Nha Trang, Vietnam

1. Nha Trang Beach

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Quick facts: Warm, powdery sand stretches along a palm-fringed bay, inviting barefoot dawn walks and long afternoons of sunbathing. Colorful coral gardens a short swim offshore host hundreds of fish species, so even a quick snorkel feels like entering a bustling underwater market.

Highlights: At dawn, dozens of small painted fishing boats bob just 100 to 200 meters offshore while crews haul in flat nets and shout in a clipped local dialect, the water flashing turquoise and jade beneath a pastel sky. After dark the sand becomes an open-air kitchen: vendors grill whole squid and sugarcane skewers over coconut-shell fires beneath strings of multicolored bulbs, the smoke mixing with salt air and the steady beat of nearby drums.

2. Po Nagar Cham Towers (Tháp Bà Ponagar)

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Quick facts: Stunning red-brick towers sit atop a green hill, where fragrant incense and the murmur of pilgrims animate the terraces. Visitors climb narrow stone steps to discover intricate carvings and a surprisingly tranquil viewpoint that contrasts with the busy streets below.

Highlights: Go before sunrise and the silhouette of a thousand-year-old brick tower glows orange, incense curls around carved sandstone faces while the soft drone of chanting floats through the courtyard. Locals still leave handfuls of rice and betel leaves at the main shrine, and old storytellers whisper a sea-born legend about a woman who rose from the waves during the March festival, songs you’ll sometimes hear performed there.

3. Vinpearl Land Nha Trang (Hon Tre Island)

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Official website

Quick facts: A glass-bottom cable car soars over turquoise sea offering stomach-tingling panoramas and once held a record for one of the longest sea-crossing lines, making the transfer an attraction in itself. Thrill-seekers can zip down towering water slides, wander a lantern-lit cultural village, and explore a lively aquarium, so a single day blends high-adrenaline rides with tranquil seaside views.

Highlights: Glass-bottom gondolas glide 3,320 meters over turquoise water, so close you can pick out coral heads, silver parrotfish and the lattice of shadows they throw onto the sand below. When night falls a fountain-and-laser show pumps thumping bass through the promenade while vendors hand out warm, buttered corn cobs for roughly 15,000 VND, a casual little ritual where strangers end up clapping together as jets of water spike into the air.

4. Hon Mun Marine Protected Area

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Official website

Quick facts: Vibrant coral gardens splash the seascape with over 350 coral species, a snorkeler's dream of color and surprising biodiversity. Underwater cliffs and clear blue visibility often reveal sea turtles and clownfish up close, making every dive feel like stepping into an aquarium.

Highlights: Established in 2001 as the area's first marine protected area, the reefs drop away to 15 to 25 meters where divers float past coral cathedrals draped in rose-pink gorgonians, flashes of electric-blue damselfish, and swarms of neon-orange anthias. A surprising local tradition started by fishermen and research teams years ago sees small boats hauling out baby corals each spring to nurse them in floating mesh nurseries until they reach fist-size, then glue them back onto damaged bommies by hand.

5. Long Son Pagoda (Chùa Long Sơn)

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Quick facts: A steep climb up a hill leads to a peaceful terrace dominated by a giant white seated Buddha; many visitors pause on the steps to catch city views and listen to monks' chanting echoing in the valley. Colorful mosaics and carved dragons adorn the lower buildings, offering surprising bursts of detail that reward anyone who wanders the shaded corridors and quiet gardens.

Highlights: Climb the hill past mottled granite boulders and you'll find a massive white Buddha catching the sun, sunlight glinting off its polished surface while cicadas buzz so loud the heat feels almost audible. At dawn monks ring an ancient bronze bell and locals press tiny lotus-shaped paper offerings scented with jasmine into cracks in the courtyard stones, whispering single-syllable prayers for family and safe voyages.

6. Nha Trang Cathedral (Stone Church / Nhà Thờ Núi)

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Quick facts: Visitors climbing the hill are greeted by a Gothic façade of weathered red bricks, where sunlight filters through stained glass and fills the nave with jewel-toned hues. A 20-meter bell tower punctuates the skyline, and the cool stone interior offers a peaceful contrast to the tropical bustle outside.

Highlights: Perched on a little hill, the almost 100-year-old red-brick church glows a warm orange when the late-afternoon sun hits its façade, and the air inside smells faintly of beeswax candles and old wood. On Sunday mornings local families pack the narrow nave while a low, chest-thudding bell tolls the hour, a sound that still pulls people up the roughly 100 stone steps to the gate.

7. National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam (Viện Hải Dương Học)

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Quick facts: Stepping inside feels like diving through time, with suspended whale skeletons looming overhead and glass tanks humming with neon fish. A maze of display cabinets holds thousands of preserved specimens and interactive stations that let you touch the tools and techniques scientists use to study ocean life.

Highlights: A bleached whale skeleton about 12 meters long hangs from the vaulted ceiling, sunlit ribs arcing overhead so visitors can stand beneath and count the vertebrae as if reading a fossilized spine. Nearly 20,000 specimens fill glass cabinets, from pinprick shells to living jellyfish pulsing in soft blue tanks, and a worn visitor log by the entrance is still dotted with handwritten donation notes dated back to the 1960s.

8. Thap Ba Hot Springs & Mud Baths (Tắm bùn Tháp Bà)

Directions

Official website

Quick facts: Plunging into warm, mineral-rich mud feels oddly buoyant and exfoliating, with many bathers saying a single soak leaves skin noticeably softer and muscles relaxed. Beyond the mud pools, steaming mineral water bubbles up from deep beneath the ground and staff combine it with herbal wraps and gentle massages to create tailored spa treatments.

Highlights: You sink into warm, silvery mineral mud kept at about 40–42°C, the thick paste smelling faintly of sulphur and sea as attendants smear it on with wide wooden spatulas and guests laugh while being covered like living pottery. After a 15–20 minute steam everyone rinses into a sequence of plunge pools where a rustic wooden bell is rung to time treatments and an elderly attendant often performs a brisk, rhythmic foot-and-shoulder massage locals swear boosts circulation.

9. Hon Chong Promontory (Hòn Chồng)

Directions

Official website

Quick facts: Jagged granite stacks rise from the shoreline, offering cliffside ledges where you can hear waves explode and watch tide pools sparkle with tiny crabs. Locals love to point out a giant-shaped rock formation and the viewpoint delivers sweeping sea vistas, dramatic sunsets, and surprisingly few tourists at sunrise.

Highlights: Climb the worn steps to the stacked black granite formations and you’ll hear the sea thud back like a drum every time a 1.5-meter wave slams into the rocks, sending salty spray three meters high. Locals tuck tiny glass beads and folded paper boats into the crevices as offerings to an old fisherman’s spirit named Ong Ba, a quirky tradition said to calm the waters for seven days after a storm.

10. Ba Ho Waterfalls

Directions

Official website

Quick facts: Stepping along the rocky jungle trail leads to a series of emerald pools where you can cliff-jump from low ledges or drift in cool, clear water. Local guides mention a three-tier cascade that hides a small cave and a freshwater spring, keeping the pools refreshingly cold even on scorching days.

Highlights: Push through a narrow tropical ravine and suddenly three jade-green pools open up, each cupped by honey-colored limestone and fed by a curtain of water that sings over mossy stone. Locals and adventurous visitors climb sun-warmed ledges and drop a few meters into the glassy water, while humid air smells of wet earth and the racket of cicadas mixes with the steady thump of falling water.