Reservations 877·97·CRAFT  (877·972·7238)

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Nha Trang, on the southern coast of Vietnam, is renowned for its picturesque beaches and Buddhist temples. The area contains temples from the Champa Kingdom dating from at least 600 to 1300, when the area was invaded by the Viet peoples. The Champa civilization built some ten temples, four of which are still standing and form the Po Nagar Tower complex.

 

Nah Trang has one of the most scenic stretches of beach in Vietnam. Besides beautiful beaches and a charming port with brightly colored fishing boats, Nha Trang offers a rich history to explore. The Po Nagar Cham Towers, dating from circa 600 to 1100, were built by the Champa civilization, which was Hindu-based with a Sanskrit language. The temples were built to various deities, including the Hindu gods of Shiva and Ganesh as well as Sri Camha (fertility goddess) and Po Nagar Kalan ("mother of the country" who was said to have taught agriculture and weaving skills). Today the temples are still in use for Buddhist worship. Take a tour to Long Son Pagoda, built in the 1880s, decorated with mosaic dragons, and climb 152 stone steps to the large seated white Buddha. Views from the platform take in the whole city.  Other religious sites nearby include the Suoi Do Pagoda, a 50-year-old Buddhist site, and Quan Am, a temple devoted to the Chinese god of mercy. Tour the Nha Trang Gothic Cathedral, a stone French Gothic Catholic church built in the 1800s. Its original bells, cast in France in the 1780s, are said to still ring.  Other sites include the National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam, an ongoing research center that first opened in 1922, and contains more than 20,000 live species. Thap Ba Hot Springs Center offers a chance to unwind. Take a cable car from Nha Trang beach across to Hon Tre island, home to the Vinpearl water amusement park.  Boats offer tours to the islands of Hon Man and Hon Tam, noted for their outstanding natural beauty. Another tour takes in the Hon Khoi salt fields, where some 700,000 tons of salt a year is gathered from Doc Let beach.

 

The Cho Dam Market, a two-story complex, is a shopping paradise for souvenirs and crafts.  Enjoy a visit to the Silk Embroidery Workshop where artisans sometimes spend as much as five months embroidering a single silk "painting." Local souvenirs include embroidered silk paintings, wood carvings, gifts made from bamboo, coffee, clothing, and woven mats.

 

Enjoy Vietnamese cuisine, including pho (soup), guoi chon (spring rolls), and banh cuon (rolled cake).