What to See




This beach resort town on the central coast of Vietnam boasts Mediterranean-style villas and five-star hotels.

The resort town of Nha Trang (population 300,000) in Khanh Hoa Province has two great attractions: 6 miles of prime beach on the edge of town and the lowest humidity level in Vietnam.

The city of Nha Trang, with its relatively small population, has managed to hold on to a small town atmosphere. It sits as a strand of buildings wedged between steep green mountains and a bay filled with small islands. An avenue laced with palms runs between Mediterranean-style villas and modern hotels on the one side and one of Vietnam's most scenic beaches on the other.

The slow pace of Nha Trang is one of its main attractions. It is not Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City: you can rent a moped and explored to city at your leisure without dying in traffic.

While Tran Phu (the main public beach) is inviting, there are better beaches to the north of the city and on some of the islands in the bay. Hon Chong Beach is about 10 minutes from town. If you have extra time on your hands, Dai Lanh Beach (about an hour to the north) is worth a day trip. It is also possible to catch a cruise to the bay's islands; they provide some of the best beaches.

Nha Trang is the site of some of Vietnam's best seafood. The north end of the city's beach is home to a number of seafood restaurants catering to tourists. Because it has an ethnic Indian population, there are also a few good Indian restaurants in the city.

The most luxurious place to stay in Nha Trang is probably the Ana Mandara Resort, a little more than a mile from downtown Nha Trang. It sits on 20,000 square yards of "tropical landscaped gardens by the beach, offering total privacy with magnificent views overlooking the ocean and the splendor of Nha Trang Bay," according ot the resort's web page. Nha Trang Lodge is another nice, affordable place to stay if you're looking for something inside the city. The tropical waters of southern Vietnam have been neglected for years now by the sun seekers of the world. But it seems likely that Nha Trang, along with many of Vietnam's other beach locations, will soon come to the forefront of the tourism world.