Nha Trang - The Blue Pearl of The East Sea

 

Nha Trang's history is also an interesting point to explore because this land was formerly part of Chiem Thanh, where the Cham people lived. Now their relics are still kept in some ancient temples. In addition to the beautiful scenery, visitors will also be impressed by the friendly, hospitable and industrious Nha Trang people, who always welcome visitors. It seems that all impressions of Nha Trang will be hard to fade in the memories when you leave this land.

 

2. Best time to visit
Being in the South Central of Vietnam but dominated by oceanic climate, Nha Trang has a mild climate with two seasons: rainy and dry. The average annual temperature of Nha Trang is about 26°C, it’s relatively nice year-round. In addition, the Nha Trang city is located in an area less affected by storms and winds, which is convenient for you to visit any occasion of the year.

 

The dry season in Nha Trang lasts from January to August with warm weather and little to no rainfall. It is perfect for souls who love the blue sea, for beach activities. Please note that July and August are the hottest months of the year in Nha Trang, if you would avoid scorching heat, the best time to visit is between February and May. There’s sunshine every day, the temperature is around 26-27 °C but it’s certainly more crowded. If you should choose Nha Trang to relax and enjoy some beach time, from February to the end of August are ideal.

 

From September to December, Nha Trang begins to have the pouring rains with a bit of chill. So if you had a travel plan to Nha Trang in this time, you should bring some necessary items such as umbrellas, raincoats to avoid sudden rains.

3. Top attractions to visit in Nha Trang
- Nha Trang beach (Tran Phu beach)
Located in the center of Nha Trang, the beach has an amazing 6 km length and alluring half-moon shape hugging Tran Phu street and offers a vast natural landscape for visitors looking to soak up the sun during their holiday. Nha Trang beach stretches from Tran Phu Bridge with Cai River and Ponagar Towers to Nha Trang port. If you are visiting Nha Trang for the first time, you should stroll along Tran Phu street under the rows of romantic green coconut trees, a white sandy beach and enjoy the take in the wonderful views of the bay and islands offshore.
- Hon Chong beach
Located in the north of Tran Phu Beach, about 5-minute driving from Po Nagar Cham Towers, Hon Chong is beautiful beach what almost separated from the bustling space of the streets. This rocky beach has peaceful and charming scenery with mountains and sea which are close together. Hon Chong beach is also an ideal place for you to have a panoramic view of the coast city of Nha Trang, Tran Phu beach and neighbouring islands. Currently, Hon Chong is considered one of the most beautiful and safe beach in Nha Trang.
- Long beach
Situated between Cam Ranh and Nha Trang city, Bai Dai beach is untouched one with amazing white sand, the blue sea and surrounding mountains that attract many tourists to visit and relax every year. Bai Dai is also the place where activities on the sea are taked place such as surfing, parachuting or enjoyimh famous seafood dishes in Nha Trang. About 30km from Nha Trang center and about 10km from Cam Ranh airport, it’s easy to reach Bai Dai and make a day trip.
- Doc Let beach
Located in 45km north of Nha Trang city, Doc Let is one of the shallowest beaches but famous for visitors. The attractions of this beach is small and light waves, which is safe to swim, especially it’s suitable for the families having the elderly and children.
With 2.5km road stretched by casuarina ranges, white sandy beaches, clear blue sea and many surrounding islands, all created a very unique destination. Besides visit, relax and swim, arriving Doc Let beach, you should never skip the fresh seafood such as snails, crabs, shrimp, … which can be processed on the spot to enjoy by the beautiful beach.

- Mun island:
This is one of the most stunning and fabulous islands which is located 10km south of Nha Trang. The name of this island means the island of ebony in Vietnamese language. The reason why it has this special name is because there are rugged black cliffs, which are very special and like ebony to create magnificent caves in the southeast of the island.
From Nha Trang city, you can have a visit to Hon Mun by speedboat for a day trip. The trip will offer you an opportunity to explore the spectacular charm on the ground and the miraculous world of marine creatures and coral reefs under the sea
- Tam island:
Located 7km southeast of Nha Trang city, Hon Tam is one of the islands attracting tourists to visit. To reach this attraction, usually from Hon Tam wharf, if you take a canoe, it takes about 10 minutes, it takes about 20 minutes by canoe.
The outstanding feature of Hon Tam is the 1km long coastline with white sand and clear blue water, romantic landscape and a tropical forest. Because the waves are calm and the sea is calm, this place is very suitable for raising pearls. Hon Tam Island today becomes an ideal place for those who love ecotourism and relaxation.
- Vinpearl land Nha Trang:
Vinpearl Land Nha Trang is one of the famous entertainment spots located on Hon Tre Island. To reach this attraction you will have to take the cable car over the sea, one of the interesting activities to admire the sea landscape from above that is loved by tourists. At this resort there are many indoor and outdoor games, water parks, and nightly water music shows. This is also the "paradise of the tropics" with luxury hotels, network entertainment and 4D cinema. Vinpearl Land is suitable for families and young tourists.

