Nha Trang is one of the most popular resorts in Vietnam. Here, beach holidays are combined with city comfort, when shops, clubs, gyms, restaurants and social infrastructure are just a stone’s throw away.
All the main attractions are located next to each other, and one-day trips to the amusement park, eco-park and mountain resort of Dalat will help diversify everyday life at sea. We tell you how to plan a trip.
Entry rules
In 2023, Russians can stay on the Vietnamese mainland for 15 days without a visa. Vaccination certificates and PCR tests are no longer needed, but insurance will be required to fully cover the course of treatment for COVID-19.
Tourists who plan to stay in the country for more than two weeks must apply for a 30-day electronic E-visa. Keep in mind that it can only be paid with a card from a foreign bank.
How to get there
Direct flights from Moscow to Nha Trang are usually charter flights. You can fly on regular flights with a transfer in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. Cam Ranh International Airport is approximately 50 km from the resort. From there you can get to the hotel by taxi, car or special tourist minibus.
Where to stay:
Two-star Golden Lotus Hotel – Sen Vang (rating 8.2) – from 1,400 rubles per night*.
Two-star hotel Star Light Nha Trang (rating 10) – from 800 rubles per night*.
Hotel Khách Sạn Flower Sky (rating 9.2) – from 700 rubles per night*.
An architectural feature of many hotels in Nha Trang is light shafts. These are narrow blind pipes that help distribute sunlight from the opening in the roof throughout the interior of the building. The windows of some hotel rooms do not face the street, but into a light shaft. In this case, the view opens only to four concrete walls, as if there is always an open elevator outside the window. When booking rooms, it is better to clarify which window is being referred to in the description of the rooms.
Promenade along the municipal beach and Gorky Park
Nha Trang is a city resort, so most hotels do not have their own territory. Almost all seven kilometers of the beach belong to the city and are public. Front line housing and the sea are separated by a busy road and a coastal promenade.
The main attraction of Nha Trang is Gorky Park, or Central Park. This shady grove is home to swimming pools, bars, restaurants and children’s attractions. Entrance to the territory is free, but you will have to pay extra for access to the pool and beach. For money, tourists are provided with sun loungers, umbrellas and other amenities that may not be available in publicly accessible areas of the coast. In addition, it is noticeably cleaner here than on city beaches.
Following the seaside alley that runs through the park, you can reach a notable example of modern Vietnamese architecture – the Incense Tower, also known as the Lotus Tower. This is where the lively city neighborhoods begin.
Tyam towers Ponagar
One of the oldest buildings on the territory of Nha Trang is the Ponagar Towers, which were erected during the 8th–13th centuries. The medieval temple complex is located on a high hill. Once upon a time, it was a major religious center of the South Asian Cham (or Cham) people who founded Nha Trang. The mother goddess was worshiped here. The well-preserved structure is listed as a National Architectural Monument of Vietnam. It consists of three zones: the entrance gate, the imperial premises and the area with towers for events. Every year in March, the space hosts the Thap Ba Buddhist festival, which attracts many locals.
It is recommended to visit the towers wearing closed clothing. Forgetful tourists are offered blankets at the entrance. After viewing the towers and sanctuaries, go to the edge of the hill, a little away from the main site, and look at the panorama of the city and the bay from above.
Long Son Pagoda
A giant statue of white Buddha rises above the main Buddhist temple complex of Khanh Hoa province. The spectacular composition is very popular among tourists and photographers. It was installed in the 1960s on the site where the first Long Son Pagoda was built at the end of the 19th century. In 1900, after a terrible storm, the remains of the building were moved to the foot of the hill and a new temple was erected there. Today, 152 stone steps decorated with sculptures of dragons lead from it to the top of the hill. Visitors can hide from the scorching sun in a small shady garden with ponds.
Vinpearl Amusement Park
Not only foreign tourists, but also the Vietnamese themselves come to Nha Trang to spend a day on the famous entertainment island. The complex consists of attractions, a water park, a theater, a cinema, an aquarium, a spa, shopping centers and restaurants. One day may not be enough to visit all the sites. Some guests choose to spend the night in hotels within the park to continue exploring the island the next day, and in the evening go to a large fountain show. Those who are tired of noisy fun can hide in silence on one of the beach areas with snow-white sand.
