Nha Trang, Vietnam: A Rare Gem

Vietnam has been blessed to be surrounded by a variety of places to be visited. If you are looking to travel to places that can offer; (1) beach to relax, (2) an added element of a theme park on an island, (3) with a very low budget, then look no further because Nha Trang is a perfect destination for you.   

Nha Trang is a coastal city on the South-Central Coast of Vietnam. It is well–known for its beaches, scuba diving, and managed to develop into a popular place for tourists. The best attractions Nha Trang could offer are set to its six–kilometers stretch of white sandy beaches, mountains ranges on all three sides of Nha Trang and 19 unexplored islands.  

With its rapid development of the building and infrastructure in Nha Trang, its natural beauty starts to take a toll. The Tran Phu beach in central Nha Trang especially starts to look less impressive, and the water seems cloudy. All around the area, Nha Trang is packed with burgeoning numbers of tourists coming from Russia and Asia especially from mainland China.  

However, Nha Trang still possesses unique attractions and with its unbeatable low price for food and accommodations, it is still a worthy place to visit.  

Where are the best attractions?  

i) Beaches  

Choosing what beaches to go would be a great challenge since in Nha Trang there are no two beaches which are the same. The options are up to you on which beaches you look after. From overcrowded to secluded beaches, all of it is available if you look for it when you in Nha Trang.  

• Tran Phu Beach  

Located just an easy walk from almost anywhere in Nha Trang City, this beach is the most popular beach in Nha Trang. As I mentioned before, I would strongly advise to not bother about this beach at all. Yes, the location is super convenient but if you are okay with its current state; you are most welcome to visit this beach. Spending just 30 minutes on this beach and you will mostly be done.   

There is a noticeable amount of trash in places, murky waters, overloaded on holidays and high buildings decrease the peace of the beach.  

However, Tran Phu Beach is famous for its nightlife. The Sailing Club, ZIMA and Rooftop Beach Club are among the highly recommended bars to spend during night time.  

• Hon Chong Beach  

Just on the north side of Tran Phu Beach, you will find Hon Chong Beach. If you visited Bo Panagar Cham Towers, this beach is only 5 minutes’ drive from it.  

This beach has a formation of piled rocks that stretch out towards the sea. Some of an interesting thing to do while in Hon Chong Beach is to climb the rocks to enjoy the panorama of nearby islets and Nha Trang. This activity requires you to pay a fee of VND 22,000 (USD 1).  

• Bai Tru Beach  

Located on Hon Tre Island, Bai Tru Beach is situated inside the Vinpearl Amusement Park. This beach will be among the best beach to spend your time as this beach is carefully being maintained by Vinpearl Land.   

To get to this beach, you need to pay the entrance fee to go inside the amusement park; VND 1,100,000 (USD 47). This fee includes the entrance to the park, lunch buffet and a return ticket to Hon Tre Island via cable car.  

• Bai Dai Beach   

Located 28km away from the center of Nha Trang, Bai Dai Beach is a perfect beach for those who seek a beautiful beach, secluded area with the hippy-like atmosphere.  

You could spend hours swimming in the clear water or just sunbathing on the beach. And if you are feeling hungry, there are seafood delicacies, western cuisine, beer or juices from the beachside restaurants nearby.  

ii) Vinpearl Land   

Build by Vietnamese billionaire; Pham Nhat Vuong, Vinpearl Land is established in their effort to increase its tourism industry in Nha Trang itself. Officially open to the public in April 2018, Vinpearl Land on average manage to attract 12,000 visitors per day and 95,000 visitors during public holidays.  

In order to get here, first, you need to get to the cable car terminal station via bus, taxi or Grab. Oh! This theme park is built on an island; hence it is only accessible via cable car and boat only. Upon arriving here, purchase a ticket at the counter or book online in order to skip the line.   

The admission fees will cost you around VND 1,100,000 (USD 47) which includes return trips via cable car, admission to the theme park and a lunch buffet. Vinpearl Land is divided into different sections namely; outdoor water park, outdoor and indoor arcade centers, an aquarium, shopping street, zoos, movie castle, performance stage and a huge variety of gardens called the blooming hill.  

