• Boat Cruises – The going rate for a one-day multi-island tour is US$6, with snorkeling, fishing, and many other activities among the possibilities. Tours may provide lunch with drinks on board. Booking agents abound, so compare itineraries to find the best fit for you.

• Sailing – Get a group together and rent out a captain for about US$40 for a best sailing experience. Call the Nha Trang Sailing Club, 058-826-528 for more information.

• Relaxing – Thap Ba natural hotsprings: a must-have experience at an amazingly cheap price,(4$/pax) for the mineral pool and from 12.5/pax for the mudbath (incl.the mineral pool). More you are less it cost. Located on the outskirt of the city, this place provides the most relaxing services you can imagine (hot mud bath, mineral water bath and hot water pool and massages also available).

• Live music at the cafes. Many cafes in Nha Trang have live music at night time. They vary in type and quality, so ask around. One favourite is Fuji cafe on Yersin street. They have live music Thursday to Saturday from 8.30PM to 10PM. A small entrance fee is added to the bill (around 30.000 VND) or checkout foreign performers at Red Apple Club or Guava Bar  edit

• Enjoy the fresh sea food. The sea food in Nha Trang is famous in Vietnam. All kinds of cuttle fish shell fish, fresh fish etc can be found and it is very delicious.  edit

• Cooking Classes - Lanterns Vietnamese Restaurant, 72 Nguyen Thien Thuat Street, ☎ 058 2471 674, [3]. Tues, Thurs, Sat & Sun 9AM - 2 PM. Half day cooking classes for visitors to Nha Trang at a cost of $14 USD per person. It is a great experience and a must do for someone looking for variety to their trip to Nha Trang and something a little different. It involves travelling to the local market in a cyclo, a guided tour of the marketplace, where you get involved in buying the food. You then return to the restaurant where you prepare 3 dishes as chosen by the guests. It is real value for money. $14 USD per person.  edit

Diving & snorkeling

Close off-shore from Nha Trang sit a series of islands that offer decent diving and snorkeling, easily accessible by day trip. The city has about two dozen dive shops, making for fierce competition and great value. For certification training, Nha Trang offers perhaps the best value in the world, with PADI open water courses available with full equipment rental for as little as US$200. A two-dive boat trip with equipment rental and modest lunch can be had for as little as US$25, also a phenomenal value.

Coastal and undersea construction has stirred up a lot of sediment in the area, so under-water visibility is sometimes not great. The area is heavily fished, so fish life is also limited. You wouldn't cross the world just to dive at Nha Trang. But if you always dreamed of getting a scuba certification, Nha Trang is a great place to do it, and any diver passing through would enjoy a couple of dips. The shops generally offer good-quality equipment and experienced, certified dive-masters. Diving goes on year-around, but in the October-December windy season, the boat ride can be a bit rough and diving is limited to a few sites in the lee of the islands.

Organization of the Nha Trang dive industry is sometimes complex. If you sign up for a trip with shop A, you might find yourself joined with a group and dive-master from shop B, which shares a boat with another group and dive-master from shop C, the boat itself being independently owned. Consolidation is especially active in the off-season, when few if any shops can fill a boat on their own. It's a good illustration of Vietnamese culture, which does not stand on ceremony, and loves a bargain, and is very skilled at making maximum use of resources. The local dive-masters are mostly great, friendly guys with lots of stories to tell.

• Jeremy Stein’s Rainbow Divers, 058-826-528 is a high-touch, European-owned operation with partially expat staff. A two-dive boat trip costs US$50 (including water and fruit but not lunch), about double the best deals available in town (but much less than what Rainbow charges in other locations.) The operation is well-organized and very professional, catering to divers who aren't comfortable with the more low-key local shops.

• Angel Dive, 1/33 Tran Quang Khai, +84 58 352 2461 is a mid-priced option for diving in Nha Trang. Expat Run, by a long living citizen of Nha Trang. PADI, SSI, SDI and TDI Certified., [4].

