Nha Trang has always been known to visitors from all around the world for its beautiful beaches and islands, richness in aquatic life and an active nightlife. If Nha Trang isn’t in your Vietnam’s bucket list, your trip to Vietnam will surely be a miss. Here are your top 14+ easy and exciting things to do in Nha Trang.
Nha Trang is known for its incredible blue beaches with the long, white sand banks that stretch gracefully along the city. Not just the beautiful beaches, Nha Trang also has a wide range of beach resorts and recreational activities you can enjoy.
With that many beaches, equal in beauty, you have a lot of choices for your beach break – either beaches that are near the city’s centre or empty, pristine beaches you can have all to yourself. Here are some names to check out: Tran Phu Beach, Hon Chong Beach, Bai Tru Beach, Bai Dai (Long Beach), Doc Let Beach…
As we’ve mentioned above, Nha Trang has some of the best beaches in Vietnam where the blue sea meets white sandy coastline. Not only the beaches, there’re plenty services for accommodation and beachside activities you can enjoy.
The beach has the most convenient location since you can get to it from almost everywhere in Nha Trang. A wide range of seaside resorts, hostels and restaurants can be found on Tran Phu Street. Nightlife is also active here – most popular bars: The Sailing Club, ZIMA, Skylight Skydeck & Rooftop Beach Club.
Activities: surfing, snorkeling, bicycle tours, spa treatments, meditation and yoga
You only have to pay 35,000VND to hire a beach bed or deck chair along the beach.
Located about 28km away from Tran Phu Beach, Bai Dai Beach is your perfect day trip from Nha Trang for those who love to see the empty, pristine beaches. Come to Bai Dai, not only you can enjoy the blue, clean sea water, check out the beachside Nha Trang restaurants which serve delicious local seafood dishes, western cuisine and beers.
Doc Let deserves to be the most beautiful and untouched beach to visit in Nha Trang, lying 45km north of Nha Trang with incredible white sandy beach and emerald blue sea. The beach also feature palm trees, fishing boat docked offshore and salt fields which are just suitable for a photo time.
Suggested tours:
Some best hotels and resorts along the Nha Trang beaches:
Po Nagar Cham Towers
Po Nagar Cham Towers were built from the 7th to the 12th centuries and there are four separate buildings that are used as a place of worship by Cham, Chinese, Vietnam and Buddhist worshippers.
There would originally have been around eight towers here in the days of old but now only four are still standing.
One of these is called the North Tower (or Thap Chinh in Vietnamese) which stands at a height of 28 meters and was built in 817 AD. The tower is remarkable as it has a pyramidal roof which is also terraced and the interior is made up of a vaulted ceiling and a grand foyer.
All of the towers are located on the banks of the scenic Cai River and if you like history and architecture then this is one spot not to miss in Nha Trang.
Included in: Nha Trang Half-Day City Tour
If you still feel unsatisfied with just Nha Trang, set sail deep into Nha Trang Bay – one of the most beautiful bay on earth. The bay features a range of wild, pristine islands and islets which are open for visit. You can visit four of those by booking a boat tour from Nha Trang which often includes snorkeling, a visit to aquarium, and fish farm. This is one of the best things to do for those who are seeking active water activities.
Diving, snorkeling to see the colorful coral reefs at Hon Mun Marine Protected Area
Hon Mun Marine Protected Area (MPA) covers 38 sqkm of land and 122 sqkm of surrounding water, including not only Hon Mun but also Hon Tre, Hon Mieu, Hon Tam, Hon Mot, Hon Cau, Hon Vung, Hon Rom and Hon Noc. The protected area aims to reserve the diverse marine ecosystems and coral diversity of the South Vietnam.
The coral reefs of MPA feature more than 350 species of hard coral species. This is the number one reason for you to go diving and snorkeling in Nha Trang. Best spots are:
Suggested tour: Scuba Diving Discovery Course on Hon Mun Island in Nha Trang
The newly renovated hot air balloon centre is located on Hon Tam Island, offering wonderful views of immense ocean and Nha Trang city on the height of 150 meters. A ride lasts about 20 minutes, enough for you to admire the 360 aerial degree views of the city below.
Add: Pham Van Dong Street
Price: 100,000VND during the day and 120,000VND in the evening
Nha Trang is a wonderful place to have a great night out with plenty of places to go and things to do. The seaside town of Vietnam offers a wide range of options from cultural performances to rooftop night clubs and bars, all which will keep you entertained.
Here are some places to check out:
Long Son Pagoda
Located at the summit of a hill behind the Long Son Pagoda is large statue of a white Buddha who is sitting on a pretty lotus blossom and measures an impressive 14 meters in height.
You can see the statue from all over Nha Trang and it is one of the main landmarks in the city.
At the base of the statue you will find some the statues of Thich Quang Duc and six other monks who set fire to themselves in protest in 1963. To pay tribute to the self-immolations of the monks, the statues are ringed with fire.
One of the reasons to come here, apart from the chance to see the statues, is to take in the views from the top of the platform.
Catamaran, Nha Trang
Most of the main activities in Nha Trang take place on the water and with that in mind you can sign up to go sailing here.
There are a huge number of boating companies in Nha Trang and you can either go for a simple boat trip off the coast or you can opt to sail to some of the neighboring islands.
