Nha Trang is probably the most famous beach town in Vietnam drawing millions of international and local tourists alike.Is it though worth all the hype and indeed a visit?
The answer is fairly well a mixed bag of tricks…..
What the Nha Trang?
Located on the east coast of Vietnam Nha Trang was previously part of the country of South Vietnam, before the country was reunified. During colonial times it was the playground of the French, then southern elites and now? This is a big deal for Chinese and Russian tourists.
The city itself has a pollution of 550,000, although with hotels everywhere it can quadruple during holidays, such as lunar new year known locally as Tet.
Driving here, or the better option of taking the train takes about 9 hours, although your hopes of getting a ticket are scarce during holidays.
The evolution of Nha Trang
Over the 8, or as years that I have been visiting the city it has changed drastically. Previously western guests dominated and the city had a real sleazy feel to it, with freelancing ladies and pickpockets being the main players in the area.
Then the Chinese started to come, with their families, closely followed by the Russians and all of a sudden ladies on motorbikes stopped accosting you on the street.
And while this might well be a good thing, the city at the same time also lost its nightlife, meaning this is now a family, rather than a party town.
So, is Nha Trang worth visiting and why is it so popular?
Nha Trang in 2024 is a bustling expensive metropolis dominated by Chinese and Russian families, which means it is also now a pretty expensive place to visit. Point 1.
Are the beaches in Nah Trang any good? No in essence no they are not, at least by global standards. What the beaches here are, are better than the beaches of both Russia and China, and the others in Vietnam. Vietnam also offer visa free entry, or easy visas for these two nations, meaning its a nearish and easy beach for those guys to visit.
This has become particularly apt since the war in Ukraine and how isolated it has made the Russians.
This is not to be unfair to Nha Trang and the beaches of Nha Trang, but merely pointing out that it is an economy of scale. Yes it is better than Sheppey, but it is also no Port Barton, El NIdo, or even Tuvalu (link).