11 Great Things to do in Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a lovely beach town with great food, welcoming people, and a relaxing atmosphere. Despite being quite the tourist spot, we were glad to have stopped here to see another city in Vietnam.
Because traveling one month through Vietnam requires choosing which cities to visit, we had to pick between two beach towns, Nha Trang and Mui Ne. Some cheap flight tickets we found online were the reason we chose Nha Trang.
There are no regrets here since the city was a pleasure to walk around in and a great place to relax. We mostly recommend it to couples, but every one can easily enjoy it in at least two to three days.
There isn’t an overwhelming list of activities to try here, so we leave you with a simple list of 11 great things to do while in Nha Trang.
11 Great Things to do in Nha Trang
Table of Contents
1. Visit the Po Nagar Cham Tower
Yes, this place will be crowded with tourists, but the temple is lovely. Today it still serves as a place of worship for Buddhists, but it’s also a place of history.
The area is beautiful, and you have great views of the sea and the city. Again, go early to avoid crowds. While there, we also saw a Vietnamese performance where they danced to traditional music.
2. Get a 360 View of the city at Long Son Poda
This Buddhist temple is in the heart of Nha Trang. We enjoyed our visit here because we had a 360-degree view of the city, and it was nice to feel like we got away from the traffic, cars, and semi-busy city.
At Long Son Poda, you’ll find a giant white Buddha centered at the top of the hill, a reclining Buddha near the bottom, an interesting cemetery, and a lovely pagoda.
3. Go Diving or Snorkeling
The snorkeling here may not be as beautiful as in Koh Tao in Thailand, but many people still come to snorkel and dive around Nha Trang. However, you must pay attention to weather conditions because the weather was quite windy during February and not suitable for snorkeling or diving.
4. Swim at the Beach
Nha Trang is mainly a beach destination for those looking to put their feet in the Vietnamese sand. Bai Duong is near all the hotels and is a perfect place to relax.
Nha Trang Beach is long and caters to tourists by having beach chairs by the sand. During the days surrounding Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, the weather was windy and the beach had huge waves. We couldn’t enjoy the water, but we did get to enjoy watching it.
5. Play at Vinpearl
Vinpearl is a resort island connected to Nha Trang by the longest over-water cable car in the world. The Gondola lift is 3320 meters long and passes nine pillars to get there. Once at Vinpearl, you can stay at the resort or pay about 36 USD to enjoy all the attractions at the Vinpearl Land Amusement Park, which includes the price of the Gondola to and from Nha Trang. Perhaps we try this if we find ourselves here again.
6. Visit The Markets
Markets are always one of the things we enjoy about places we visit. You’ll find delicious Vietnamese food at very low prices, or you can shop around for souvenirs to take back home.
7. Get Lost Walking the City
I always find the best things when I ignore the GPS and walk without a destination in mind. The truth is the city isn’t too culturally rich considering it’s a city catered for tourists, but we managed to run into culturally rich activities by wandering the streets. We managed to find a Lunar New Year’s flower art exhibition where all the locals happily posed with the beautiful art. It was nice to see their excitement for the upcoming celebration, Tet.
8. Take a Mud Bath and Relax in a Hot Spring
There is no better way to relax than doing something therapeutic! You’ll see mud baths and hot springs promoted around the city. Since Nha Trang is a place to relax, this is a great place to try. We skipped out because we got a massage instead.
9. Get a Massage
We got a relaxing one-hour foot massage. The options are endless when it comes to choosing one, but if you stay away from the big fancy ones along the main streets and walk into alleyways instead, you’ll be saving at least one-third to half your money.
10. See the Nha Trang Cathedral
Somewhere along the way, we ran into the Nha Trang Cathedral. It’s quite the contrast from the rest of the city with its Gothic architecture and stained-glass windows. It’s a short walk from Long Son Pogoda and a great place to sit at the benches for a snack break.
11. Explore the Ba Ho Waterfall
Only a short scooter ride away, you can visit waterfalls if you’re looking to have an adventure instead of relaxing. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to make it there, but it’s a recommended place for people to visit while in Nha Trang.
How to Get Around
The best way to get around is definitely by foot. We recommend staying near the central area so you can have the beach and stores nearby. The following best way is a bicycle.
