Things to do in Nha Trang

Nha Trang sights

Nha Trang City has a few sights worth a look in, but outlying attractions are more likely to appeal. Considering the main draw here is the beautiful beach and the lifestyle that goes with it, even these may sometimes be overlooked.

Nha Trang's Cham Tower is worth visiting. The Cham people ruled in this area from 243 AD until the 1600's, and this is one of the last remnants of their civilisation. Once a whole complex of towers, some are now in ruins, but the North Tower still stands largely untouched.

Also within an easy bicycle ride of the beach is the Long Son pagoda, which houses an impressive sitting Buddha statue high in its gardens on the hillside, and which is visible for miles around. This is the biggest and most worthwhile pagoda to visit whilst in the city, and also the most convenient for its location -- it's right by the train station.

A few kilometres away at the bottom of a bumpy pot-holed road is the Thap Ba Hot Spring Centre. As the advertising billboards around town boast, 'soaking in mineral mud is interesting'. Not only is there the chance to take a mud bath, but also soaking in mineral water, steam bath and massage, and a warm mineral water swimming pool are available. The centre even has a VIP Spa service taking in all these highlights through the course of a very relaxing day. A mud soak in a single tub costs 180,000 dong, or 300,000 for a 'double tub'. A swim in the pool costs 30,000 dong for an adult, kids are cheaper. Transportation is available from Nha Trang city and back for 30,000 dong per person.

The National Oceonographic Museum of Vietnam lives in Nha Trang, to the south of the town on the coast road. The museum is set in a huge colonial complex of buildings. Signs guide the way through the various exhibits which range from bored looking leopard sharks in tanks, to a plastercast model of a whale skeleton (or maybe it's real as they say -- you decide), to an entire 'sea cow' or manatee preserved in a huge glass case. Preservation is a big thing here, but we're talking about 'in vinegar' preservation -- giant squids and small reef sharks, if it's gruesome sights in glass jars you're looking for, there's a whole room full of them here. Other displays show Vietnam's oceanographic history.

Another museum, although a whole lot less interesting, is the Yersin Museum. Yersin was a prominent Frenchman who was loved by the Vietnamese for his work in the country. This may only interest those who want to learn more about the man and his contributions to shaping Vietnam during French colonial times. The museum features displays about Yersin's life, book collections from his library and an enormous telescope.

Some may cringe at the idea, but Vin Pearl Land, as well as a 5 star hotel, is also a day trip attraction in it's own right. Once there, it's possible to enjoy the facilities and take a guided tour, chill on the beach or take a swim. A visitors pass costs $20, for $50 lunch and swimming are included. Don't underestimate the pool -- at 5,700 sq metres it's the largest in Southeast Asia.

A cable car is now operating from the harbour to the south of Nha Trang beach out to the Vin Pearl Resort. There is an amusement park there with rides that are a cut above what you might find elsewhere in the country -- not all of them are just for the kiddies. The cable car costs 100,000 VND for a return trip, but you can buy a combined ticket that lets you ride all the rides twice for 200,000 VND. The cable car operates from 09:00 to 22:00 daily.

To get here, just head south on the beach road for 6km and stay along the water—the cable car looms in the distance, you can't miss it.

Cham Tower - 2/4 St, Nha Trang. Daily: 06:00-18:00. Admission: 4,500 dong.
Long Son Pagoda - 20 Twenty Three / Ten St (23/10 St). Daily: 07:00-18:00. Admission: Free.
National Oceonographic Museum of Vietnam - 1 Cau Da, Nha Trang. T: (058) 590 035. Daily: 06:00-18:00. Admission: 9,000 dong.
Thap Ba Hot Spring Center - 15 Ngoc Son, Ngoc Hiep, Nha Trang. T: (058) 834 934. F: (058) 835 287. www.thapbahotspring.com.vn.
Yersin Museum - 10 Tran Phu St, T: (058) 822 355. 07:00-11:00 & 14:00 - 16:30 Mon - Fri. Admission: 25,000 dong.

