Nha Trang beaches and Champa ruins

The Nha Trang beaches are famous in Vietnam. But it's not the only reason to visit Nha Trang. In the area, there are some awesome Champa ruins to visit.

Nha Trang has around 300.000 inhabitants, it is stretched out along the beach, where you find most of the hotels, most around Tran Phu Street which is the long boulevard crossing the city. Nha Trang is also famous for its diving facilities although I can not comment on first hand. The city was known as Kauthara under the Champa. It is still home to the Po Nagar Tower built by the Champa.

Getting there and away

Nha Trang is 215 km from Dalat and 520 km from Hoi An (see out Hoi An section). Coming from Dalat, you will want to make a stop in Phan Rang and visit the nearby Champa Po Klong Garai ruins which are in great condition. Phan Rang was a large American air force base in the Vietnam war.

The three towers of the Po Klong Garai are visible are sitting on a hilltop. They date back to about 1300AD. They were built as Hindu temples during the reign of Cham King Jaya Simhavarman III.

None of the Champa temples are as big as their biggest enemies of the time, the Khmers in Cambodia but the temples show an amazing quality in architecture and sculpturing. Near Nha Trang there are more Champa temples, most noteworthy is the Po Nagar Cham towers at the mouth of Cai River.

From Phan Rang the road follows more or less the coast although you won't see much of the South China Sea.

You may want to have a stop in Cam Lam. On the western shore of the bay, this was the area’s major port and naval base during French colonial days. There is little else to see in Cam Lam.

There are direct buses from Dalat to Nha Trang which should take 4 to 5 hours. For more about the roads to Hoi An, please look here.

Nha Trang Beaches

For many tourists, locals and foreign, the Nha Trang beaches are the best beaches they will visit in Vietnam. And yes, the beach here is very nice although the water can be a little rough, especially in the rainy season.

Around Nha Trang you find many sights to visit. The most popular tour in Nha Trang is the 4 island boat trip. This will bring you along the most interesting places on the coast of the city.

Hotels in Nha Trang

Many of the hotels in Nha Trang can be found along Tran Phu Street. Top end hotel here is the Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay Nha Trang, with rooms of over US $400 a night. However, for most travelers this is probably beyond their budget.

A cheaper option might be the Novotel Dalat Hotel Nha Trang with rooms around US $50 and the Wild Beach Spa And Resort Nha Trang (around US $40)

For budget travelers the Golden Hotel Nha Trang has rooms from $12 and on. For the price is is a really good deal.

All hotels mentioned here have high speed internet and tourist facilities available.

Around Tran Phu Street you will find plenty of small shops selling boat tours.

• Read more about Dalat here
• More about Hoi An and the road from Nha Trang to Hoi An

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