Our Recommended Nha Trang Hotels
Nha Trang Information
Things to see & do in Nha Trang
Po Nagar Cham towers are stacked impressively on a hillside above the Cai and remain Nha Trang's most famous image
Alexandre Yersin Museum which profiles the life of the Swiss-French scientist who settled in Nha Trang in 1893 and became a local hero, thanks not to his greatest achievement - the discovery of a plague bacillus - but rather to his educational work in sanitation and agriculture, and to his ability to predict typhoons and thus save the lives of fishermen. Yersin's desk is here, with his own French translations of Horace still slotted under its glass top; so, too, are the barometers and telescope he used to forecast the weather, and his phenomenal library.
The huge White Buddha seated on a hillside above Long Son Pagoda in the northwest of town is Nha Trang's major landmark. It was crafted in 1963 to symbolize the Buddhist struggle against the repressive Diem regime, and around its lotus-shaped pedestal are carved images of the monks and nuns that set fire to themselves in protest.
To the south of the town, on a promontory jutting out into the South China Sea, are Bao Dai's villas (just north of Cau Da Dock), a holiday retreat for Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam, where you can explore the grounds. Once you have had enough culture, escape by boat to the islands for some cooling swimming and snorkelling in pristine seas or relax in the hot waters and mud baths of Thap Ba Hot Spring.
If the kids find the beach too tame for them the Phu Dong Water and Amusement Park on Tran Phu Street can provide hours of entertainment. There is even a night market for souvenir shopping and food stalls to end the day with a delicious meal of fresh seafood and local specialities. Children will love the opportunity to see the colourful marine life in the South China Sea on a glass bottomed boat tour. For a thrill and a day of fun take the kids on the cable car across the sea to the Vinpearl Resort on Hon Tre Island where there is an amusement park, food village and shopping.
Take a boat excursion to the aptly named Monkey Island and feed the resident troop of monkeys.