The territory of Vinpearl occupies about 200,000 square meters. m. This is the only amusement park with fresh water on the sea coast of Vietnam. You can get to Khonche Island by boat or by cable car, the longest of those that pass over the sea. Its length is more than 3,200 meters.
Grill Garden
One of the interesting gastronomic attractions in Nha Trang is restaurants in the “cook it yourself” format. There is no menu or prices. Strictly speaking, there are no ready-made dishes either. After paying a fixed fee to enter the establishment, sit down at one of the tables, in the center of which there is a built-in brazier. Arm yourself with a plate and tongs and serve fresh seafood, vegetables, as well as chicken, crocodile, and ostrich from the long communal tables. You have to prepare the “catch” yourself at your own table. The line between raw and overcooked is incredibly thin, so the smiling attendants on duty come to the aid of confused tourists. They tell you how to correctly calculate the time so that each type of product reaches ideal condition. And what’s nice is that the amount of food is not limited,
Ecopark Yang Bay
If you want to be in nature, go to the Yang Bay eco-park, which is located 40 km from Nha Trang. Its picturesque territory consists of several zones. You can find secluded corners and enjoy wild nature at thermal springs or waterfalls. There are also more exotic entertainments: for example, feeding carp from a nipple, cockfighting or riding ostriches near the zoo. A traditional musical performance by the local Raglai people introduces visitors to the national color and culture of the region. The territory of the park is quite large, so you can move around not only on foot, but also on trains.
You can get to Yang Bay from Nha Trang by taxi or sightseeing buses, observing mountains, rice fields and villages along the way.
Dalat
The resort, 140 km from Nha Trang, is famous among European tourists who want to improve their health with fresh mountain air. Until the mid-20th century, this city was French territory, so colonial Catholic buildings and European houses have been preserved here. Travelers often come to Dalat for several days.
However, you can go here from Nha Trang for a day. The trip by regular bus will take about four hours, so we recommend renting a car or taking a taxi. In this case, the journey will take 2.5 hours.
The program includes at least two attractions that can be found on any postcards and souvenirs.
Where to stay:
Hotel The Note Dalat (rating 9.5) – from 3,100 rubles per night*.
Two-star hotel Hưng Nguyên Villa Đà Lạt (rating 10) – from 1,000 rubles per night*.
Five-star hotel LADALAT Hotel (rating 8.4) – from 9,100 rubles per night*.
Hotel Crazy House
This is not only a hotel, but also a creative residence, in which no two rooms are alike. Guests live in hollows, castles, nests and sea grottoes. It seems that in the building, which resembles a large fairy-tale stump, there is not a single straight line. Architecture connoisseurs will immediately notice references to the work of Antoni Gaudi. The Crazy House Hotel was designed by Dang Viet Nga, the daughter of an influential Vietnamese politician. She received her doctorate in architecture from Moscow State University.
Linh Phuoc Temple (“Temple of a Thousand Dragons”)
The unique Linh Phuoc Pagoda is decorated very richly. Bright colored facades are decorated with figures of lions, elephants, dragons, firebirds and other fancy fairy-tale creatures. The walls and sculptures are lined with ceramic mosaics, porcelain, glass and pieces of mirrors. Looking at the fragments, you can see that they are not all similar to each other. Legend says that it was local residents and pilgrims who brought their broken dishes and utensils to decorate the temple. The interiors of the pagoda are also richly painted and decorated. On seven floors of one of the temple towers there are hundreds of gilded Buddha sculptures and one of the largest bells in Vietnam.
And in the basement of Linh Phuoc there is the so-called “entrance to hell”. During a short journey through the back streets of the “cave of horrors” you can feel the suffering the souls of sinners experience. The impressions are not the most pleasant, so many tourists do not recommend taking children into this room.
*Prices are current at the time of publication.
