Discovering Nha Trang in the Local Way

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Discovering Nha Trang in the Local Way

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Blog Team Friends Travel Vietnam • September 16, 2020

How many days are enough to explore Nha Trang? As somebody who lived in Nha Trang for more than 15 years, I will say it’s never enough to know all about this city. But to discover the highlights of Nha Trang, two days are perfect.

Nha Trang is a beautiful small city administered by Khanh Hoa province in southcentral Vietnam with a long beach and many wonderful surrounding islands. Nha Trang Bay is one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Many people come to Nha Trang to relax in a resort or go on their honeymoon due to the poetic beauty of this city. But if you are a traveler, I think two days are enough for you to experience the essence of Nha Trang’s beauty.

If you only have one day, check out this article here One Day in Nha Trang.

Day One

A Day of Beautiful Islands

Nha Trang is a large bay with a total of 19 islands offshore. Your first activity upon arriving in Nha Trang should be taking a tour of the islands. The flourishing tourism industry has led to the appearance of many tourist companies that offer several appealing tours to Nha Trang’s islands. Normally, tours to visit the islands start at 8 AM and end at 3 or 4 PM. I will introduce you to some of the best islands of Nha Trang Bay.

Hon Mun Island

The name comes from the black rocks and standing cliffs in the southeast of the island (mun means black, hon means island). Hon Mun is famous for its surrounding clear sparkling sea and the diversity of coral reefs, which is the most various and ample in Vietnam with 340 out of more than 800 species that were found in the world.

Hon Mot Island

This is considered a smaller version of Hon Mun island. Hon Mot island also has wild beaches and plenty of coral reefs. Although Hon Mot is the smallest island of Nha Trang, the biosystem of this land is affluent with coconut groves, mango gardens, and cashew plants.

Hon Tam Island

Hon Tam island not only gives you a place to swim, to relax, and to enjoy the beauty of nature, but it also offers a place to practice climbing mountains. This island is a tourist complex with long and clear beaches, tropical forests, and a lot of resorts which offer many interesting water activities such as sailing, canoeing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and kite surfing.

Hon Mieu Island (or Tri Nguyen Island)

Mieu is the wrong pronunciation of a Vietnamese word meaning temple. There is a temple named Tri Nguyen in this island, so it’s called Hon Mieu (the temple island) or Tri Nguyen island. The most famous place located on Hon Mieu is the Tri Nguyen aquarium. It preserves, researches, and exhibits the sea creatures of Nha Trang.a

Hon Yen Island

Yen means salangane. This island is where Khanh Hoa Salangane Nest Company raises the salanganes and collects their nests. You can learn all about these birds and why their nests are harvested. The best part is, Yen island has a “double beach” separated by a sandbank: one side is cool and the other side is warm water.

Hon Tre Island

Hon Tre is one of the largest islands of Nha Trang Bay and is the center of amusement parks, resorts, and spas in Nha Trang. The spotlight of Hon Tre island is Vinpearl Land, a tourist complex with many interesting activities and luxury services.

Besides admiring the wonderful beauty of these islands, you can go swimming in the cool sea or take part in the water sports provided by the tours. You can read this article about water sports in Nha Trang for more details.

Ordinarily, when taking a tour to the islands, tourist companies will take you to a floating restaurant or a restaurant on an island for lunch. You will have a chance to experience the delicious seafood of Nha Trang.

After having lunch, I suggest you spend your afternoon on Hon Tre island, where Vinpearl Land is located.

More about Vinpearl Land

Vinpearl stands for Vietnamese pearl, and Hon Tre island is the brightest pearl in the East Sea of Vietnam. The main means of transportation to reach Vinpearl Land is by cable ride (if you are on a tour, you can also reach this island by boat or ship) which is recognized as the world’s longest cable ride across the sea.

Vinpearl Land possesses a large amusement park with many fantastic games such as bungee jumping, roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and alpine coaster. It has a water park providing several games. Vinpearl Land, in addition, built a large aquarium with more than 3,000 sea creatures so that visitors can observe and admire these ocean dwellers. Visitors can also feed the fish with the professional divers.

Before leaving Hon Tre island for the mainland of Nha Trang, I suggest you should have your dinner at the restaurant of Vinpearl Land. These restaurants will serve you hundreds of Vietnamese as well as foreign dishes.

Jasmine Restaurant

Address: Ground floor, Executive Building

Hours: 6 AM – 10 AM for breakfast; 12 PM – 2 PM for lunch; 6 PM – 10 PM for dinner

Lotus Restaurant

Address: Ground floor, Executive Building

Hours: 6 AM – 10 AM for breakfast; 12 PM – 2 PM for lunch; 6 PM – 10 PM for dinner

Orchid Restaurant

Address: Ground floor, Deluxe Building

Hours: 6 AM – 10 AM for breakfast; 12 PM – 2 PM for lunch; 6 PM – 10 PM for dinner

Camellia Restaurant

Address: Ground floor, Deluxe Building

Hours: 6 AM – 10 AM for breakfast; 12 PM – 2 PM for lunch; 6 PM – 10 PM for dinner

Nightlife in Nha Trang

Nha Trang is really active at night. Most travelers choose to burn up their remaining energy at night after a long day discovering this land. And you won’t be disappointed.

An Awesome Home to Relax

A comfortable bed is necessary to dissolve the fatigue and gain energy for a new day. The developed hospitality industry in Nha Trang, besides offering you a bed to sleep, provides the best experience you can expect. This city has a huge number of luxury resorts, highly-qualified hotels, and cozy homestays.

Now that the day is over, why don’t you treat yourself to a nice massage? Check in with your hotel or find a nearby massage parlor.

