable TV, fridge, bedside table, wardrobe and night light. Most also have Wi-Fi. "Mini-hotel alley" at 64 Tran Phu is a good place to head for as it has a dozen or so budget hotels located in a relatively quiet alley near the beach and the main tourist area. Hostel dorm beds are available for US$5-7 per night.

Mid-range

Splurge

Vinpearl Resort

Resorts outside of town

Doc Let Beach

About 60km north of Nha Trang is a stretch of coastline about 20 km long that contains some of the best beaches in Vietnam. Soft power like white sand beaches with clear blue sea and gentle gradients, these beaches are more beautiful and easier for swimming than in Nha Trang. This is an ideal area to explore by motorbike, perhaps taking a night or two side trip from Nha Trang city. The turn off for Jungle Beach gets you off the busy highway for a more relaxing 20 km stretch of road to Jungle Beach Resort. Just after this turn off for Jungle Beach is the turn off for Doc Let Beach, which is another 13 km away and a similarly more relaxing and scenic road. There is an interconnecting road between Jungle and Doc Let so no need to go all the way back to the highway to get from one to the other.

Stay safe

Caution Note: While quite safe during the day. At night Nha Trang is extremely rampant for theft and pick pocketing of tourists leaving the bars or just walking around late at night. Travelers should leave all valuables at their hotel room, including cell phones and cameras which are targeted the most. Unless you are willing to lose it, you shouldn't bring it out to the bars.

The risk of petty crime in Nha Trang, especially late at night, is high compared to most other places in Asia. The most common crime is pick pocketing after midnight near the Sailing Club. During the day, it is relatively safe though bag snatching on the beach is not uncommon, so don't take any valuables to the beach. Staying cautious at all times is best. Do not wear too much jewellery, and keep an eye on your belongings. It would be smart to travel in groups when you are out roaming the streets at night. Also, people coming home from the clubs should take a taxi and not a motorbike taxi. Single males walking back to their hotels in the early hours from clubs and bars such as the Sailing Club and Why Not Bar, especially if a little drunk, should beware of ladies approaching, typically in twos or threes, but often with a couple of guys on motorbikes watching closely from a distance ready to be get-away drivers or to get involved if things get nasty. They come over all friendly and touchy-feely, first checking to see what valuables you have and where, then relieve you of them. Often the victim doesn't even know he's been robbed until he gets back to his room or after he wakes up. This is almost becoming a tourist attraction in the sense you can watch this spectacle almost nightly, perhaps helping out a fellow drunken tourist being robbed. Unbelievably, no police are seen, and no hotel or bar security gets involved.

Do not keep money in your passport. If you want your hotel to lock up your money, they will usually be happy to do so in their hotel safe and have procedures for doing that. Passports are kept separate from other valuables as they need access to these for reporting each day your stay to the government. Better than giving the passport to the hotel is handing over a photocopy (personal data page and visa). It is never a good idea to give your passport to anyone other than officials. Never store money in your passport. Keep some money in a different pocket to your wallet/money belt. No point in displaying it when paying for small purchases.

Drive-by motorcycle theft is fairly common in Nha Trang. Banknotes and wallets have been snatched from tourists' hands.

If hiring a motorbike, check what coverage your insurance company gives for riding motorbikes in Asia, and it is frequently none.

Do not argue with locals who try to hustle money from you. This includes tourist touts, moto taxis, etc. They can become violent and aggressive easily, often resorting to the use of rocks or even concealed weapons. Although they can be a bit harder to get rid of than in other places, it is best to avoid these people altogether.

There was one negative report about TM Brothers buses. It's claimed, that they have a bad reputation, and some of the seats are broken and you can find cockroaches on the bus. However, their buses are usually a few dollars cheaper than other companies.

Connect

Internet access can be found in many hotels. There are not that many Internet cafes around now as most hotels typically have computers available for free use by guests or Wi-Fi.

When using the telephone at a hotel be sure to check their rates. Skype or Google Hangouts is free or low cost.

Mobile SIM cards are readily available, mobifone seems the best option for tourists. Their SIM cards cost 50,000 dong or a little more depending where you buy it and come with about 100,000 dong credit for use in the first month. They also provide 3G Internet data packages, e.g., 1.5 Gb for one month costs 120,000 dong. Cellular Data info: APN: m-wap Username: mms Password: mms

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