• Octopus Diving, 62 Tran Phu St., 058-810-629, [5].

• Vietnam Explorer, 02 Tran Quang Khai, 058-524-490.

• Scuba Zone, 1/16 Tran Quang Khai, 058-3527-208, www.scubazone-vn.com.

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.

The sites below can be toured in one day.

• National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam, 01 Cau Da (on the left of the commercial port entrance), 058-590-037, [1]. Admission VND15,000. Open 7AM-4PM. This is like an aquarium with popular and rare species of the sea. A perfect place to bring kids as they will get to see sharks, turtles, coral reefs, lionfish, sea horses, and many other creatures.

• Alexandre Yersin Museum, 10 Tran Phu St., 058-822-355. Admission US$2. Mon-Sat 8-11AM and 2-4:30PM. This is a scientific museum of a Swiss-born, Dr. Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943), who arrived in Vietnam in 1891 to study infected animals. He then later on produced a serum from horses and buffaloes. In this museum, you will be able to view all of his work as well as his equipment. Yersin never went back to Switzerland as he spent the rest of his life in Nha Trang. Don’t try to take pictures. Do respect the rules since they're quite serious here.

• Long Son Pagoda, Thai Nguyen St. Free admission. Open 8AM-5PM. At this pagoda, you will see a 79 ft. tall white Buddha. The pagoda was established in 1963 to honour the monks and nuns who died demonstrating against the Diem government.

• Po Nagar Cham Towers, 2 Thang 4 St. Admission US$0.8. Open daily 7:30AM-5PM. These towers were built by the Cham civilization between the 7th and 12th century to honor Yang Ino Po Ngar, mother of the kingdom. The local Buddhists of Nha Trang occupied this place for prayers and worshipping, and there are many incense lighted giving the place an interesting aroma. The Po Ngar Kalan is a very glorified structure with amazing architectures filled with stunning colors. It is a 20-25 minute walk from the main beach strip, however be prepared to wander through the 'real' Nha Trang, quite a shocking change from the showy built up beach side resort.

• Fishing village, (Between the old and the new bridge.). The fishing village is located between the old and the new bridge. When the fishing boats are coming in or going out it is a beautiful sight. Well worth seeing!  edit
• Bao Dai Villa, (Near the oceanographic institute). The Bao Dai Villas are located on top of a small hill. You have a beautiful view of the Nha Trang bay from there. The wind is cool and it is a nice place to relax at when it is too hot in the city.  edit
• Vinpearl land, (Take the cable car...), [2]. From the harbour you can take the cable car over to the island where Vinpearl resort and Vinpearl land is located. They have a small tivoli and some restaurants, attractions here include Underwater World (aquarium), Water Park complete with many exciting water slides and wave pool, Amusement Park with roller coaster, pirate ship, bumper cars, 4D cinema and many modern arcade machines and musical fountain and laser show at night time, usually 7pm. All included in the one price. 300,000 dong.  edit
• Doc Let beach, (around 40 km north of Nha Trang). Doc Let beach is more tranquil, cleaner and beautiful than the beach in Nha Trang. It is well worth taking a tour there. Local fishermen families sell and prepare seafood which they will cook for you on the beach for a very reasonable price.  edit
• Cam Ranh beach, (On the road from Nha Trang to Cam Ranh airport). The road to the Cam Ranh airport is a very scenic road and worth going just to enjoy the scenery. As you have passed over the mountains there is a very long and nice beach (around 15 - 20 km from Nha Trang city center) which is clean and beautiful. You can buy seafood from small restaurants at the beach.  edit
• Yang Bay Waterfalls, (40 km west of Nha Trang). At the Yang Bay waterfalls the Vietnamese have built up a concrete beach. It used to be a lot nicer before they built it but it is still a very nice place to visit. You can swim there, and walk around in the area. You should probably bring your own food and drink when you go there though.  edit
• Ba Ho waterfalls.  edit
• Fairy Spring waterfalls.  edit
• Thap Ba Mud bath.  edit
• Bicycle tour in the country side.  edit
• Chong rock.  edit
• Nha Trang Cathedral. Located on a hill overlooking the city, the cathedral shows the influence of French Catholicism. It's a Quaint, free and quick sight to see. The Nha Trang area still has a strong Catholic population. There are Catholic Shops located around the Cathedral.  edit
• Thanh Dien Khanh Fortress.  edit

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 (with Nha Trang Taxi Company - maroon color taxi) 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.