Boat Trip

The most popular activities in Nha Trang revolve around water. The boat trip is offered by a hundred different travel agencies that reside along the beachfront roads, but all boils down to the same schedule. It's more 18-30's than family orientated, and includes snorkelling, an on board lunch with singing and dancing, a floating bar in the sea in the afternoon, an aquarium and a fish farm. It's a good way to get off the mainland, explore some bays on the outlying islands, do some swimming and generally have a laugh.

The typical tour heads to Mun Island first, for swimming, sunbathing, and snorkelling at a nearby coral reef, then to Mot Island for lunch and drinks at a floating bar. Then Tam island, where there is a resort, more sunbathing (and more drinking) and then to Mieu Island to visit a fishing village.

The cost isn't too bad either, at around US$6 per person, which includes all transport and food. One of the better trips is arranged by Mama Linh.

Mama Linh - 23C Biet Thu St, Nha Trang. T: (058) 522 844, F: (058) 522 845.

Scuba diving

Nha Trang is one of the best scuba diving locations in Vietnam and has probably the biggest collection of dive shops. The best established is Rainbow Divers. Rainbow offers two dives for US$60.00, and the PADI Open Water course for $350. The 'Discover Scuba', which requires no certification and goes to a maximum 6 metres, is $62.50 for two dives. Rainbow also has a dive centre on Whale Island, which is 90 minutes by car and then a short boat trip. The island has beach-front bungalows which are still very wild and 'natural'. The accommodation is expensive, and the diving here too is a little pricier.

Another recommended dive shop is Sailing Club Divers. Of course, it's best to shop around the eight dive companies operating in the area to find the one that suits you best.

Rainbow Divers - 90A Hung Vuong St, T: (058) 524 351, www.divevietnam.com
Sailing Club Divers - 72-74 Tran Phu St, T: (058) 521 629, www.sailingclubvietnam.com

Other activities

Cycling Vietnam has an office in Ho Chi Minh City at 212/229 Nguyen Huu Canh St -- when in Nha Trang pop into Zippo Bar for information, or contact Tam on T:(091) 916 0110. Cycling Vietnam does tours all over the country, especially in the central highlands, not too far from Nha Trang.

At the Irish Shamrock Bar it's possible to arrange fly fishing and white water rafting tours.

Yang Bay waterfall, Raglai village and Dien Khanh Citadel

Yang Bay waterfall, 48 km from Nha Trang, consists of three sets of falls -- Yang Bay, Yang Khang, and Ho Cho. It's a well-developed tourist spot and a regular stop for Vietnamese on group tours, but it's still worth seeking out on your own. The main falls have been heavily modified, and some swimming areas have been artificially created, but the effect is fairly natural and quite beautiful. It's a great spot for swimming -- you can get right up close to the falls and a take a shower, and there are bathing options for the timid as well as the intrepid. A bit crowded, of course, when the tour groups are here in force, but if you're in luck, you could have the place almost to yourself. You can hike up along the stream for about a kilometre to enjoy the next set of falls and good view. If you're interested in visiting Ho Cho falls, it's deeper into the forest, so enquire at the visitor's centre. There are restaurants and cafes -- expect to pay a tad more than you would in town for the same thing.

The grounds also feature two wildlife centres, which are larger (and more humane) than you might have experienced elsewhere in Vietnam. About 700 metres before the entrance to the park, there's a right turn leading to the crocodile ponds -- of course, crocs aren't up to much when they aren't feeding, and the ones here are only about a metre long, so if you've seen crocs in Australia, you won't be too impressed. The other centre is inside the grounds -- take a left after entering the gate. A sizable enclosure houses half-a-dozen Vietnamese bears. But bears are about as bad as crocodiles when it comes to lazing around and not doing much of anything. If you really want to get that great, cute-and-cuddly-bear shot, plan on camping out in the observation booth for a while, and keep reminding yourself that there's a reason why those National Geographic photographers make the big bucks.

