Nha Trang

Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It's more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. It's also the scuba diving center of Vietnam.

To get in by plane - Cam Ranh Airport (CXR), built on the grounds of an old American airbase in 2004, is located 30km from the city and serves only domestic destinations. Taxi fare from the airport to downtown locations is a fixed rate of 260,000 VND though many hotels have their own buses. Do not offer to go by the meter here as it is about 100,000 VND more expensive than the fixed rate. A cheaper option is to take the airport bus at 40,000 VND to the old Nha Trang Airport.

Today, most of the tourist infrastructure is in the southern part of town around Biet Thu, whereas most of the locals live around the Cho Dam in the northern quarters. Cho Dam Market is a popular destination for visitors as well, though.

Tran Phu is the backbone of the city, accompanied by a pleasant waterfront promenade, palm trees and the nearly 6km of beach.

Nha Trang has a reliable and easy to navigate public bus system, where the ticket fare does not exceed 3000 dong for a ride on a modern, air-conditioned bus with Vietnamese music. You will find buses nr. 3 and 2 the most useful, since they pass through the southern quarters. Alternatively, you'll find the usual selection of taxis, cyclos and motorbikes.

The beach is the main draw here. While not up to the standard of Thailand's white-sand finest, it's certainly pleasant. You will likely see many women vendors walking along the beach selling fruit and hot, steamed seafood.

Make sure that you visit in the right season, though. The beach can be disappointing when the weather is grey and the waves choppy. The experience is then one of murky sandy waters, a strip of standard brown sand with a multitude of empty beach chairs and no one to be seen.