The traffic here is not as wild as Ho Chi Minh, so it should be easier to get around on the bike, and you can even rent a scooter for about 5 USD. We used Uber to go to the temples, and each ride was under 2 USD.
Where to Stay
Thien Truc Guesthouse: This accommodation was perfect. It is in a quiet alley, walking distance to the beach, low price, has all the basics, and excellent customer service.
If you are looking for a luxury stay, Vietnam is a great place to splurge a bit more. Perhaps you can stay at Tri Giao Hotel.
How to get to Nha Trang
There are various ways to get to Nha Trang, but the best three are train, bus, and airplane. We flew from Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang for under 17 USD each. The ride was an hour instead of bus and train, but with delays and transports, it took longer.
The second best way is by sleeper train, but you must book it early because the soft beds sell out early. The ride is longer, but you can fit in some sleep. Finally, the longest way and cheapest is by bus. We got to try it from Nha Trang to Hoi An.
If you are tall, the sleeper seats will not be comfortable. Since I’m short, my legs fit perfectly into the foot compartment-like area, but Juan didn’t have the best luck, and he’s only 5’10.
We hear many complaints from people who have long legs. Also, the bus ride is long and bumpy, and the driver honks the whole way there(honking is a thing in Vietnam). So definitely train or airplane might be best.
While in Nha Trang, you’ll notice lots of construction because many luxurious hotels are being built. We didn’t think the prices were too high, but it’s a place where resort accommodation is growing as well as tourism.
It almost felt like a mini Cancun that attracts wealthy Chinese, German, and Russian tourists. We have feeling prices are about to go way up in this small city.
We had a great time relaxing and enjoying the small city-big town charm. Consider spending about two days here if you are traveling through Vietnam.
What to Pack
Are you planning a backpacking trip soon? Check out some of my favorite items to pack:
11 Great Reasons to Visit Nha Trang
Travel Booking Resources
Book Your Flight:
To find cheap flights, check Skyscanner and Google Flights. These search engines check airlines to find you the best deals. The more flexibility you have, the better flight deals available.
Book Your Accommodation:
Booking.com is my favorite booking site for hotels but it also shows great deals on hostels and apartments. Plus, when you reach Genius Level, you get special discounts, included breakfasts, and upgrades on some hotel rooms. Hostelworld is specifically for budget travelers who enjoy hostels. This is the best place for finding great options.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance and Visa Applications:
Travel insurance will protect you against theft, injury, illness, and cancellations. Sometimes unexpected things happen during a trip and protections will keep you covered. Two great options are: Safety Wing and World Nomads. Also, iVisa can help you get a visa if you need one.
Book Tours:
Sometimes the best way to see a place is through tours. I recommend checking out Get Your Guide for some fun and unique adventures wherever you go.
Check out my other travel resources to help you book your trip!
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11 Great Reasons to Visit Nha Trang
I always miss Nha Trang when I visit Vietnam but after reading about these great things to do in Nha Trang I’ll have to add it to my follow up Vietnam itinerary. It would be really fun o take that gondola up to Vinpearl!
You can definitely make a short stop there to check it out next time you are there. The city isn’t too big so it’s easy to explore. Hope you make it there next time.
Hello and thanks for this cool blog post. Vietnam is high on my bucket list and thanks for this cool informations and inspirations. Have a nice day, Martina
Vietnam is amazing! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it lots. Happy travels!
We passed through Nha Trang on our 3.5 week itinerary through Vietnam. Even though it was less than a year ago, it still feels like ages. Thanks for allowing me to revisit with the post. Happy Travels.
Glad it brought back memories! Vietnam is such a special place. Happy travels to you too. Thanks
I wish i took more advantage of the time i spent in Vietnam and this post makes me want to go back and explore Nha Trang! AND everywhere else in Vietnam!
Vietnam is awesome isn’t it!? Hope you get to explore Nha Trang and more places next time.
There is so many colourful flowers in Nha Trang! I never heard of this place before in Vietnam and hoping to be in the country for the first time very soon, so hopefully I can check out this place. Fantastic post and beautiful photos.
Yes, the flowers might be because of Tet, their New Year. But still so pretty. You’re going to love Vietnam!
Would have loved to experience some of these things on your list while we were there but we actually got flooded out of both Nha Trang and Hoi An in December, 2016.
