Brief history
 The coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province, Central Vietnam, lies on the trans-Vietnam highway, 1,278km from Hanoi, and 448km from Ho Chi Minh City.Nha Trang is endowed by nature with deep, quiet and warm waters all the year round, surrounded by archipelagoes, islands, mountains and white sand beaches - a wonderful and attractive tourist resort. To the north of Nha Trang stands the Chong mount which looks like a wide open hand over the sea. Far offshore, the Yen (Swallow) Island appears with lush green colours where salangane nests have been harvested for years to make the traditional "bird’s nest" tonic and food. The 7km white sand beach of Nha Trang is often called Vietnam’s Mediterranean Area, considered one of the jewel along Vietnam’s long stretching coast line. Nha Trang is sunny all year round, with an average temperature of 23°C due to northern winds.
 The rainfall is less than anywhere else in the country and the area is not threatened by storms since it is protected by the Truong Son Mountains and Ca Pass. From Ca Pass, one can see Ro Bay (Vung Ro), Hon Do... Nha Trang benefits from topographical advantages of the sea, islands, mountains, and deltas. West of Nha Trang, there are endless mountain ranges where a wide variety of animals and birds live. Nha Trang has many specialties. Especially, bird’s nest soup, or swallow’s nest soup is very famous in Nha Trang and round Vietnam. The magnificent coral seabed in Nha Trang makes it ideal for scubadiving and snorkeling. Nha Trang Bay is recognised as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world.
Highlights
Alexandre Yersin Memorial Sites was built to commemorate Alexandre Yersin who devoted 50 years of his life to work in Pasteur Institute.
 Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) was born in Switzerland to a Swiss father and a French mother. He studied in Switzerland and later moved to France where he obtained a degree in medicine.He traveled to Nha Trang for the first time in 1891. At the end of 1899, he came back and established the Pasteur Institute. He devoted 50 years of his life to microbiology, virology, and epidemic research and he was the one to develop a vaccine against the bubonic plague.Living modestly, he gained the trust of Con hamlet villagers. He traveled in the mountains and recorded his observations. He also recommended to the government to establish a hill station in what is now Dalat. Yersin died in Nha Trang on 1 March 1943. According to the instructions in his will, his body was buried with his face touching the ground and facing the sea so that he could forever embrace his second homeland. The Dien Khanh Citadel was built by Nguyen Anh in  1793 with an area of 36,000 square meters according to the Vauban military architecture which was popular in Western Europe in 17th - 18th centuries. The citadel’s wall was in an in equilateral hexagon of 3.5m height. The outer face was vertically constructed while the inner was a little bit sloping by two terraces forming a favorable pavement. Inside the corners, there were large fields which were convenient for military resident. On the top of corners there stood fortresses of 2m high with canons above. On the roof of the citadel, there planted closet bamboo and other barricade trees. Surrounding the citadel were moats of 4 to 5 meters deep, 10 meters wide, flooded by water.At first the citadel had 6 gates but nowadays it remains only 4 ones which are East Gate, West Gate, Front Gate (to the South), Back Gate (to the North). There had been here royal palace, private residents of feudal mandarins, warehouses and jails... Dien Khanh is one of the oldest citadels in the south of Vietnam and it is one of the precious vestiges for studying ancient citadels.
 Institute of Oceanography, which was established in 1923, was one of the first centres for scientific research in Vietnam. Nha Trang is an excellent location for tropical oceanographic research because it is close to the ocean, of course, and the waters are deep.The Marine Animal Museum shows more than 20,000 sea and freshwater specimens, as well as living creatures that are kept in glass tanks.  Long Son Pagoda was first built on Mount Trai Thuy in 1886 and named Dang Long Pagoda. In 1900, the pagoda was damaged in a storm and was rebuilt down the mountain in its present location. The Khanh Hoa Buddhist Studies Foundation originated here in 1936. The pagoda underwent further restorations in 1940, 1971, and 1975. There is a huge white statue of Skamania Buddha sitting on a lotus pedestal, which erected in 1964-1965, 24m high not including its pedestal being 14m high.
 Po Nagar Cham Towers were built between the 8th and 13th centuries. The largest of the four remaining towers was built in honour of the Goddess Po Nagar, also known as Lady Thien Y Ana or Lady Mother of the Kingdom. She spent part of her life in teaching new weaving and agricultural techniques. The 22.5m tower contains her sandstone statue sitting cross-legged on lotus-shaped stone estrade. The statue is 2.6m high (including the Yoni-shaped stone pedestal). The statue has ten hands, eight of which each holding a specific object illustrating the intellect and power of her. The remaining towers were dedicated to different gods: the southeast tower, the northwest tower and the south tower.Not only are the towers famous for their architecture and sculpture, but they are also well-known for their great significance in history, nationalism, and archaeology.Standing on the top of the hill, one can admire the beautiful landscapes of the coastal region of Nha Trang.
Hon Mun Island is situated on the south of Nha Trang  Bay, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province.Named Hon Mun because in the south east of the island, it has high-rise cliffs with dangerous wattles forming caves and grottoes, especially its stones are as black as ebony, which could rarely be found in other areas. In the black-stone caves of Hon Mun, every year flocks of swallow migrate to the area and build their nests. Due to the island’s location adjacent to the hot sea-currents from the equator, suitable to the development conditions of corals and various types of tropical sea creatures, the sea bed of Hon Mun is home to an abundant and diverse group of marine species, an interesting and useful place for researchers, oceanographers and tourists to observe and explore more of the sea creatures’ life.In Hon Mun, visitors can dive or take grass-bottom boat to admire the color coral and sea creatures.
 Nha Phu Marsh is situated in Ninh Hoa District, about 15km away from Nha Trang Beach to the north, Khanh Hoa Province. It has peaceful waves all year around. In the middle of the sea and blue and clear sky, the cluster of dreamlike islands looks like the sails to be filled with winds going offshore.
Lao and Thi Islands have become attractive ecotourism resorts for international and domestic tourists when visiting Tram Huong area. Lao Island is named "Monkey Island" because there are hundreds of monkeys living in flocks in the wild forest  led by King and Queen monkeys and they are friendly with visitors. As coming to Lao Island, tourists can enjoy entertainments and recreational activities e.g. sea bathing, boat racing, horse riding, fishing, visiting in flowers, birds and golden fishes parks, especially circuit performances of elephants, bears, monkeys, dogs and cats. On Lao Island, there are guest houses and accommodation establishments available which bear in-depth traditional identities and unique characteristics of Vietnam. The Thi Island’s wonderful natural landscapes are implied as a warm invitation to all visitors to come where green and wild natural forests still exist. There are some areas for breading ostriches, stags and deer.
 Tam Island is located in Vinh Nguyen Ward, to the south of Nha Trang Bay, 3 nautical miles from Nha Trang Port, Khanh Hoa Province. Tam Island offers many kinds of water sports such as jet skiing, boating, windsurfing, parachute pulling, adventure diving... Other than that, tourists can enjoy camp-fire nights on the fascinating island. Carpeted with a green tropical forest throughout 4 seasons, the long sandy coastline winds like a mermaid exposing the smoothness of the Creator by thousands of pampering waves onto the shore all day and night. Underneath the uneven cliffs is the blue water as clear as crystal abounds with many kinds of coral reefs blooming in hundred-pink and thousand-purple colours, and hundreds of schools of fish swimming heartily here and there like visitors flocking to festivals. All seem to be fairy like and dreamlike.There are 200 nice and colourful camps on the island. When attending the camp-fire, visitors will drink can wine, eat baked-meat and sing all night. |
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