Nha Trang: top things to do, hidden gems and key tips

Give Nha Trang two days and base yourself near the city beach. Fly to Cam Ranh, 35 km south, or take the train to the station in the centre. Come between January and August: the rains run from September to December, and floods hit the city in November 2025.

How long have you got?

• One day: Po Nagar, a mud bath and Long Son Pagoda.
• Two days: add a day on the bay’s islands, or VinWonders.

When are you going?

• May: the Po Nagar Temple Festival, held on the 20th to 23rd of the third lunar month. In 2026 it ran from 5 to 11 May.1Khanh Hoa Provincial Government (opens in a new tab)en.khanhhoa.gov.vn
• January to August: hot, sunny and dry, the best time for the beach and the islands.2Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• September to December: the rainy season.3Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel On 19 November 2025, rivers rose overnight and flooded parts of the city.4VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net

Top things to do

• Po Nagar Cham Towers: Cham towers built between the 8th and 13th centuries on Cu Lao hill, 2 km north of the centre. The main tower is 23 m tall.5Khanh Hoa tourism portal (opens in a new tab)dulichso.khanhhoa.gov.vn Entry is 22,000 VND.6Khanh Hoa tourism resources (opens in a new tab)ttdhsdl.khanhhoa.gov.vnTip Dress appropriately and take your shoes off before entering any tower.7Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Mud baths: Thap Ba, about 6 km out of the city, is the oldest and best known, with communal and private baths; 100 Egg and I-Resort are the alternatives.8Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travelTip Soak in the mud for at least 20 minutes, rinse, then use a hot mineral bath.9Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Island hopping: full-day boat trips visit Monkey Island, Hon Mun and Yen Island.10Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel Since 25 September 2025 the bay charges a fee per trip: 10,000 VND for Hon Mun, 8,000 VND for Hon Tam, Hon Tre and Hon Mot, and 6,000 VND for Hon Mieu.11Tuoi Tre, January 2026 (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vnTip Diving is suspended at the Hon Mun marine protected area to let the coral recover, so ask your operator what the Hon Mun stop includes.12VinWonders (opens in a new tab)vinwonders.com
• VinWonders and its cable car: the cable car to Hon Tre runs about 08:30 to 22:00 and takes 8 to 10 minutes. It costs 200,000 VND return, and is free with a park ticket. A park ticket is about US$41 for an adult, or US$27 after 16:00.13VinWonders (opens in a new tab)vinwonders.comTip The cable car is listed as suspended from 26 October to 10 November 2026, with high-speed boats running instead.14VinWonders (opens in a new tab)vinwonders.com
• Long Son Pagoda: founded in 1886 and moved to its present site after a cyclone in 1900. A 24 m seated Buddha waits up 152 steps.15Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)en.wikipedia.orgTip The mosaic dragons are at the temple at the foot of the hill, and the Buddha is further up, ringed by seven arhat statues.16Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel

Hidden gems

• Oceanographic Museum: open since 1922 in a French colonial building about 5 km from the centre, with over 20,000 marine specimens.17Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel

Getting there and around

• From Cam Ranh airport: the airport is about 35 km from the centre. Bus 18 runs 05:30 to 21:30, about every 30 minutes, for 65,000 VND and 60 to 75 minutes, ending at 86 Tran Phu Street. A taxi costs 350,000 to 400,000 VND, and Grab 250,000 to 350,000 VND, in 45 to 60 minutes.18Vietnam Airlines (opens in a new tab)vietnamairlines.com
• By train: the Reunification Express stops at Nha Trang station in the centre.19Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel

If it doesn’t go to plan

• Cable car suspended? Take the high-speed boat to Hon Tre.
• Floods or heavy rain? Spend the day at a mud bath, the Oceanographic Museum or Dam Market.