Raglai ethnic village
Part of what makes the trip worthwhile is that the last half courses through some really stunning countryside, and the last few kilometres before the falls passes by a Raglai ethnic village. The Raglai are one of the tribes that have been mostly uninterested in assimilating into mainstream Vietnamese society, preferring to continue living off the land in their traditional way, albeit in a concrete box-style housing provided by the Vietnamese government. The Raglai live 'close to the earth', and this is reflected in their mode of dress, where a good coat of dirt is nothing to be ashamed of -- you won't see any fastidiously-dressed girls in ao dais here. Nor will you find many tractors, motorcycles, or other signs of mechanised society. The Raglai we met were very friendly, very polite, and refreshingly shy. Don't miss out on a chance to hang out a little and get to know them.

Dien Khanh Citadel
This site is actually a stop on some tour itineraries. While it doesn't really merit seeking out for it's own sake, you'll pass through it on the way to Yang Bay falls. After you turn off Route 1 on the way to the falls you'll pass through two gates, about two stories high, which are all that remain of an 18th century citadel. They have guard towers above the archways, and a couple metres of old earthen ramparts -- they're so narrow traffic can only pass through in one direction at a time, controlled by traffic lights.

More details
48km from Nha Trang, Khanh Phu commune, Khanh Vinh District
Opening Hours: 09:00 to 17:00 daily
How to get there: To get to the falls, you have to find your way to Route 1. It meets Nha Trang at the northern end of town -- looking at a map, Le Thanh Ton street heading east would be the best way to get there, but it's one way in the other direction, so head for Yersin Street a bit to the north. Once you reach the five-way intersection on the edge of town, head straight east along Route 1. At about kilometre nine there's a blue sign showing the right turn to Yang Bay (pronounced 'zang bye') 29 km away. After you pass the sign, ignore the first right turn as the road bends and take the next right after the bend. The rest of the route is well-marked with signs pointing the way to Yang Bay.

Bai Dai Beach

If Nha Trang beach isn't exactly what you're looking for, you might enjoy a jaunt over to Bai Dai (which means 'long beach' and is pronounced 'bye-yai'). It's 19 km from the outskirts of Nha Trang, to the south, along the relatively new road that cuts through the coastal mountains to the Cam Ranh Airport. The beach is a long, beautiful stretch of sand that extends for ten kilometres or more along an arc-shaped bay.

There's a long row of beach-side, seafood restaurants, of the make-shift bamboo and canopy variety, clustered at the northern end of the beach, and the rest of it is just deserted. The restaurants provide a great place to laze away the day in canvas lounge chairs and enjoy excellent, very fresh seafood -- not dirt cheap, but about what you'd pay in Nha Trang proper. The restaurant owners and staff live on the beach, so they open when the first customer comes and close when the last one leaves. There's a wide band of shallow water close to the shore, which makes it a better swimming spot for some. There's a bit of fishing boat activity here, but the water is still good and clean. It's a great getaway spot that most western tourists know nothing about.


More details
19km south of Nha Trang
How to get there: To get here, you have to find the Cau Binh Tan bridge to the south of Nha Trang. You can get to the bridge directly from the southern end of the beach, but be sure to budget some time to get good and lost in the maze of roads along the way. The sure-fire way to get here is to find Le Hong Phong street in town, and head south. The turn-off for the bridge is on the right on Nguyen Tat Tanh Road -- it doesn't look very promising, but it takes you where you want to go. Once you cross the bridge, take a right, and it's 19 km to the beach -- the new road has definitely left its marks in the rock face of the hills along the coast, but the ride is still stunningly beautiful as it climbs up hills and hugs the shoreline. When you get to where the road is split by a wide median (there's a big billboard for the Vin Pearl that you can't miss) take an immediate left onto the dirt road that leads to the beach and the restaurants. If you stop and ask for directions be sure to say 'bye yai' not 'bye dai,' or they might think you're saying, 'seven radio stations.' No wonder they're looking at your like you're crazy.