Oh no! Too bad the rain wasn’t good for you! Hopefully you go back to experience these parts of Vietnam again.
I love visiting the markets in different parts of the world! With the winter in Canada, going to the beach in Vietnam sounds like a great way to live the cold!
The markets are always fun to explore. Hope you get a warm escape soon to the beach. 🙂
One month in Vietnam? That sounds great! Even though it sounds like a lot of time, I know it may not be enough to see a country. I am planning a two weeks trip to Slovenia and Croatia and I had to cut several places I wanted to see. Anyway, this town in Vietnam looks great. I hope I can visit the country one day.
That’s why we decided on a month instead of two weeks, didn’t want to have to cut time off. Even then, we are cutting out a lot of cities. Of course once we go back home to work again spending a whole month somewhere will be hard. Hope you enjoy Slovenia and Croatia!
We spent one month in Vietnam and chose Nha Trang over Mui Ne also! We ended up there because it was raining everywhere else in Vietnam at the time! Whereas you flew from HCMC we flew from Danang. Even though it is a touristy place we loved Nha Trang. We didn’t visit Vin Pearl like you did. Aren’t the old cham towers fantastic! I followed the link you put in to your guesthouse and it looks like the kind of place we would enjoy also.
That’s awesome you got to relax in Nha Trang too. Although we wanted to sandboard in Mui Ne, I have to say Nha Trang was laid back and nice. Agree with the Cham Towers being nice! Happy travels.
It’s so lovely reading this and reminiscing on our time in Vietnam. We pretty much done everything on the list, favourites were VinPearl (the other half is obsessed with theme parks) and the hot pools.
Haha, my other half doesn’t like theme parks because he hates rides. Glad you got to see Vietnam already. It’s such a great country.
Nha Trang looks to be a bit more relaxing than the major cities. Maybe a good break from some of the craziness and a place to recharge.
It really did feel that way. Not so much craziness like Ho Chi Minh! 🙂
After walking around and seeing the sights I would so be into a one-hour foot massage. I think even now, as I sit at my desk, my feet would totally love it! I haven’t been to this part of the world. Thanks for the tips of what to do and where to stay. I think I’d be tempted to stay at the luxury hotel.
Once we leave Asia, we’ll be dreaming of those foot massages too! Hope you get to enjoy one soon!
We haven’t visited Vietnam yet. But we did think of it and I actually created an itinerary just for the purpose. I immediately realised that we would need to make some hard decisions. And I believe My a Trang was one of the locations I was thinking of skipping. But you have convinced me that we definitely need to visit it.
How exciting! We were going to skip Vietnam and decided on it last minute. We are so happy we came because it has become one of our favorite Asian countries already and we are only two weeks into our month here. Nha Trang is a slower city, but definitely one where you can relax a couple days. Happy travels once you decided to go!
Your suggestions are really helpful. I had never heard of this place before, but it sounds like my kind of destination.
It would be a relaxing place for you to visit. 🙂
So many things to do in the area! We’d definitely love to explore the city and the markets: you can always find the best souvenirs and good food!
I agree! The markets are always a good idea. It’s usually one of our favorite things to do in each city.
I’ve never been to Vietnam but I see how Nha Trang is a nice stop to make now! I’m a huge fan ox exploring markets, we always stop at one wherever we go so its good to see there is a lively one here! I love the look of the cathedral too!
Definitely a nice place to explore and more laid back. Hope you get to visit one day.
Wow, such a helpful guide to Nha Trang – somewhere I’ve never even heard of before! I think the Po Nagar Cham Tower would be the first on my list to see. I’d also have to visit the markets and sample some yummy food 🙂
The tower was definitely nice to see. Hope you make it to Vietnam one day! We loved the country.
When visiting Nha Trang, I highly recommend you to try mud bath which is very special experience. Mud bath is also good for your health and helpful for beautifying. The price is very reasonable. I try this in a center called 100 eggs which is a bit crowded. you can check other address for mud bath here https://journeyonair.com/things-to-do-nha-trang-vietnam/
Wow! Great tips, I visited Nha Trang last for 2 days but did not do a lot of this! I think I’m going to have to go back and visit! Thanks for putting this on my radar 🙂