Making the most of Nha Trang
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise vessels berth at Cau Da Port pier, very near several shops and the Oceanographic Museum.
Nha Trang city lies 7 miles from the quay. Taxis and trishaws usually wait beyond the port gate, and a small taxi costs about 100.000 Dong for a one-way journey.
Carry a printable map.
Nha Trang’s main coastal attractions are its white-sand beaches and monumental Cham Towers. The region is also said to have Vietnam’s finest coastal climate. Established in 1924, the port later became a favourite leisure stop for American sailors during the Vietnam War. The town’s history extends further back to the Cham Kingdom, a civilisation created through Malay-Polynesian migration. The Cham are a Vietnamese ethnic minority with their own language and a distinctive culture in which women choose their husbands and pass property to daughters. Over time, the Cham have…
Built in the early 1920s, the Oceanographic Museum institute presents a small display of marine animals and plants, including preserved specimens.
Getting around
Vietnam does not recognise international driving licences, so companies such as Hertz and Avis do not offer car hire.
Taxis work well, but ensure the meter is switched on for the lowest fare. Check the driver’s language ability first, or carry a map labelled in both Vietnamese and English.
Bicycle-rickshaw tours to all the principal tourist sights leave near the tender dock and cost $5 dollars per hour.
Covering approximately 200,000m2, Vinpearl Amusement Park contains numerous distinctive, modern, large-scale attractions comparable with leading entertainment parks regionally and worldwide. Board the cable car near the pier.
Because the district is quite spread out, exploring on foot is impractical.
Nearby places
Nha Trang’s renowned sandy beaches are approximately 3.5 miles from port.
Food and shopping
The road immediately beyond the port gate sells a broad range of familiar souvenirs, while several galleries exhibit and sell work by local artists. Other possibilities include embroidered linen, rugs, wooden carvings, ceramics and lacquer ware. More shops line the beachfront. Watch for scooter-riding bag thieves and for pickpockets in busy places such as the market.
Money
Vietnam’s national currency is the dong (d?ng, VND). U.S. dollars are accepted widely, with a standard small-quantity exchange rate of 21000 dong to US$1.
ATMs are increasingly widespread and appear in most larger cities and every tourist destination.
Almost everything in Vietnam is open to negotiation.
Staying connected
Vietnamese people speak Vietnamese natively, while English is growing in popularity as a second language and is compulsory in most schools.
Only the most isolated towns lack Internet access.
Opening Hours and
Retail hours: daily 0800/0830-2100/2200.
Tet, or Vietnamese New Year, is by far the year’s biggest holiday and falls between late January and March according to the unisolar Chinese calendar. Shops shut throughout the three days of Tet as people return to their families, making travel in Vietnam somewhat difficult.