Destination Guide: Nha Trang, Vietnam

Vietnam is blessed with miles of sandy beaches – and Nha Trang has a long stretch of it! Nha Trang has grown from a backpacker beach destination to a busy city beach and has plenty to offer, even if you are on a tight budget. Find out why you should visit Nha Trang, how to get to & around Nha Trang, where to stay in Nha Trang and what to do in Nha Trang! Read my destination guide Nha Trang to find out all you need to know to plan your visit on one page, in five minutes!

Why you should go: If you want a beach vacation with out the isolation of a resort or a robinson crusoe island, Nha Trang is a good option. The city stretches out along the beach with a nice promenade and some greenery and trees to take a shady break. There are some quirky beach bars, including a piano in the sand. It must be a happy beach – it says so on the sign!

The high-rise hotels line up along the beach, so it’s a short walk across the street to the beach. In the streets behind, you’ll find countless restaurants with local and international cuisine, bars to while away the evening, markets and shops to buy everything you need and more massage shops than you can count for a little relaxation after a day on the beach. 
If this mix of city beach with entertainment is your idea of a beach trip and you don’t mind the busy streets that come with it, Nha Trang is a good choice. What makes it stand out is the friendliness of the service and the low prices – you can enjoy 4- and 5- star hotels for under $100/night, making this one of the most affordable beach destinations in South East Asia!

Where to stay: Nha Trang stretches along the beach, so most hotels are either facing the beach (across the road) or are a short walk from the beach. If you want to enjoy a view over the beach like this

from your room, the InterContinental, Vinpearl Beachfront or the excellent Novotel Nha Trang are all very good choices. Hotels one road back can be great value – my suite at the ibis styles Nha Trang was large and beautiful, still had an ocean view offered great service and was very inexpensive!

ibis styles Nha Trang, Suite

You can find some of my favorite hotels in the table below. 

HotelCategoryLocationChain/RewardsGreat for
InterContinental Nha Trang5*BeachfrontIHG RewardsLocation, Rewards, View
Vinpearl Condotel Beachfront5*BeachfrontLocation, View, Service
Novotel Nha Trang4*BeachfrontAccor LeClubLocation, View, Service, Rewards
Ibis Styles Nha Trang4*CityAccor LeClubLocation, Service, Rewards, Value
Xala Boutique Hotel3*CityLocation, Value

I do receive a small fee, if you decide to book through the link, at no cost to you – thank you for supporting my blog!
 

What to do: Nha Trang is all about the beach, so long walks along the beach promenade or soaking up the sun on the sand should be high on your list.

There are a few sights for your Instagram account, like the Performance Theater and the Incense Tower. A number of water sport activities are offered along the beach. And if you are coming as a family, the amusement park Vinpearl Land on a small island facing Nha Trang might be worth trying out – I did not go myself…

For relaxation, there seem to be several massage spas on every block of Nha Trang’s streets. Foot or body massages at the basic spas start at under $10. There is not much differentiation among the basic spas, it really depends on the therapist assigned to you.
Two slightly more upscale spas that get good reviews are Sen Spa and Pure Vietnam Beauty & Spa. For a luxurious experience, check out the 5-star hotel spas!

Where to eat: The streets of Nha Trang are lined by countless restaurants. You’ll not only find Vietnamese food for all budgets, there are all kind of international cuisines from Asia and Europe. I found great Italian food at Olivia and even some German food at Haus Bremen!

To find what you like, I recommend to take a stroll through the streets and pick something that appeals to you! Just keep in mind that “crowded must mean good” doesn’t necessarily apply – the restaurants are mostly frequented by tourists who all seem to do that!

How to get around:  Nha Trang is perfect to explore on foot, so bring some comfortable shoes. It stretches along the beach, so it’s easy to have a nice walk along the beach before or after your meal. 
For the ride to the airport I recommend Dichung Taxi. The airport ride is about $10 for a private car, the company is reliable and the drivers where all on time and safe drivers.
For day-trips, you can hire a car & driver from the many providers in town, you can’t miss them walking around. Prices are similar, but a little negotiation hasn’t hurt anybody. 
Grab ride hailing (see my grab review) is available, too, but more expensive for longer rides, like the airport.
Alternatively, Dat Moi operates a bus from the airport into the city for $2. It has multiple stops into Nha Trang and ends in the city center. You can buy the ticket from the Dat Moi desk in the airport terminal and proceed to the yellow & white bus outside. You can find the details including the route here!

Explore More: To get a “lay of the land” and see where all the hotels, restaurants and sights are, check out my map below and plan your visit to Nha Trang! Click on the box in the upper right corner for a full map! Where are you going to stay? What’s your number one thing to do? Or have questions – feel free to comment below and I’ll help with your trip!

 

 


Comments

Destination Guide: Nha Trang, Vietnam — 2 Comments

  1. Great information. My wife and I are massage buffs, and I was wondering if the style of massage is similar to the aggressive Thai style or a more relaxed style, such as Balinese. Any thoughts?

    • They offer different styles, the ones I had were closer to a Balinese than Thai…
      The skills vary greatly form therapist to therapist and they typically assign one by rotation, so if you find somebody you like, make sure to take their name and ask for them. I had them write down the name to avoid confusion…

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