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Nha Trang
Nha Trang is Vietnam’s most famous seaside resort-town. It's the place to go in Vietnam if you want to do some scuba diving or snorkeling.
Understand
Traces of human settlement in Nha Trang date back to the Cham Empire, though in times of Vietnamese rule, there wasn’t much more than small fishing villages. The French recognized that this beautiful bay, with its islands and white sand beaches, made for a perfect bathing spot, and began the transformation into a resort town. American soldiers agreed, and it became a favorite vacation stop during the war.
Today, most of the tourist infrastructure is in the southern part of town around Biet Thu, whereas most of the locals live around the Cho Dam in the northern quarters. Tran Phu is the backbone of the city, accompanied by a pleasant waterfront promenade, palm trees and the nearly 6km of beach — by no means pristine, but nice enough.
Get in
By plane
Cam Ranh Airport (CRX), built on the grounds of an old American airbase in 2004, is located 30km from the city and serves only domestic destinations. Taxi fare from the airport to downtown locations should be about 170,000 dong, though many hotels have their own buses.
By train
Nha Trang is a stop on the main railway-line connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The railway station is close to the cathedral in the northern part of town. If you want a soft-sleeper (the highest class available on Vietnamese trains), book your train ticket directly at the train station as far in advance as you are able. Having a private travel agent book this ticket will quite often result in you paying the agent for a soft-sleeper — the agent will book a hard-sleeper and you will not know until you board the train and it is too late to make changes. This is one of the most common scams in Vietnam!
By bus
Most open tour buses arrive from Ho Chi Minh City in the south (8 hours) and Hoi An to the north (10 hours). They drop their passengers in the main tourist area around Bien Thu, while the public bus station is at 58, 23 Thang 10, about a 10 minute walk west of the center.
Get around
Nha Trang has a reliable and easy to navigate public bus system, where the ticket fare does not exceed 2000 dong for a ride on a modern, air-conditioned bus with Vietnamese music. You will find buses nr. 3 and 2 the most useful, since they pass through the southern quarters. Alternatively, you'll find the usual selection of taxis, cyclos and motorbikes.
There is no destination in Nha Trang that justifies a fare higher than 20,000 dong/person.
See
Islands
Tour operators offer boat tours to the surrounding islands for around $7USD, that usually include such funny things as a on-board fruit buffet or the "swimming bar", where you float in a circular swimming aid and try your hardest to get drunk. There are more serious approaches to it, so shop around...
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