Sen Spa Nha Trang

Address: 5 Ly Thanh Ton street, Van Thanh ward, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province

Hours: 9 AM – 8:30 PM

Contact: +84 908 258 121

Pure Vietnam Beauty and Spa

Address: 14 Ngo Quyen street, Xuong Huan ward, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province

Hours: 9 AM – 9 PM

Contact: +84 2583 810 010

Massage Manu Spa

Address: Hotel Citadines, 62 Tran Phu street, Loc Tho ward, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province

Hours: 10 AM – 10 PM

Contact: +84 1248 910 001

Day Two

The Marvelous Sunrise at the Beach

Set your alarm clock and wake up at 5 AM. Getting up early can make you feel energetic and ready for a terrific day. Find your way to the beach along Tran Phu street. You will be surprised by the locals playing on the sand and washing up in the water, this is when the air is not too hot and the water is still a little warm. Taking a walk is not a bad idea. While walking, you will notice the slow pace of life in this city, which is a nice break from the crammed sight-sighing of the day.

You may think it’s ridiculous when you see all the locals playing badminton along the beach, because the strong wind from the sea may bend the orbit of the shuttlecocks. Even though I lived in Nha Trang for more than 15 years, I still cannot explain this. But the wind really doesn’t affect the shuttlecock! Locals are very friendly, so why don’t you ask to play with them? I’m sure that you’ll be welcomed warmly.

The sun rises at about 5:30 to 6 AM every day. In my experience, there are two ways to witness the dawn: on the sand and in the water.

Daybreak is a special moment of the day. The beauty and magnificence of Nha Trang beach act as the best background to enjoy this moment. You can sit on the sand and let the salty wind blow away your worries and tiredness of the work slog. Or you can swim in the sea and wait for the first light of the day. The sun looks like the biggest egg yolk emerging from the ocean.

Food Tour in Nha Trang

Due to the history and geography of Nha Trang, this city is one of the food culture centers of Vietnam with many regional dishes. Nha Trang citizens start the day very early, so it’s easy to find a restaurant or a food stall that serves tasty breakfast. By the way, I suggest you read this article: Local’s Guide to the Best Food in Nha Trang. This introduces you to the specialties of Nha Trang. You can also use it for choosing a dish for lunch and dinner.

Check out my recommended menu for your day:

Breakfast:

Nha Trang bread (it’s different, I promise)
Bun Cha Ca (grilled fish rice noodles)
Banh Canh Cha Ca (Vietnamese Udon with grilled fish)

Lunch:

Nem Nuong (grilled sausage)
Banh xeo muc Nha Trang (sizzling cake with squids of Nha Trang)
Bun Sua (jellyfish noodles)

Dinner:

Goi Ca Mai (deep herring salad)
Banh can Nha Trang (Nha Trang mini pancakes)
Oc Luong Son (shellfish in Luong Son)

Going Shopping in Dam Market

Dam Market is the biggest shopping center as well as the commercial symbol of the city. From the main gate, Dam Market can be separated into three areas:

The right area sells dried foods such as various types of fish sauce, green chili-salt mixture, rice paper, sausage, and grilled fish.

The left area sells fresh seafood like manta ray, black kingfish, cuttlefish, squid, and shrimp.

The central area sells clothes, toys, and household equipment.

Egg Mud Bath in Nha Trang

How about dipping into a mud bath before lunch? Nha Trang has a company offering mud baths in eggs. Yes! You are not reading this wrong. The bathtubs are designed in an egg shape. When you step into the “egg”, you can hide from the heat of the sun. The mostly closed space makes for a private area in which to relax, and stay away from the hustle and bustle.

Mud baths give you many benefits: they prevent aging, arthritis, and skin diseases.

Address: Nguyen Tat Thanh boulevard, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province

A sacred afternoon

Po Nagar Towers

Po Nagar is a complex of old towers built by the Cham people to worship their Goddess Po Nagar. In the past, central Vietnam was the land of the Cham people until the 15th century. This complex is a sacred place of Nha Trang citizens as well as the south-central people. Po Nagar Tower displays the wonderful architecture of humans thousands of years ago.

Address: 2 Thang 4 street, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province

Long Son Pagoda (Phat Trang Pagoda)

Long Son pagoda is the most famous pagoda in Khanh Hoa province. This pagoda has another name: Phat Trang, which literally means white Buddha, because it has a huge white statue of Buddha resting on Trai Thuy hill. You can see this Buddha statue easily from many places in Nha Trang city.

To reach the white Buddha statue, you have to climb 193 rock steps. On the 44th step, there is a lying Buddha statue showing the moment Buddha entered Nirvana. It’s 17 meters long and five meters high. The white Buddha statue is 24 meters in height and it’s placed on the lotus platform seven meters high.

Address: No. 22, 23 Thang 10 street, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province

Christ the King Cathedral

This cathedral is the mother church of Catholic Diocese in Nha Trang city. It has a local name of Nha Tho Nui, which means the mountain church, because it is located in a small mountain. Christ the King cathedral was founded in 1886 by a French priest. This is a spotlight of Nha Trang architecture because of the old design orchestrated by French engineers.

You can walk into the large and holy room of this church and pray. The tranquil atmosphere brings you close to God and releases your fatigue. It’s also a little respite from the sun.

Address: 19 Nguyen Trai street, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province

Note : These three places are for people to practice their creeds and religions, so they require respect and politeness. You should wear appropriate clothes, act properly and talk softly when visiting these places.

The above article is my suggestion for two days and one night in Nha Trang. I hope this is helpful for you to plan your trip to our Nha Trang city.

Credit to Panda

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