The price is considered being acceptable since the theme park offers a lot of attractions that some of it might catch your attention. After roaming around the theme park from the morning, you could then try its lunch buffet which is included in your ticket fees. The lunch buffet ranges from Western to Local cuisine.  

The amusement park is so large, it is 200,000 square meters. Some attractions might catch your interests and some might not. I could say that since there are vast attractions to visit here, you might be interested in some of it.  

There are tons of activities to do here. Some of it is;  

• Outdoor Waterpark. A huge area in 50,000 square meters in size and the only seaside water park in Vietnam. Among the slides in this water park is kamikaze (free fall from a height of 21 meters), tsunami, space holes, flying boat, body slide.   
• Beach Sports Games at Bai Tru Beach. Some of the activities are sailing, jet-skiing, parachute, a fly board, and splash bay.  
• Outdoor Game Area. Tons of ride awaits you but not mind-blowing namely as the giant sky wheel, mine adventure, swing carousel, bungee jumping, alpine coaster.  
• Blooming Hill. A large botanical park which houses thousands of floras and faunas from all continents.  
• King’s Garden. A Zoo for rare animals such as rhino, lions, Bengal tigers, antelope, and flamingos.  
• Indoor Playground. Some of it is the interactive 3D museum and bull riding.  
• Aquarium. Displaying over 3000 species of rare marines species from many countries around the world.  
• Performances. There is quite a variety of performances to watch based on their specified timing such as dolphin show, a mermaid show and musical water fountain (equipped with modern water, sound, lighting and fire systems).  
• 4D Cinema.  
• Shopping Street.  

iii) Po Nagar Cham Towers  

If you fancy learning about Nha Trang, this temple will be the perfect place for you. Po Nagar Cham Towers were built to honor the goddess of Po Nagar – ‘The mother of the country’.  

It is built between the 7th and 12th centuries and is actively used for worship by Cham, Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhists.  

These towers of Po Nagar Cham are in a square red brick structure. Once, there are actually 10 buildings each dedicated to a different deity, but now only four remain.   

How cheap is Nha Trang?  

i) Places to stay  

Nha Trang is flooded with hotels and apartments build along the beach area. There are a lot of options you have to cater to all the demands. Since there is a lot of competition for places to stay in Nha Trang, the price drop makes staying in Nha Trang is very cheap.  

On average, one whole apartment with 2 rooms in Nha Trang can be rented as low as USD 10 per night. Prices for hotels are cheap too. The prices will start from USD 10 for one night for an average 3-star hotel.  

ii) Transportation  

Upon arrival at Cam Ranh International Airport, the cheapest way to arrive in Nha Trang is by bus. Just walk outside the airport and you will never miss the airport bus. Another option is to take a Grab or taxi which easily accessible. The journey from the airport to Nha Trang will take around 30 minutes.  

Exploring the city in Nha Trang is easy too. Walking is always an option but you can opt to ride a bike around the city. The city is not big so you won’t get lost easily. Plus, the rental price for a bike is only VND 80,000 (USD 3) per day.  

iii) Food  

• Pho  

Tasting local foods in Nha Trang is a must. And what a waste for you not to try Pho–a local noodle soup well known to Vietnam. Pho comprises flat rice noodles in a light meat-based broth. The dish usually accompanied by basil, lime, chili and other extras on the side.  

• Seafood  

Everywhere you look, seafood is widely available all around Nha Trang. Even ordering a variety of seafood still will not burn a hole in your pocket.  

Along the beach, you will find locals selling roasted lobsters. The price for two lobsters is VND 150,000. Very cheap indeed. Even if you are not a fan of seafood, but you must at least try this.  

• Ice Cream Roll  

Fancy for a local snack? This fruity ice cream roll will be great to enjoy especially when the sun is scorching hot. You will find this ice cream almost anywhere around Nha Trang as it is famous among locals and visitors.