- Ninh Van Bay:
Ninh Van Bay is one of the most four wonderful bays in Nha Trang (with Nha Phu, Cam Ranh and Van Phong), located in Ninh Van commune, Ninh Hoa town, Khanh Hoa province. About 60km from the coastal city of Nha Trang, the beautiful scenery of Ninh Van bay appears as a colorful natural picture with blue beaches, wild and romantic hills, the smooth white sandy and some red colors of the stones lie sprawled, ... Besides beach activities, coming here you can explore the local life of fisherman in Ninh Van village or visit Hon Heo tropical forest. All created a unique Ninh Van bay.
- Ponagar Tower:
Located in the center of Nha Trang city, Ponagar Tower is a famous cultural destination in Nha Trang with unique architecture. This is the significant relic of the Champa Kingdom which were believed that were built from II to XII centuries. You can see the highlight of Po Nagar towers is square red brick structure. There are 3 main towers, including the tallest one built to honor goddess Po Nagar and the other two temples that worship the Hindu gods Shiva and Ganesh. Besides visiting and exloring the history, architecture and culture of this monument, Po Nagar Tower is an ideal spot for you to see the city of Nha Trang with busy streets and typical buildings. Coming to Ponagar Tower in the 3rd month, you will have a chance to enjoy the Po Nagar tower festival with traditional art performances of the Cham people.

- Long Son Pagoda:
Located at the foot of Trai Thuy Mountain in the Nha Trang city, Long Son Pagoda attracts visitors, pilgrimage by a large white Buddha statue located on the top of the mountain. The special point is that no matter where you stand in the city, you can see this Buddha statue.It was built in 1886 in the beautiful and unique Taoist architecture. Currently, Long Son pagoda is attractive destination for tourists.
- The National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam:
Located at No.1, Cau Da, Nha Trang city, The National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam is one of the attraction for who love to learn and admire the beauty of hundreds of tropical marine species. In 1922, the museum was opened to the public with 20,000 live and preserved marine specimens. You will be amazed with the skeleton of a humpback whale 18 meters in length and 18,000 kilograms in weight on display in the museum. In addition, you can learn sacred legends and fishing culture in Vietnam here.
- Ba Ho Waterfall:
Located in the North off Nha Trang coastal city, Ba Ho Waterfalls is one of the tourist destinations not to be missed for tourists. The waterfall is located in Ninh Hoa commune, Khanh Hoa province, about 25km from Nha Trang city center. In Vietnamese, Ba Ho means three lakes. As its name, Ba Ho comprises of three natural waterfalls that ends with a clear lake surrounded by a dense rainforest. It is the place for travelers who love adventure. The waterfalls are a favourite spot for trekking, swimming, picnics, and fishing…

 

4. Interesting activities in Nha Trang

As one of the most famous beach city in Vietnam, there’s a lot of interesting activities in day as well as at night here.
- Activities on the beaches:
Relaxing: With a series of beautiful beaches in Nha Trang, you can enjoy a day by many different ways.  In the midday heat, sunbathing is an ideal activity for you. Under the sunshine you can relax and drink coconut water, read a book and hide away from all noise and hustle. Many visitors walk around here at sunrise or sunset, take in the gorgeous sunset views. Or someone plays with their children and swim.
Boat trip to islands: Nha Trang is flanked by over 70 islands, and thanks to the calm waters, many boat trips to the neighbouring islands are organised daily. The trip will normally include 3-4 islands: Mun, Mieu, Mot island and Tam island with sightseeing and funny entertainment activities. On a typical island day tour, the tour guide will pick you up at the hotel, transfer to the Cau Da port then board a boat. You will be picked up at your hotel, have a seafood lunch on board, stop at the islands and use the pre-registered diving equipment.
Diving and snorkeling: The best time to dive and snokel in Nha Trang is from April to October, specially from July to August when the weather is amazing with sun and a bit of wind, you can see the underwater life with many species of small colourful tropical fish and beautiful coral. The best places to dive in Nha Trang are Hon Mun (Mun island), Hon Ong (Whale Island), Monkey Island. For the visitors who keen on diving, ther are various suitable programs for you to chose from beginners to experts. We also provide full devices as well as a diving instructor next to you to assist when needed.

