Eat Explore Learn in Nha Trang

Big enough to bustle, yet small enough to retain its chilling air, the beautiful city of Nha Trang has, despite increasingly tough competition, earned its place as Vietnam’s top beach destination.

Big enough to bustle, yet small enough to retain its chilling air, the beautiful city of Nha Trang has, despite increasingly tough competition, earned its place as Vietnam’s top beach destination. The city has been experiencing rapid growth in the last few years, especially after the airport has been moved out of the city. The original airport was in the city next to the beach. Originally that was an American Air Force base that then turned into a commercial airport. With the airport in the city, there were height restrictions on surrounding buildings. With airport has been removed to Cam Ranh (another former Air Force airport), the city’s constructions are developing at even more rapid pace. There are also plans to convert the old airport area into a new development.

If you are looking for a place to relax and regain strengths, Nha Trang is an ideal destination, especially in contrast to the chaotically busy Saigon and Hanoi. The climate of Nha Trang is pleasant throughout the year. The temperature varies between 18 and 28 degrees. However, the ideal time for traveling to Nha Trang is between January and May. The temperature during that time is not too high and it rains less.

There are some interesting attractions and sights around the town. For sure, dozens of the stunning beaches should not be missed, but Nha Trang has so much more than just that. Draw yourself away from the shore to one of Nha Trang’s terrific architectural wonders, Po Nagar Cham Towers. The Cham Towers have a history that dates all the way back to the 7th century. Cham was an ancient civilization that was living all over Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam and Cambodia. They are known for their skills in sculpture and architecture. The Cham left behind a unique legacy of artifacts and temple settlements not only in Vietnam but also in Cambodia and Thailand. Thus, visitors will find a great deal of similarity between Angkor Wat and the Po Nagar Towers in Nha Trang. The mysterious temple complex, which was constructed to honor the goddess Yan Po Nagar, is still a place of worship for Buddhists.

Located about 5 km from Nha Trang City Center, The National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam is one of the first centers for scientific oceanographic research in Vietnam. The museum collection spreads out over two floors. The ground floor is home to fish tanks of different sizes. The upstairs floor is for exhibiting specimens, local boats and fishing artifacts, plus an 18-meter long whale skeleton. Apart from the real fishes, there are also rare species’ skeletons. There are even finds of extremely rare species, like the dugong or sea cow.  Visiting galleries of marine life aquarium, tourists seem to be lost in a colorful world of rare and valuable sea creatures, such as sea anemones, red and blue starfishes, holothurians, snakes, tortoises, shrimps, fishes, etc. In another showroom, the display area of Oceanographic Institute's specimens is 20,000 specimens of 4,000 marine species in Southeast Asia, which gathered from a valuable survey in the South China Sea and the adjacent waters. They have been deliberately preserved with the aim of protecting the biodiversity of marine organisms. Tourists to Oceanographic Institute may have a feeling that they are taking in a tour underneath the ocean where they extremely observe thousands of diverse organisms.

The best way to have a look from the top at Nha Trang and its surrounding islands is to taking Vinpearl Cable Car which is the world’s longest sea-crossing cable car with a total length of 3320 meters. By taking Vinpearl Cable Car you will be directly sent to the Vinpearl Amusement Park. There are many adventurous and exciting on-water activities. The first is a water park with the total area over 50000 m2, which offers many entertainments for tourists. Visitors can find there pools for families and kids, water slides and thrilling games for those who love adventures like slide boarding, “the black hole”, etc. Those who prefer passive entertainments there are simple options to relax at the lazy river or sunbathe at the beach.

One of the tourists’ most favorite places to visit in Nha Trang is Ba Ho Waterfall.  Ba Ho comprised of three natural waterfalls that end with a clear lake surrounded by a dense rainforest. It is located a 45-minute drive up the coast from downtown of Nha Trang. The coastal scenery is stunning and the rice paddies that lead to the waterfall are charming. Once you reach the waterfall you’ll need to climb a semi-steep crude path to reach the three pools. For tourists’ convenience, the red arrows have been drawn on the rocks to guide visitors so it’s basically impossible to get lost.

Mud bathing is a hugely popular activity in Nha Trang, especially at Thap Ba Hot Springs, which is the oldest mud and hot spring facility. The region’s original thermal mineral mud bath and mineral hot springs center, Thap Ba offers both traditional communal bathing and private experiences along with a swimming pool and hydrotherapy water jets. 

The locals believe that the natural hot mineral springs help detoxify and soothe fatigued muscles, remove dead skin cells, and supply minerals to the body. Hot mineral water as well as silicon mineral mud provides relaxing effect and stimulating the activity of the nervous system. It also positively affects skin by helping to treat some common skin diseases and make the skin smooth, bright and much more beautiful. Visiting Thap Ba Hot Springs will give you unique bathing experience.

Must try street food

-          Bánh Căn is a steamed bun that comes with a topping made of eggs or variety of meat options. A dipping sauce is made of fish sauce, spices, scallions, green papaya. These pancakes are well served with fatty pork meatballs along with shredded mango (green type). Bánh Căn is a mouth-watering food for a very inexpensive price.

-          A favorite breakfast of locals, Bò Né is a beefsteak served with pate, eggs, bread and chili sauce in a hot pan. It is accompanied by a mix of salad, tomato, cucumber, onion, and vinegar. One notable item is the bread which is always served warm and crusty.

-          Any coastal city in Vietnam means that visitors must try its seafood. In Nha Trang, tourists can go to any restaurant to enjoy seafood but what is more interesting is to discover the small but tasty vendor restaurants. If you ask friendly local people, they will show you the way to Pham Van Dong Street where many fresh seafood restaurants with reasonable prices can be found. The seafood here is very diverse including shrimps, crabs, snails, clams, fish, and squid.  Restaurants often display a lot of still alive seafood to demonstrate the freshness and variety; guests can point to the fish/seafood they would like to eat and chefs will cook it for them. Make sure you try Grilled Scallop served with spring onion oil (Mo Hanh). Simple, but very delicious.

-          Rice vermicelli with jellyfish / Bún sứa. Your trip to Nha Trang wouldn’t be complete if you don’t have this kind of noodle soup. Dip the jellyfish into a special fish dipping sauce to create a taste sensation not usually found in the country. Raw vegetables, chili, and lemon are the indispensable ingredients for this dish. It is a great meal for those who on diet.

-          Fishcake (Chả cá) to make cha ca people often use sardines, mackerel, machete fish, barracuda, flying fish and sailfish but the most delicious part is cha ca is made from barracuda. Cha Ca is steamed or fried fish cake still has its own characteristics as soft, chewy, sweet and delicate no matter how it has been cooked.

The numerous adventures you can have in Nha Trang provide you with unforgettable memories in Nha Trang. All you need to have is an open mind, a little bit of fearlessness (especially when crossing the streets) and a hunger for learning. Have fun diving into the amazing and unique culture. 

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