Many of the boat trips available here also offer you the chance to go diving or snorkeling off the boat and they also usually serve a buffet lunch.
Related tour: Nha Trang: Romantic Sunset Cocktails and Dinner Cruise
Just to the north of Nha Trang is the Thao Ba Hot Springs and Mud Baths which is the perfect spot if you are looking to relax for the afternoon.
The baths here are made up of a series of both hot and cold pools, or you can try something a little different and opt for a mud bath.
The mud is said to have healing properties thanks to its high mineral content and people usually slather their skin with the mud and then lie down in the bath and let it work its magic.
Suggested activities: Vip Packages Galina Hotel Nha Trang
Anyone who likes street food will love spending time in Nha Trang where you can sample a wide array of delicious street food snacks.
As Nha Trang is by the coast, seafood is widely featured, or you can try other dishes such as thit bo nuong la lot which is a snack made from beef which has been wrapped in lo lot leaves and then grilled.
Other tasty choices include banh can which is a rice flour pancake which is topped with meat or seafood and then cooked over a grill.
Because Vietnamese food is starting to be recognized and appreciated all over the world, joining in a cooking class is a great idea for any tourist to experience this wonderful cuisine in the closest way. A half of day of taking a class often starts with a trip to the nearby market to select and buy fresh herbs, meats and spices. Then, when coming back to the kitchen, you will know how to deal with a wok and the right way to chop, slice and grind.
Bicycles and motorbikes are available for tourists to rent from shops and hotels in the tourist centre of the city. In case you do not care much about the heat, then cover sights in the city, such as Long Son (Long Sơn) pagoda, markets, Ponagar Cham Towers by riding bicycle.
For those who want to hire a motorbike, then day trips to Ba Ho (Ba Hồ) Waterfalls, the mud baths, Doc Let Dốc Lết Beach, Bai Dai (Bãi Dài) Beach are interesting ideas. Actually, driving in Nha Trang might be less intense than in other busy cities of Vietnam, like Ho Chi Minh and Ha Noi, and the pace here is rather slow. Nonetheless, Nha Trang should not be your first try when it comes to driving a motorbike.
If you want to rent, then the motorbikes will cost about 80,000 VND each day, while the automatic scooters will cost about over 100,000 VND each day. Now, helmets are required by Vietnamese law. While motorcycling, you should be careful of roundabouts and watch out for trucks and buses – remember the bigger the vehicle is, the less the person driving it will danger both their lives and others’.
A variety of motorcycle tour enterprises are available in Nha Trang and “Easy Rider” is a great option.
If you want to enjoy the great, peaceful countryside of north central coastal region of Vietnam, then riding a bike is the best way to do. There are some organized tours which will take you through rural areas while also guiding you to visit some historic sites. You can combine riding bicycle with rafting down the Cai River (Sông Cái). Normally, tours include light lunches.
Visiting around 10 kms south of Nha Trang, you will find a few floating villages. These places have majorly been populated by poorest people over many years who cannot afford a true house on land and they nearly make a living out of fishing farming and fishing. Nowadays, they could also make an additional income from tourism in places like Nha Trang because a lot of tourists like to pop by and witness the special way of their life. Visiting around the village on their small boats is really a well worth experience. The easiest way you can do it by ordering one of the organized boat tours out of the city center, and also making sure that the boats popping by the floating villages.
The cable car linking Nha Trang to Vinpearl has a length of over 3km and is held over 9 pillars. Before this transporting form was developed, there is only one way to reach Vinpearl – by boat.
The cable car of Nha Trang travels a distance of about 3320 meters, contains 65 booths, where the cabins could accommodate up to 8 individuals. It is capable of transporting of about 1500 people each hour and is considered as the longest ropeway in both Vietnam and in the world.
With just 9 minutes, you can go from Nha Trang to Vinpearl by using a cable car. Previously, the ferry takes about 20 minutes while the boat takes 7 minutes. So, this cable car is not only the most shortest and convenient path to Vinpearl, but also allows tourists to see the spectacular view of the privileged bay of Nha Trang and Nha Trang city from above. It is recommended to enjoy this experience at night as it will give you a really special moment to witness the whole Nha Trang in beautiful night lights.
SEE ALSO: Vinpearl Land Ticket Nha Trang
The last idea when it comes to things to do in Nha Trang is heading to Yang Bay, a charming excursion from the city. Upon getting there, you can find three separate sets of falls: Yang Bay, Ho Cho, and Yang Khang. Nevertheless, when getting to Yang Bay, it rather matters to climb to discover all of three waterfalls. Being surrounded by mountainous and forestation terrain, it is a good idea for those who want to escape from the crowds of the beach for a while.
I have picked up a few great things to do in Nha Trang along the way in my list. In general, Nha Trang has a remarkable range of fun activities catering to most market segment. Don’t worry if you travel with your family as there are also various family activities and children will be never bored when holidaying anywhere in Vietnam. And, for singles and young couples, Nha Trang also offers an exciting experience and is reckoned as one of the culinary Vietnam’s centers. If Nha trang does not leave an unforgettable impression on, then I bet that nothing in Vietnam will.
If you have any contribution about this topic of things to do in Nha Trang, then do not hesitate to leave your words below this post. We appreciate all contributing ideas!