Things to do in Nha Trang during your holiday
activities in Nha Trang

Where to go and what to see

There are a lot of things to do in Nha Trang such as water activities, of course, but also going to a spa, shoping or admiring the nature. For the list of bars, pubs and discoteques check here.

Thap Ba Mud Bath Hot Springs Nha Trang

http://www.thapbahotspring.com.vn
Address: 15 Ngoc Son, Ngoc Hiep Nha Trang, Vietnam
Tel: (0084) (58) 3835335

If you love water and especially hot water, this is one of the most amazing activities in Nha Trang. Thap Ba Mud Bath Hot springs is one of the most interesting places to visit. You can swim there in warm mud to improve your skin and afterwards you can swim in hot mineral water. If possible, avoid weekends and public holidays, because it is very crowded then.

Make sure you know which ticket you want to buy. Prices start at 100.000 VND and I think even half of this for only a swimming pool. As a foreigner, you will probably be approached by a person trying to persuade you that the best ticket for you is for 2.000.000 VND. Yes 2 million. So to make things clear, this is one of the most expensive tickets that they have and includes massage and many other things. Because of such a misunderstanding in price I almost didn't enter. Read my story how I almost didn't enter Mud Bath.

Find your way to Thap Ba Mud Bath Hot Springs Nha Trang

It is quite impossible to find it if you want to find it by yourself, so better go by taxi. It is around 2 hours walking from the city centre (if you have too much energy) or around 15 min by taxi. If you plan to find it by yourself go to the Thap Ba temple and just after it, turn left . Then continue all the time stright. From Thap Ba temple it takes 50 minutes walking, if you walk without stopping. Just before the entrance they have many small stalls with food and drinks. You can buy a fresh coconut everywhere. I have walked there from Thap Ba temple. It is a nice walk and a coconut juice after walking for so long in the sun is very refreshing.

What actually is this place and how much it costs?

In Thap Ba Hot Springs you can soak in hot mud and then swim in hot mineral water. Just near the swimmingpool there is a small artificial hot water waterfall where water can give you a free back massage. There are two swimmingpools, one with 38 C hot mineral water and the other slightly cooler. The basic price is 100.000 VND ($5) for a public (max 6 people) mud bath and hot spring treatment. Swimmingpool is included in the price and there is no time limit. It is also possible to buy a ticket without mud bath, only for hot spring and swimming pool. It is much cheaper. Swimming in hot mud and hot mineral water at Thap Ba Hot Springs is definitely a must among things to do in Nha Trang.

For tourists who are prepared to spend more money Thap Ba Mud Bath Hot Springs can also offer you a relaxing massage. For 70.000 VND you will be given one hour for a massage done by young ladies and steam bath.

After relaxing you can enjoy good quality food from a restaurant located just near the swimmingpool. Prices are comparable to other restaurants in the city.

 

---

Po Nagar Cham Towers (link to google map)

entrance ticket: 12,000 VND

opening hours: 6 AM - 6 PM

This is a place for people who like history. Nha Trang Cham Po Nagar temple complex (also called Thap Ba) dates back to Champa Kingdom. It was build through the cenuries, from 7th to 12th centuries AD. It is situated on a hill just after the Xóm Bóng bridge over Cai river. From there you can have a beautiful view over two bridges (Xóm Bóng and Trần Phú bridge) and a fleet of charming fishing boats. It doesn't take much time to visit, usually 30 min is enough, depends how much you like to admire historical buildings, some people can spend there much more time.

Read more about the history of Po Nagar Cham Towers and another website Cham Towers

---

Long Son Pagoda (Chùa Long Son)
Address: 22, 23/10 street, Nha Trang

Long Son pagoda is Nha Trang's oldest buddhist pagoda. It is located at the foot of Mount Trai Thuy and it was built in 1886. Long Son Pagoda is dedicated to the Buddhist monks who died protesting against the US supported Diem goverment.

