Nha Trang is one of the more popular beachside destinations in Vietnam. Since it’s in the southern half of Vietnam, a lot of first-time travelers pair it with a visit to Ho Chi Minh City. Direct flights between the two cities take only one hour.
I recently completed another trip to the city, acquiring new first-hand information for this and more Nha Trang guides.
🏨 Adamas Boutique (see on Agoda / Booking): I stayed here on my recent trip to Nha Trang. One of the best cost-to-value hotels I’ve stayed at in Vietnam. Very clean, and in a great location near the beach
🏨 InterContinental Nha Trang (see on Agoda / Booking): Luxury hotel in a great location, right across the street from Nha Trang Beach
🎟️ Tours & Activities: this half-day trip to Ba Ho Waterfall or coral reef snorkeling
There aren’t a ton of things to do in Nha Trang, but what is here will more than keep you busy and entertained for a few days. The central area of Nha Trang along Tran Phu Street is a very convenient area to base your trip. But unless you plan to rent your own scooter (more on this below), you’ll want to download the Grab app and use it to get around Nha Trang.
This guide covers where to stay in Nha Trang. If you have any questions about visiting Nha Trang, ask them in my free travel planning group on Facebook.
Where to Stay in Nha Trang
If you’re visiting Nha Trang for the first time, I recommend staying somewhere along Tran Phu Street or just west of it. Tran Phu Street runs along Nha Trang Beach, and the central portion of it is a very convenient place to stay.
Anywhere between the Vinpearl Beachfront Nha Trang (see on Agoda / Booking) and the Annova Nha Trang (see on Agoda / Booking) is the most convenient area to stay in Nha Trang. There are a lot of hotels in between, both boutique and bigger properties. Lots of convenience stores, places to eat, bars, scooter rentals, and laundromats.
I recently stayed at the Adamas Boutique (see on Agoda / Booking), which is right near the Vinpearl. The Adamas was excellent. Great location, very clean, good breakfast options. The hotel is about three minutes from Nha Trang Beach.
The Cable Cars & VinWonders
The cable car ride from the mainland over the ocean to Hon Tre Island was, by far, one of the best things I did on my recent trip to Nha Trang. You can see the cable cars going over the ocean from all along the beach in Nha Trang. But what you don’t realize is just how awesome the views are from inside the cable cars.
Hon Tre Island is home to the VinWonders amusement park, Vinpearl Harbour, and several beach resorts, like the Vinpearl Resort & Spa (see on Agoda / Booking).
Riding the cable cars to and from the island requires purchasing one of a few different ticket options. Some good news: the cable car ride can be bought as a standalone ticket. Currently, the 2-way cable car tickets cost 200.000 VND. You can buy tickets at the cable car departure point here.
After about 12 minutes, the cable cars arrive in Vinpearl Harbour, which itself is free to visit. There are restaurants, shopping, and the new-ish Aquafield, a Korean spa and sauna complex.
The VinWonders amusement park is a separate thing on the island. The amusement park has several themed areas, including a water park, gardens, animals, some rides (mostly geared towards kids), and shows. The VinWonders ticket gives access to most of the park, except for certain things like the zipline, jet skis, and other activities.
I filmed this video inside the King’s Garden area. There were a few friendly giraffes around.
If you want to enter VinWonders, you can buy a combo ticket for it and the cable cars. For adults under 60 years old, the basic ticket for VinWonders and a 2-way cable car ride is 950.000 VND. It’s cheaper for kids and those over 60. You can see the options below.
Depending on what you plan on doing in VinWonders, you could spend several hours here. The water park was very busy on my recent visit, with families and kids all over.
There’s a beach area at the water park, too. A lot of families were hanging out on the beach, while the kids were riding the nearby water slides.
ℹ️ Just a heads up: They shut down the cable cars during windy or bad weather. But there are still boats to and from the island and the mainland.
Nha Trang’s Beaches
Nha Trang Beach extends nearly five kilometers along the coast. Tran Phu Street runs the full length of the beach and has several hotels and places to eat all around. The Tram Huong Tower is a central landmark on the beachside path.
The beach path is beautiful to walk or run along, but the beach itself tends to be very crowded in certain parts. The beach is free to visit. You can bring a towel and lie out anywhere. Sun loungers can also be rented, and certain hotels offer them to guests included in the room price.
Further north along the coast is Hon Chong Beach. This beach can also get busy, but I find it to be a lot less hectic than Nha Trang Beach. Sun loungers can also be rented for around 50.000 VND.