By train

Nha Trang is a stop on the main railway-line connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC or Saigon). The railway station is close to the cathedral in the northern part of town. If you want a soft-sleeper (the highest class available on Vietnamese trains), book your train ticket directly at the train station as far in advance as you are able. Having a private travel agent book this ticket will quite often result in you paying the agent for a soft-sleeper — the agent will book a hard-sleeper and you will not know until you board the train and it is too late to make changes. This is one of the most common scams in Vietnam!

A new sleeper train is available from HCMC to NhaTrang and on to Hanoi. For 535,000 VND (HCMC to Nha Trang Jan. 2009) book a soft sleeper on the Blue Train - much nicer and cleaner.

By bus

Most open tour buses arrive from Ho Chi Minh City in the south (8 hours) and Hoi An to the north (10 hours). They drop their passengers in the main tourist area around Bien Thu, while the public bus station is at 58, 23 Thang 10, about a 10 minute walk west of the center.

By car

Private car rental with a driver are usually modern air-con cars and can be rented for ~1,000,000 VND per day.

Car rental prices (as mostly anything in Vietnam) usually increase during holiday seasons especially around Tet (Vietnamese’s New Year). Make sure to avoid high prices by booking it beforehand with the car rental services.

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.

There is no destination in Downtown Nha Trang that justifies a fare higher than 20,000 dong/person. Taxis are a good option, but be sure they turn on the meter to get the cheapest price.

A wonderful option for seeing the sites is to hire a cyclo-driver for the day. I agreed upon a price for the entire day (Jan. 2009-USD$10 + tip) and my driver took me to all the in-town highlights, the post office, and my choice of restaurants from 8AM-7PM. While English skills were basic, we were able to communicate. He also kept many of the touts away--a real bonus!

As mentioned above, make sure you bargain with these vendors.

• Bamboo, 15 Biet Thu St., 058-910-774. Open 8AM-9:30PM. This is a popular T-shirt shop in the area. Lots of tourists visit this shop to get T-shirts.

• Groove Shack, 89A Nguyen Thien Thuat St., 058-524-738. Open daily 8AM-10PM. This is the place to update your MP3 player, very good service and prices.

• Tashunco, 17A Biet Thu St., 058-827-035. Open 7AM-10PM. This is a mini Western market where tourists can buy products like chips, cheese, soda, etc.

• Thien Thanh Restaurant.386 - 388 Le Hong Phong, (1km from Nguyen Duc Canh/ Nguyen Tat Thanh streets to the South, or 1.4km from Van Don street to the North), ☎ +84 (0)58 3880195 (thienthanhcom@vnn.vn, fax: +84 (0)58 3880192). Open hours 7AM- 22PM. This modern restaurant not only serves Vietnamese traditional dishes but also provides excellent Western and Asian menu. It ensures the best quality of foods as well as services. Especially you will feast on over 100 delicious fresh seafoods dishes cooked in different ways with the cheapest price. US$1-10.  edit

• Restaurant at Long Son Pagoda, (At the entrance to Long Son PAgoda). The restaurant serves vegetarian food only. And it is one of the best restaurants in Nha Trang. The food is marvellous if you like Vietnamese food!  edit

• Lanterns Vietnamese Restaurant, 72 Nguyen Thien Thuat Street,Nha Trang, ☎ 058 2471 674, [9]. Open daily 7AM - 11PM. A great local restaurant, in the heart of the tourist district, where you get to try some real authentic Vietnamese dishes. Great relaxed atmosphere and freindly staff. They pepare some of the best local dishes in Nha Trang and have an offer of Western food for those who miss home. They also work closely with 2 local orphanages, where the children and their carers are invited to regularly dine at the restaurant. Chosen as "OUR PICK" in the Vietnam Lonely Planet Guide $1 - $7.  edit

Budget

• White House, 30B Nguyen Thien Thuat St., 058-524-438. Main courses US$6-8. Open daily 9AM-11PM. This place has a very innocent atmosphere and it is very relaxing while you enjoy your Western food.

