A Quick Guide to Exploring Nha Trang

If you are a beach person, Nha Trang is the place to be, thanks to its long crystal clear beaches, beautiful islands and wealth of activities. The weather in Nha Trang is relatively mild. Check out Top 05 things you don't want to miss before leaving one of Vietnam most beautiful beaches.

VinPearl Land

One of the popular tourist spots in Nha Trang is Vinpearl Land. This is an entertainment theme park located in Hon Tre Island. You can go straight to Vinpearl Land by cable car or canoe and should spend at least half day there to maximise your experience. Besides luxury hotels and beautiful gardens, Vinpearl Land has a water park, adventurous games and many other family activities.

Hon Mun

Located just out of the city center is Hon Mun Island. The island offers a gorgeous coral range, which has some of the world’s most diverse ocean life, as classified by the WWF. Besides breathtaking views, this is a great spot for floating bars and scuba diving. Hon Mun tours can be found at almost all hotels in Nha Trang and are available daily. Simply contact reception and they will book a tour on your behalf.

Ninh Van Bay

If you have time, make sure you visit Ninh Van Bay: a peninsula 60km away from Nha Trang city. Activities include diving, kayaking and surfing. You can buy a tour at hotel, there’ll be a shuttle bus to take you to the port. A tour normally lasts for at least half day.

Foods

The grilled fish vermicelli noodle is the must try dish of this coastal city. It is made from fresh tuna and fish bone broth and you can either choose steamed fish or fried fish, eaten with fresh chilli or chilli sauce. This dish is my first go-to breakfast whenever I stay in Nha Trang and is available from most street vendors and restaurants.

Jellyfish noodles is also delicious and can be found in Nha Trang. The jellyfish is about finger length, moderately thin, looks like jelly but is crunchy. The noodle broth is made from fish to produce natural sweetness and eaten with grilled fish.

Finally, Ninh Hoa pork roll is one of the best snacks in Vietnam. The main ingredient is thin slices of fresh pork with the tendon excluded. Spices, sugar, pepper, salt and pork skin are then added to make sure the roll stays in shape. It is finally wrapped in a starfruit leaf or banana leaf for smell. Tasty!

Tips

• Time to visit: You can visit the city any time during the year. However, the low season is from September to December during rainy season.
• Hidden gems: I-Resort or Tram Trung resort for mud bathing, Doc Let for its nice beach.
• Things to do: going to the beach, mud bathing, island tour and scuba diving.
• Transportation: Most airlines in Vietnam have flights to Nha Trang, especially budget ones like VietjetAir or Jetstar. From Ho Chi Minh city, it takes an hour to Nha Trang. The airport is about 30km from city center so you can either get a taxi or airport bus, which departs every 30 minutes. Trains are the less convenient but cheaper choice. If you travel from Saigon, the train journey takes 10 hours. From Hanoi, it takes about 30. You can also travel by bus from Saigon. The most trusted and popular coach services are Phuong Trang, The Sinh Tourist and Thanh Buoi. These coaches offer 5-8 buses, running throughout the day and charge $10 USD for a one-way ticket.