Entrance to Long Son Pagoda is found on the North side of Nha Trang. There is a huge white statue of Sakyamuni Buddha sitting on a lotus pedestal, which was erected in 1964-1965. Its hight is 24m not including its pedestal being 14m high.

The entrance is free, but there are a lot of young girls who will make your heart melt and it is very likely that you will give them a lot of money. Read here how I was cheated in Long Son pagoda. It will give you an idea how these girls can cheat to earn money.

 

---

---

Lanterns Cooking Class

Another interesting activity among things to do in Nha Trang. Lanterns cooking class can be a great replacement to staying on the beach. For $18 USD per person you can spend half day learning how to cook. In the price not only cooking is included, but also travelling to the local market in a cyclo, a guided tour of the marketplace, where people get involved in buying the food. You then return to the restaurant where you prepare 3 dishes as chosen by the guests.

---

Alexandre Yersin Museum

Address: 8 - 10 Tran Phu, In the Pasteur Institute Nha Trang, Vietnam
Tel: (0084) (058) 82 24 06
entrence fee: 26.000 VND (about $1.50 US)

Alexandre Yersin museum is a small museum with interesting history about Alexandre Yersin. He was a Swiss-French physician and bacteriologist. Born in 1853 in Aubonne, Switzerland and died in 1943 in Nha Trang. He was co-discoverer of the becteria resonsible for plague or pest. In his honour the bacteria was named Yersinia pestis. In 1895 he opened a small laboratory in Nha Trang. Few years later it became a branch of the Pasteur Institute. Now it is Yersin Museum.

---

Crazy Kim Bar

Address: 19 Ð Biet Thu, Nha Trang, Vietnam
Tel: (0084) (058) 523 072

It is a famous bar, but you can also have some food there. Crazy Kim Bar has free Wi-Fi internet, but they have a socket only at the bar, so if you plan to use your laptop, you will be able to attach it to the electricity only there. For most of the tourists an eveningt visit to Crazy Kim bar is another popular activity among things to do in Nha Trang.

---

Crazy Kim Spa & Gym

Address: 1D Ð Biet Thu, Nha Trang, Vietnam

This place does not need much advertisement. Crazy Kim Spa & Gym has the same owner as Crazy Kim Bar. This is a nice place for relax and gym. You can have there a massage, which is another famous activity among things to do in Nha trang. It is just a bit more expesive than at other streets nearby, but certainly more safe for tourists. In other places it happens that tourists got cheated or some things were stolen. At Crazy Kim Spa & Gym you can go also to the gym. You have few options how to pay, per day or week.

---

Phu Dong water and amusement park Nha Trang (Phu Dong water park in google map)

Address: Duong Tran Phu, Nha Trang, Vietnam
Tel: (0084) (058) 352 1844
open: 9am - 5pm
Admission fee: 20,000d

 

 

 

 

 

Phu Dong is a small water park and amusement park situated in the centre of Nha Trang, near one of the most beautiful resorts in the city Evason Ana Mandara and opposite the old airport.

---

Night Market

Night Market is located next to the town hall. You can buy there souvenirs and food.

---

Vinpearl Amusement Park

Address: Hon Tre island near Nha Trang

If you still don't have enough of water in Nha Trang you can go to a nearby island. This is a famous attraction among things to do in Nha Trang. Vinpearl amusement park is an amusement/theme park located on Hon Tre island near Nha Trang . You can go there by the cable car and have a fantastic view from above. It is the longest cable car in the world. It gives you 360 view on Nha Trang bay. (Read my story about my cable car trip to Hon Tre island). The cost of the cable car and the entrance ticket is 320,000 Dong ($16 US). There is also water park there and a modern aquarium with moving floor below the aquarium tunnel. Underwater World houses over 300 species of fish. It is the biggest underwater park in Vietnam. The water park located on the beach allows you to combine sunbathing with playing in the wave pool or going on one of the many water slides. Vinpearl park has also an ampiltheatre that can seat 5000 people and you can admire there water music shows.