• Truc Linh, 21 Biet Thu St., 058-821-259. Main courses US$1-10. Open daily 7AM-11PM. Both Asian and Western food can be found here.

• Lac Canh, 11 Hang Ca St., 058-821-391. Main courses US$1.5-8. Open daily 7AM-7PM. What’s different about this restaurant is that you get to cook yourself. It seems that both locals as well as tourists love it.

• Lac Viet Quan Chay, Vegetarian, Huynh Thuc Khang St. just Southeast of market, 1 1/2 blocks Northwest from To Hienh Thanh St. Plate of mixed vegetable and tofu/veg meat dishes with rice or a bowl of noodle soup, less than US$1. Just a little humble place, but a nice option for vegetarians and it is right next to the market that might be worth having a look.

Mid-range

• El Coyote Tex-Mex Restaurant, 76D Hung Vuong Street, ☎ 0 583 526320. Tex Mex El Coyote mexican restaurant for those with south of the border tastes. The first and only mexican restaurant in Nha Trang. Please stop in on your next visit to Nha Trang for a meal and a good time. Mexican style decorated, flush with paintings of American Indian Natives evocating the great sceneries of USA and northern Mexico. This restaurant/bar offers the only mexican food in Nha Trang. Corn tortillas, tacos and fajitas are homemade as everything else. Meet the owner, André, a metis of Vetnamese and Cheyenne (American-Native) origine, he will entertain your evening with intersting stories from Nha Trang (where he live since 8 years) and other parts of the world where he travel. He emphasis on food quality and flavor made this joint a distinct place to enjoy your favorite tex-mexican food! The chili Con Carne, fajitas and burritos are delicious! 30,000-200,000.  edit

• Le Petit Bistro, 26D Tran Quang Khai Street, ☎ 0 583 527201. In best tradition of small French Bistro, Le Petit Bistro offers affordable and fast, typical French Cuisine. One of the best selection of wines in Nha Trang makes this restaurant a popular venue to go for animated evening! Don't forget to eat the speciality of the house, Le Magret De Canard. 30,000-200,000.  edit

• Pasta House restaurant, 34 Hung Vuong Street, ☎ 058.3522206, [10]. Since 1999, Pasta House is a the only Nha Trang restaurant offering Indian food. In center and near the beach, Pasta House is open everyday. 28,000-67,000.  edit

• Buffalo Steak House, 1/18 Tran Quang Khai Street. If steak is what you want, look no further. Fantastic food, nice atmosphere, cocktail bar, run by a French couple. The 70,000VND local beef tenderloin is great value for money. 70,000-250,000.  edit

• Sailing Club, 72 Tran Phu St., [11]. T 058-826-528. Main courses US$3-10. Open 7AM-11PM. This restaurant consists of Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, and Italian food, giving you many varieties to satisfy your hunger needs. With many types of food offered, this place bound to be crowded and popular especially at night when it turns into bar.

• Good Morning Vietnam, 19B Biet Thu St., [12]. T 058-815-071. Main courses US$4.5-9. Open daily 10AM-11PM. If you want to take a break from the Vietnamese cuisine, and change your appetite to Italian food, this is the place to go. On the menu are pasta dishes as well as other well-known Italian food.

