Nha Trang

People come for the sea and the sand, for boat trips and snorkelling among the islands of Nha Trang Bay, for seafood, and for history: the Cham towers of Po Nagar, a temple founded more than twelve centuries ago, still stand on a hill at the north end of town. The city's weather pattern is unusual for Vietnam, with the main rains in autumn and a long, sunny dry season from January to August, which makes it a reliable choice for a summer beach holiday. Condos and apartments along the beachfront suit couples and families, while villas on the bays and along the Cam Ranh coast to the south offer more space.

Where to stay in Nha Trang

The central beachfront, along Trần Phú street, is the most convenient base, with the sand across the road and restaurants, markets and shops a short walk inland. High-rise condos here have sea views and suit couples and families. The southern end of the bay, towards the port, is quieter and handy for boats to the islands.

North of the Cái River, the area around Hòn Chồng and the Po Nagar towers feels more local, with smaller beaches and seafood restaurants. South of the city, the Cam Ranh coast, including Long Beach (Bãi Dài), has newer resort-style developments near the airport, peaceful but far from town. Ninh Vân Bay, reached by boat or a winding road, is a secluded choice.

Hosts in Vietnam are required to declare a foreign guest's temporary stay to local police, so keep your passport handy when you arrive.

Beaches and the bay

Nha Trang's main beach curves for several kilometres along the city, backed by a palm-lined promenade and public gardens, and the shore shelves gently into the water. The sea is usually calmest from about January to August. Hòn Chồng, a cluster of granite boulders on the coast north of the river, is a popular spot at sunrise.

The bay is dotted with islands, and boat trips visit Hòn Mun, a protected marine area known for its coral and snorkelling, as well as Monkey Island, Yến Island and smaller islets with fishing villages and floating fish farms. Long Beach, a few kilometres south of the city, is wide and quieter, and Dốc Lết and Đại Lãnh, further north, are long, pale beaches worth the drive. In the rainy season seas can be rough and boat trips may be cancelled.

Po Nagar, pagodas and history

Long before it became a resort, this coast belonged to the Cham kingdom of Champa, in the principality of Kauthara. The temple of Po Nagar, dedicated to the goddess Yan Po Nagar, was founded before 781, when a stele records its restoration by King Satyavarman, and its brick towers date mainly from the 10th to the 13th centuries. Vietnamese settlers took over the temple in the 17th century, and it remains a place of worship, so dress modestly.

Long Sơn Pagoda, in the city, is watched over by a white seated Buddha on a lotus base, about 24 metres tall in all, on the hillside above. The Swiss-born French doctor Alexandre Yersin, who identified the plague bacillus in 1894, settled in Nha Trang, set up a laboratory here in 1895 that became a Pasteur Institute, and died here in 1943; his house is now the Yersin Museum.

Food and markets

Seafood is the centre of the table: grilled squid, scallops topped with spring onion oil and fresh fish cooked to order. Two local favourites stand out. Bánh căn are small rice-flour cakes cooked in clay moulds and topped with egg or seafood, and bún chả cá is a noodle soup with fried fish cakes. Nem nướng, grilled pork rolled in rice paper with herbs, is a speciality of nearby Ninh Hòa.

Đầm Market, near the river, is the city's traditional market for dried seafood, fruit and everyday goods, and evening food stalls gather in the streets back from the beach. Khánh Hòa is also known for edible bird's nest, harvested from swiftlet colonies on the islands, and for agarwood, which gives the province its nickname, the land of agarwood.

Day trips from Nha Trang

Đà Lạt, the pine-covered highland city of lakes, French villas and flower farms, lies in the mountains to the south-west, a scenic drive of several hours over a winding pass, and many visitors combine the two cities in one trip. Closer to home, waterfalls and hot springs in the hills west of the city make easy half-day outings.

Along the coast to the north, Dốc Lết and Đại Lãnh reward a day at the beach, and the bays between them are dotted with fishing villages. To the south, the former Ninh Thuận province, merged into Khánh Hòa in 2025, has a drier landscape of vineyards, sand dunes and Cham villages around Phan Rang, where the Po Klong Garai towers stand on a hill above the town.

Getting there and around

Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR), about 30 kilometres south of the city, is the gateway, with domestic flights and a range of international routes; the drive along the coast road usually takes under an hour. Nha Trang also has a station in the city centre on the North–South Railway, with trains towards Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hanoi, and long-distance buses link it with Đà Lạt and other cities.

In town, taxis and ride-hailing apps are the easiest way to get around, and the beachfront promenade is pleasant to walk or cycle. Motorbikes can be rented, but you need a licence that is valid in Vietnam and a helmet. Boats to the islands leave from piers at the southern end of the bay, and many tours include transfers from where you stay.

Weather and when to visit

Nha Trang has a tropical coastal climate that differs from much of Vietnam. The long dry season runs from about January to August, with sunny days, calm seas and good conditions for diving and island trips, so the city is a dependable beach choice in the northern summer. The rainy season, from about September to December, brings heavy downpours, rough seas and, in some years, tropical storms or flooding that can disrupt boat trips.

It is warm all year, and sea breezes take the edge off the heat. The busiest times are Tết, the Lunar New Year in January or February, and the Vietnamese school holidays in summer, when families from across the country head for the coast, so book ahead for those weeks.