Vinpearl has hosted such events as Miss Universe 2008.

---

The XQ Nha Trang Historical Village

Address: 64 Tran Phu Street , Nha Trang, Vietnam

Nha Trang Historical Village is a place where you can buy or just admire Vietnamese hand embroidery. The historical village is a traditional arts and crafts centre. It is located in the tourist area on the corner of Tran Phu and Biet Thu streets, just opposite the sea.

They have very strong air condition there, so even if you have no interest in ambroidery you can at least have a short break there from the heat. This is my favourite place for cooling down after walking in the sun.

 

 

---

Long Thanh Photo Studio

Address: 126 Hoang Van Thu, Nha Trang, Vietnam

A gallery with a wonderful range of photographs by Long Thanh who only works in black and white.

More about Long Thanh and his works.

---

Ice bar in Nha Tang

Address: 4a Tran Quang Khai, Nha Trang, Vietnam
Tel: (0084) (058) 352 79 97
Open Daily 5pm-3am

 

Is it too hot and you don't know what to do in Nha Trang when the sun is taking all your energy? When you cannot stand the sun anymore you can visit the only place in Nha Trang with freezing temperature. This is a very interesting activity among things to do in Nha Trang.

Seems impossible to have -9 C in Nha Trang, but yes you can have it in the only ice bar in Vietnam. Every visitor receives special thermal clothing before entering the IceBar

 

 

 

---

Nha Trang Cathedral

Address: at the corner of Nguyen Trai Street & Thai Nguyen Street, Nha Trang, Vietnam

 

Nha Trang Cathedral was built by the French between 1928 and 1933 in the French Gothic style. It is situated on a small hill overlooking the train station. The building looks beautiful, but is very dark and looks very contrasting compared to other light-coloured building in the city. It was built of simple cement blocks.

 

 

---

Eating on the beach

This is a very interesting activity in Nha trang. There are man ladies on the beach who sell frech lobsters, crabs etc. They grill them in front of you on their little barbeques.

 

---

Dam market nha trang

Shoping is also another nice activity among things to do in Nha Trang. Dam market is the biggest market in the city centre. In the big building that is located in the middle you will find mostly clothes, electronics, plastics, kitchen utensils and many other things. Outside the building people sell fruits and vegetables. There are also many places where you can drink a coconut juice or sugar cane juice. There is also a place where you can buy a fan, bicycle or furnitures. So if you have energy and time and still don't know what to do in Nha Trang come to Dam market. You can spent a long time hanging around.

Just one warning: they ask for much higher prices from tourists. It seems to me they all have agreed between each other how much more they will ask from a white person. I bought there a beautiful hat. I desperatelly needed it, because of the sun. But the price I payed was incredible. It costed double compared to Europe. I was wondering how can anyone in Nha Trang amonng the local people pay so much and then a fried told me that for the local people this hat would cost a fraction of my price.

---

Bao Dai beach and Bao Dai villas

At the end of the city there are few other things to do in Nha Trang. Bao Dai villas are situated on a hill at the south end of the city. They used to belong to the last Vietnamese emperor, who abdicated in 1945. Now it is possible to rent a room there. On the beach there is a restaurant and another restaurant is located in the building on the hill. The beach is situated at the other part of the hill. It offers white sand and clear blue water. To enter Bao Dai villas and the beach you have to buy a ticket, but the price is very low.

---

The National Oceanographic Museum

The National Oceanographic Museum was established on September 14, 1922. It is situated in the south on Nha Trang, just a bit further after Bao Dai villas, close to the port.

---

Anchor skateboard shop

address: 37 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Nha Trang, Vietnam
e-mail: ssanchors@gmail.com
Tel: 01293729123

This is a place that you certainly do not expect to see in Nha Trang or Vietnam in general. And here it is, a skateboard shop.

---

Are there any other things to do in Nha Trang that are not listed here? Let us know by sending an email to nhatrang @ nha-trang-holiday . com