Nha Trang
Nha Trang, the capital of Khanh Hoa province, sits in the south of Vietnam around 450km north of Ho Chi Minh City- a train journey of as little as seven hours or 45 minutes by plane. The trip brings the weary traveller to the best city beach Vietnam has to offer.
General information:
Area: 251 sq. km
Population: 362,000 inhabitants (2008)
Administrative division:
- Wards: Vinh Hoa, Vinh Hai, Vinh Phuoc, Vinh Tho, Ngoc Hiep, Van Thang, Phuong Son, Xuong Huan, Van Thanh, Phuong Sai, Phuoc Tan, Phuoc Tien, Phuoc Hai, Phuoc Long, Loc Tho, Phuoc Hoa, Tan Lap, Vinh Nguyen, Vinh Truong.
- Communes: Vinh Luong, Vinh Phuong, Vinh Ngoc, Vinh Thanh, Vinh Hiep, Vinh Trung, Vinh Thai, Phuoc Dong.
Ethnic groups: Mainly the Viet (or Kinh).
Location:
Nha Trang City is the provincial capital of Khanh Hoa province in the Central Vietnam, lies on the trans-Vietnam highway, 1,278km from Hanoi, and 448km from Ho Chi Minh City. This coastal city is well-known because of its gorgeous beaches. It is often called the seaside resort city of Vietnam. Having vast, tranquil and crystal sandy beaches and the pleasant weather, Nha Trang is a perfect destination for a lovely holiday. Nha Trang Bay is recognized as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world.
Weather and climate:
Effecting from tropical monsoon climate, Nha Trang is endowed by nature with deep, quiet and warm waters, surrounded by archipelagoes, islands, mountains and white sand beaches – a wonderful and attractive tourist resort. Nha Trang is sunny all year round, with an average temperature of 23oC due to northern winds
The 7 km white sand beach of Nha Trang is often called Vietnam’s Mediterranean Area, considered one of the jewels along Vietnam’s long stretching coast line. The rainfall is less than anywhere else in the country and the area is not threatened by storms since it is protected by the Truong Son Mountains and Ca Pass. From Ca Pass, one can see Ro Bay (Vung Ro), Hon Do…
Getting to/around Nha Trang.
- By flight: Nha Trang airport is some 6 km from Nha Trang city center. It takes 1 hour and forty minutes for the flight from Hanoi and takes 55 minutes for one from Ho Chi Minh City.
- By train: the Thong Nhat train which runs from North to South stops at Nha Trang. Visitors can take the train from Hanoi, Hue or Ho Chi Minh and some other stations along the country.
- By bus: private cars, taxi, open buses and public buses are available for tourists in most cities and towns in Vietnam.
- By boat/ferry: Boat/ferry transfer is available for tourists who wish to visit islands within Nha Trang. It takes two hours to reach Hon Tre Island- the touristiest island in Nha Trang by rowboat and only 20 minutes by ferry.
Tourism:
Worldwide famous for a coastal city, Nha Trang offers many beautiful landscapes including white sandy beaches and beautiful islands such as Tam Island, Nha Phu Marsh, Hon Mun Island, Hon Chong (Chong Rocks), Whale Island, Con Se Tre (tourist site), Hon Tre Island, Swallow Island…. Besides beaches in Nha Trang, there are some other beaches and bays in Khanh Hoa that visitors could spend their holidays including Van Phong Bay, Cam Ranh Bay, Doc Let Beach, Tru Beach and Dai Lanh Beach.
Come to Nha Trang, tourist can also visit Institute of Oceanography, Tri Nguyen aquarium, Khanh Hoa Provincial Museum, Alexandre Yersin Memorial Sites, Ba Ho Spring, Fairies’ Stream and many historical sites such as Tran Quy Cap Temple, Po Nagar Cham Towers, Phu Cang Communal House, Long Son Pagoda, Dien Khanh Temple of Literature, Dien Khanh Citadel, Am Chua Temple. There are 3 big festivals in Nha Trang are New Year festival, Ca Ong Worshipping Festival (Cau Ngu Festival) and Thap Ba – Po Nagar Festival which attract many tourists.
The magnificent coral seabed in Nha Trang makes it ideal for scuba diving, snorkeling and sailing. Here is also the place where tourists can enjoy many exciting entertainment activities and water sports. This kind of service is very popular at many 4 and five star hotels anf resorts along the beach of Nha Trang. Do not forget enjoying Nha Trang specialties. Especially, bird’s nest soup, or swallow’s nest soup is very famous in Nha Trang and round Vietnam.
Other thing to do for tourists is to have a mud bath or mineral water shower at Thap Ba Hot Spring Centre where they can really relax and refresh. For one who is the fan of shopping, Nha Trang offers many kind of souvenirs at reasonable price. Pearls bracelets/ chains are very beautiful. Dam Mon market is a population place for a visitors to witness the daily life of the local and enjoy local seafood and specialties.
