Nha Trang

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Temples

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Po Nagar Cham Towers

Nha Tho Nui Cathedral

Buddha statue of Long Sơn

1 Po Nagar Cham Towers, 2 Thang 4 St. 07:30-17:00. These four brick towers were built by the Cham civilization between the 7th and 12th centuries to honour Yang Ino Po Ngar, mother of the kingdom, and the aroma of incense emanating from within makes it clear that this remains a religious site for the local Buddhists of Nha Trang today. The longevity of these last vestiges of a once-dominant SE Asian civilisation should impress temple enthusiasts even if the insensitive restoration and surrounding mass of tourists don't. The small complex sits on a hill which enjoys views across Nha Trang's fishing village. It is a 20- to 25-min walk (or short motorbike ride) from the main beach strip, however be prepared to wander through the real Nha Trang, quite an abrupt change from the showy built-up beach side resort. Public Bus 4 stops near the Cham Towers. 30,000 dong. (updated Mar 2023)
2 Long Son Pagoda, 23/10 street. 08:00-17:00. At this pagoda, you will see a 24-m-tall white Buddha. The pagoda was established in 1963 to honour the monks and nuns who died demonstrating against the Diem government. Beware of scammers claiming they are students studying in the temple, demanding that you offer a donation to the school before going up the pagoda. These students have no affiliation with the school and entry to the pagoda is free. Free. (updated Feb 2016)
3 Nha Tho Nui Cathedral, Thái Nguyên (Taxi, Bike, Grab). On a hill overlooking the city, the cathedral shows the influence of French Catholicism. The Nha Trang area still has a strong Catholic population. There are Catholic shops around the cathedral. (updated Feb 2016)

Museums

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4 Alexandre Yersin Museum, 10 Tran Phu St, ☏ . Mon-Fri 07:30-11:30 and 14:00-17:00, Sat 07:30-11:30. This is a scientific museum of Swiss-born Dr. Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943), who arrived in Vietnam in 1891 to study infected animals. He later 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 and spent the rest of his life in Nha Trang. Don’t try to take pictures. Do respect the rules as they're quite serious here. 26,000 dong. (updated Aug 2016)
5 Khánh Hòa Museum, 16 Tran Phu St, ☏ . Mon Wed Fri Sun 08:00-11:00, 14:00–17:00. Exhibition presents Cham statues and artifacts of the ethnic minorities of the Nha Trang area. One of the rooms is devoted to Ho Chi Minh and his personal belongings. (updated Feb 2016)
6 National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam, 01 Cau Da (left of the commercial port entrance), ☏ . 07:00-17:30. This is like an aquarium with popular and rare species of the sea. A good place to bring kids as they will get to see sharks, turtles, coral reefs, lion fish, sea horses, and many other creatures. 40,000 dong.
7 Impressions Museum, Buu Doa - 10, ☏ . 09:00-20:00. Not really a museum. 3D art paintings to interact with. Great for selfie addicts, but don't go alone! Ideally go as group of 3 or more. Two is OK, but it will be difficult to take photos of the two of you together. Not easy to find, it's on the other side of the old airport from the main tourist area. Receives mixed reviews, many consider it over-priced. 150,000 dong. (updated Feb 2016)

Further afield

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Dien Khanh front gate

8 Diên Khánh Citadel, Diên Khánh Townlet (12 km W of city). Citadel was built by French officer Olivier de Puymanel for Nguyễn Ánh in 1793. It housed royal palace, private houses, warehouses and jail. It was fenced by walls of 3.5 m height, surrounded by moats of 4-5 m deep and 10 m wide. It was built with 6 gates, but only 4 of them remain. (updated Feb 2016)
9 Fairy Spring waterfalls (Suối Tiên) (about 20 km SW of Nha Trang. Go 10 km W of Nha Trang to Diên Khánh, go 5 km through the old Diên Khánh citadel to Diên Phước village, turn left 4 km to Suoi Tien village, then right 1 km to the stream). Fairy Spring is a small, cool stream and swimming hole much visited by local kids on weekends. The swimming hole is at the end of a short jungle walk. It is a pleasant place to visit in summer. In winter the water is too cold to swim. The stream's source is the area of Hồn Bà, the highest peak in the province. Bottled and canned drinks are available, but no food is sold here yet. The area is slowly being developed and will eventually become a resort with a hotel, bungalows, and restaurant. 10,000 dong per person, 3,000 dong per motorbike.
10 Ba Ho Waterfalls (near Ba Ho village, approximately 20 km N of Nha Trang). A series of three waterfalls and a fast flowing river tucked away in the forest. There are limited amenities, although you can buy food like rice, chicken, beers and soft drinks. Taxis are available in Nha Trang to take you there, but it's not too difficult to find yourself and with good weather it's a pleasant drive, if you are confident on a motorbike. It's a good one hour trip from Nha Trang by motorbike through some rough, off-road tracks (especially in the wet season). The turn off from the main highway north of Nha Trang can be easy to miss (a stone pillar), but most locals along the road should be able to point it out. From the turn off it's a straight track to the river. You may want to bring some sturdy shoes to climb across the rocks and swimming gear for a dip when you get there. It will take about 45 minutes from the entrance of the tourist area to the lakes. There is an orphanage very close to the lakes (take a right turn when you get to a T-junction in the rice fields) that would really benefit from any gifts of vegetarian food (take milk, tofu, yogurt, etc.). Call Dieu An, the nun at +84 90 5823807. She speaks only Vietnamese. Entrance fee 20 000 dong. (updated Feb 2016)
11 Hon Ba Nature Reserve (64 km away from the city). At the summit of Hon Ba mountain at 1,514 m above sea level. (updated Feb 2016)
12 Monkey Island (Hon Lao) (20 km N of Nha Trang). Catch a ferry to Monkey Island (the pier is 1 km further north of island), which is full of monkeys, has a 10:00 circus and simple go-cart track.

Nha Trang

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Temples

Museums

Further afield