Yersin Museum
Alexandre Yersin was a Swiss-French doctor and bacteriologist who made several trips to Vietnam and set up laboratories and research facilities in Nha Trang, where he ultimately died in 1943. The Yersin Museum is a small museum on the second floor of a building on Tran Phu Street here.
It’s pretty interesting, highlighting his discoveries in microbiology and immunology, and the museum has a lot of his personal possessions. This is a small and quick thing to do in Nha Trang. I’d plan to spend maybe 30 minutes here. Tickets cost 20.000 VND each.
Long Son Pagoda
Long Son Pagoda is west of the beach, located here. The pagoda itself is free to visit. If you have your own scooter, there’s parking right inside for 10.000 VND. You will need to wear polite clothes to enter certain parts of the grounds. No short shorts, skirts, or sleeveless shirts. There are a decent number of steps to climb to reach the Buddha statue at the top. Expect to see many locals, young and old, dressed in ao dais, having photoshoots all over the grounds. I’d plan to spend about 30 minutes here.
Po Nagar Temple
This temple and its grounds are similar, though much smaller in scale, to what you see at My Son Sanctuary in Quang Nam (if you’re visiting Da Nang or Hoi An). The temple and buildings were built between the 7th and 13th centuries.
Like Long Son Pagoda, you’ll need to wear polite, non-revealing clothes to enter Po Nagar. The grounds are small, but peaceful and well-maintained. There are stone staircases around the grounds. And also like Long Son Pagoda, Po Nagar is not wheelchair-friendly.
Tickets are 30.000 VND each, and there’s official scooter parking on site (to the right) for 4.000 VND. When I visited recently, there were several tour groups coming through. There are bathrooms on the grounds, and vendors selling cold drinks. You could spend 30 minutes to an hour here if you take your time.
Hon Chong
This item refers to a specific place on Hon Chong Beach here, not the beach itself. This Hon Chong is a collection of rocks extending out into the ocean that you can walk out on. It seems like a natural formation that was then turned into a tourist attraction requiring tickets. But it’s now set up in an official way, with ticket booths (30.000 VND per ticket), and free scooter parking on site.
To access the rocks, you’ll need to head behind the main building, then down the stone stairs. There are great views, even if you just end up stopping here. You’ll need to go further down, then out onto the sand, and climb on the rocks.
You can definitely slip or get hurt out here. There aren’t any staff members or guides around. I wouldn’t wear flip-flops. You’ll likely see other travelers out here, and footprints in the sand, so you can follow the path everyone else is taking.
Truong Son Craft Village
I stumbled upon this place randomly while riding my scooter around Nha Trang. And what a cool and refreshing experience it was. The craft village is located here, south of the main beachside area.
The owner of this place set it up purely to preserve, maintain, and display Vietnamese culture. Inside, there are many Vietnamese locals making all sorts of crafts. There is no push to buy anything. When I visited, there were people making sand art, painting, embroidery, clay sculpting, guitar making, hand-weaving chairs, and a lot more. Many items are for sale, but it’s not the main focus. There was also a traditional Vietnamese music show lasting about 15 minutes.
Tickets are 80.000 VND each, and there’s free scooter parking inside. Tickets come with a free and optional tour from a staff member. I was given a tour of some of the areas by an English-speaking staff member for about 30 minutes before wandering around on my own. The grounds are clean, well-maintained, and very peaceful.
You can easily spend an hour or more here. There’s a small coffee shop inside. Lots of places to sit and relax. Zero rush. It was very apparent to me that the person or people who designed and run this place are very thoughtful in their execution.
Rent a Scooter
If you’re able to ride a scooter, I definitely recommend renting one in Nha Trang. It will open the city up to you, allow you to visit more places in less time, and allow you to venture far out for beautiful views. On one of the days during my recent visit to Nha Trang, I rode north for over an hour along the coast and saw some awesome ocean views.
I rented a 160cc Honda Vario for 200.000 VND per day from Easy Rider Nha Trang here. I had a very smooth experience renting from him. There are many scooter rental places in Nha Trang. Some places will ask for a passport deposit, a license deposit, a cash deposit, or no deposit at all. Easy Rider only asked to hold my license. If you try to find a rental at the last minute, you may be out of luck, as many places are consistently booked. You can use WhatsApp or Zalo to contact companies beforehand to try to reserve a scooter.
