A beach city on a wide bay of islands on the south-central coast, with the Cham towers of Po Nagar, diving and seafood
Nha Trang's centre runs along a sweeping beach backed by a promenade, parks and a growing wall of hotels, with green mountains closing in behind the city. Out in the bay lie a string of islands, among them Hon Tre with its resort and cable car, Hon Mun with its protected reefs, and smaller islands visited on boat trips. The city is one of Vietnam's main beach resorts and a popular base for diving and snorkelling.
There is more to it than the seafront. On Cu Lao hill at the northern edge of the city stand the Po Nagar towers, a Cham temple complex still used for worship. Long Son Pagoda has a large white Buddha overlooking the city, and the harbour and river mouth are crowded with blue fishing boats. North of the city, hot-spring parks offer mud baths and mineral pools.
Under the Champa kingdom the region was known as Kauthara, and the Po Nagar temple, founded before 781 and with towers dating mainly from the 10th to 13th centuries, honours the goddess Yan Po Nagar, later venerated by the Vietnamese as Thien Y A Na. The area was thinly populated until the 19th century.
Under French rule Nha Trang grew into a town, and the bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin, who identified the plague bacterium, lived here for about 50 years and founded what is now the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang. During the Vietnam War the city hosted a large American military presence. It became a city in 1977, and in 2025, following national administrative reform, it was reorganised into wards of Khanh Hoa Province. The Po Nagar towers were designated a special national relic in 2025.
Fishing remains important, and the harbour and river mouth are lively in the early morning when catches come in. Seafood dominates local menus, and Nha Trang is known for nem nuong (grilled pork rolls wrapped in rice paper), bun cha ca (fish-cake noodle soup) and banh can, small rice-flour pancakes. The Po Nagar towers are still an active place of worship, and each spring a festival there combines Cham and Vietnamese rituals for the Mother Goddess.
Days in Nha Trang tend to divide between the beach and the bay. Island-hopping boats visit Hon Mun, Hon Tam and other islands for snorkelling and swimming, and dive centres run trips to the reefs. In town, visitors climb to the Po Nagar towers, visit Long Son Pagoda and the Oceanography Institute's collection of marine life, and walk the seafront in the evening. The hot-spring parks to the north are a popular half-day out, and quieter beaches such as Doc Let lie within reach by road.
January to August is generally the best period, with dry, sunny weather for the beach, diving and island trips. The rainy season runs from about September to December, when heavy rain and occasional typhoons can disrupt boat trips.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
The islands of Nha Trang Bay lie just offshore. Cam Ranh and its airport are about 30 kilometres south, and the highland town of Da Lat is a few hours' drive west into the mountains. Doc Let beach is to the north, and Mui Ne lies further south along the coast.
Mui Ne is a fishing town east of Phan Thiet whose long coast of resorts is backed by some of Vietnam's most striking sand dunes. Steady winds make it a centre for kitesurfing, and its harbour, crowded with round basket boats, supplies much of the area's seafood.
ExploreA tropical island of about 575 square kilometres in the Gulf of Thailand, off Vietnam's south-west coast. It combines long beaches and clear water with a forested national park in the north, fishing villages, pepper farms and fish sauce factories.
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Vietnam · 11 nights4★ HotelVietnam · 7 nights4★ ResortThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