- Shopping:
Compared to 2 heavens on earth for shopping of Vietnam: Ha Noi and Saigon, Nha Trang will give you a different experience with more relaxed and authentically local atmosphere. You should choose a place where many products are bought such as: Nha Trang center, Nha Trang markert and some supermarkets. Because Nha Trang have not many shops and markets, at these places you will easily find the local food, Vietnamese gifts as pottery, scarves, garments, lacquer ware, silk, … It had better that you have a local friend together.
- Explore Nha Trang nightlife:
Nha Trang is home to various cultural spaces, so the nightlife scene of this coastal city is is a mixture of old and new. There are many cultural spaces where light shows, colorful puppets and traditional tunes are held every night. At night, Nha Trang beaches are more attractive than daytime, really bustling and vibrant. You can comfortably lean back and listen to the murmuring waves at the Sailing club or joining any of the bars near the beach. Or you can also go to the night market, have a night squid fishing, walk around the Tran Phu beach and center…
- Join a cooking class
Joining a cooking class is one of unique things you can experience in Nha Trang. It’s a great way to understand more about local culture and cuisine when you are traveling. Many tourists choose a cooking class for something fun to do in a new city, another one who love cooking and they will learn and re-cook it back home. A cooking class normally starts with going to the market and choosing to buy ingredients. If cooking class in the countryside, you can visit beautiful vegetable and herb garden before coming back to the kitchen for cooking authentic Vietnamese food.
- Enjoy mud bath
Mud bathing is a characteristic activity that attracts tourists in Nha Trang because this activity is not only a form of relaxation, beauty but also mineral mud to restore health. Currently mud bathing in Nha Trang has become the 1st service in Vietnam which tourists comes must experience here. Nha Trang has 5 most prestigious and quality mud bath places you can refer: Thap Ba, Hundred Eggs, I Resort, Gallina and the latest is Hon Tam mud bath.

5. Specialties in Nha Trang
Not only known for beautiful landscapes coastal city, Nha Trang beach is also famous for its rich culinary features.
- Seafood:
Because it is a coastal city, seafood is a typical very fresh and popular dish in Nha Trang. It will be interesting if you enjoy seafood along the beach provided by local people instead of eating at a restaurant as usual. You can choose the type of seafood you want, they will process it right there for you to witness first hand. Don't forget to flavor your food with a local beer!
- Bo nuong Lac Canh (Lac Canh grilled beef): As a long-standing famous specialty dish in Nha Trang, most visitors who have eaten this dish want to return to Nha Trang to enjoy again. The special thing of this dish lies in its recipe for mixing beef with honey and more than ten spices. The restaurant is located at Nguyen Binh Khiem street, it’s easy for you to reach by taxi or electric car.
- Nem nuong (Grilled pork sticks): As a type of snack originating from Ninh Hoa district, nem nuong Nha Trang have now become a typical dish of the whole city. The dish will include snub balls, rice paper rolls, betel leaves, herbs, vermicelli, garlic and chili. How to eat this dish is that you will have to wrap it, then dip the roll in delicious fish sauce and enjoy it.
- Banh Can (Can cakes): Another street food in Nha Trang you can enjoy is Banh can (Can cake). The pancake is very delicious with a strange taste, including a small rice flour pancake that is skillfully coated with fresh or dried meat and seafood, eggs, cooked in a round pan over hot coals. The taste of egg is very amazing. The cake is served with sliced mango and dipping sauce. The best place to enjoy Ban Can in Nha Trang is at To Hien Thanh street.

 

6. How to get Nha Trang
Nha Trang is located in an extremely covenient location, in the middle and about 400km from the big administrative and economic centers of Danang and Saigon. Transportation here is also very developed with many types of vehicles, many flights such as airplanes, buses, trains ... If you are in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city, the plane is the fastest way to get to Nha Trang.
Currently, the airlines have direct flights Hanoi - Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh - Nha Trang daily. In addition, if you depart from Da Nang, Hue, Hai Phong, Da Lat, ... there are also direct flights, but the number of its is not much. You should choose the flight landing at Cam Ranh airport, then from here it’s easy to transfer to the center of Nha Trang city with about 40 minutes driving.