• Nha Trang Seafood, 46 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., 058-822-664. Main courses US$2-14. Open daily 9:30AM-10PM. Who ever would think seafood could be so cheap? Well, this restaurant serves fresh and scrumptious seafood any way you would like it. With an inexpensive price, everyone is here to enjoy their time. The service is also great just like their food.

Splurge

• Ana Pavilion, Tran Phu Blvd., 058-829-829. Main courses US$7-20. Open 6AM-11PM. This is a fancy restaurant located inside the Ana Mandara resort. The food and the service here is exceptionally well-done. It is an Asian/Continental type of restaurant, and it is the most excellent on the coast.

Nha Trang at night offers plenty of clubs, music, and people.

• Red Apple Bar, Nguyen Thien Thuat (South of the intersection with Biet Thu). Located in front of the Backpacker Hostel, this bar is easily identified by an old Willies Jeep parked out the front, and the neon red apple on the wall. Drinks range from cheap and massive to expensive and small, dependent on whether you are happy with no-name local brand spirits or would rather have a well-known brand from home. 45,000 dong will get you a "bucket" (approximately a pint of your chosen cocktail - quite strong), and the backpacker hosts who circulate through the bar will also often be giving away shots or other drinks to keep the mood flowing. Not a bad place to lose a night in Nha Trang.  edit

• Why Not Bar, 24 Tran Quang Khai St., 058-811-652. Open late. There is also a dance floor for whoever wants to dance. This bar is usually most popular after 2AM (when the Sailing Club closes) and lasts until 4AM.

• Guava, 17 Biet Thu St., . Closed at 1AM. Music is great here, but it is more suitable for younger crowd. Expat bar with comfortable lounge seating and movies in the daytime.

• Crazy Kim Bar, 19 Biet Thu St., 058-816-072. Closed at 1AM. If you are young and wild, this is the place to be.

• Nha Trang Sailing Club, 72-74 Tran Phu St. Open late. It is kind of an after party place everyone goes to when other bars are closed. There is a large area with pool table and a dance floor. If you don't want to pay the entry-get-one-drink-fee of 80'000 you can sneak in from the beach on the left side.

• SinhTo20, 20 Hoang Hoa Tham St., 058-3525-870. This place has a very good yogurt and many kinds of cocktails. Prices are very reasonable.

• Ha Van 'A' Rooftop Lounge & Restaurant, 3/2 Tran Quang Khai | 5th floor, ☎ 0 58 352 5454. 7h00 am - till late. On the 5th floor of the Flamingo Suites' Ha Van Hotel, offering the coldest beers, drinks and cocktails. Excellent music and ambiance. Small but very good menu of food. Great city views. One of expats favorite joint. Great fun every night. Internet stations and Wi-fi free (good connection). 50 inch TV for movies and sport events. Live NHL hockey available in the morning (Montreal Canadian mostly but other teams available, ask a day before). Football fans are welcome. Canadian run & managed. Ask for Benny, Mike or Nick. Great alchool at budget price but only quality products | no ethanol served here.  edit

• Something Fishy, 12b Biet Thu Street (opposite supermarket in Biet Thu street), ☎ 3525039. Makes great fish and chips as well as fantastic steaks and burgers.  edit

• Zippo-Bar, 34/6 Nguyen Thien Thuat, ☎ +84 58 3605 702, [13]. Cocktail Bar with French Management, 80's, 90's and popular songs. Kitchen will prepare snacks or meals for party or visit.  edit

Cafés

These 4 places are a free-alcohol zone. If you are not into the bar atmosphere, head here for some relaxation and a cup of coffee.

There are a number of cafés in Nha Trang, and you should check them out by seeing them directly. A few are listed below.

• Nha Trang Bakery and Tearoom, 99B Nguyen Thien Thuat, 058-85-562.

• Café Louisiane, Tran Phu St., 058-812-948.

• Banana Spit, 58 Quang Trung St., 058-829-115.

• Rainbow Bar, 90A Hung Vuong St., 058-524-351.

• HQ Cafe, 55/8 Nguyen Thien Thuat street., [hqcafevn.com]