LocationThe city of Nha Trang curves gently along the south central coast of Vietnam, an emerald on Vietnam’s sweeping shoreline that often seems endless. With a fascinating history that saw it evolve from a small fishing village, to a key outpost under the Hindu Cham Empire, and later a sizeable military base during the War, it now proudly sets itself apart as the primary tourist destination in the country. Its wide-ranging history still lies scattered along the pristine beaches, on the banks of its vegetation strewn tributaries, and in the rolling hills of its untouched western frontiers. Many come to Nha Trang for the obvious, fantastic beaches and a surprisingly eclectic nightlife, but leave feeling as though they’d set foot in a magical place out of time, with an abundance of unexplored opportunities waiting to envelope their senses. Before an influx of settlers came to Nha Trang in the late 18th century, the area was famous for being a land prowled by wild tigers.
With a ring of low 200 meter hills encircling Nha Trang’s crescent shaped cove, the bay feels tucked in and protected by the sleeping green hillocks. The spit of land jutting out on the beach’s southern point looks innocuous, but is actually the site of Bao Dai’s villa, the summer retreat of Vietnam’s last king. The Cai River plunges into the bay on Nha Trang’s northern half, having combed through dense jungle from its origins in the western mountains of the Central Highlands to breath the balmy coastal air and join the East Sea. Sitting at what feels like stone throwing distances from the beach lie Nha Trang’s islands, a motley collection that rises above some of the best coral reefs in the country and are home to fishing villages, colonies of swift birds, and resort bungalows.
The name Nha Trang derives from the Cham word Eatran or Yjatan. Ea and Yja mean river, while Tran means reed. The way the locals tell it, the gentle sea breezes through the reeds along the Ngoc Hoi River were unique, and they renamed the river Nha Trang. A popular myth to the name relates to Dr. Alexandre Yersin. During his time in Nha Trang, most homes were built of simple materials such as mud and dried palms. The only house made out of bricks in the area belonged to Dr. Yersin, which he had painted white. As the story goes, a foreign vessel was passing by one day and the captain asked his translator where he was. Unsure himself, the translator simple said “Nha Trang”, which literally means “white house” in Vietnamese. The captain duly noted the name on his chart, and it stuck.
When Nha Trang was declared an official town in 1924, soothsaying geomancers proclaimed it lay in a unique and propitious location. Four small hills surrounding the town bore resemblances to animal forms of good luck, and when combined with the element of water meant that life would bode well for any who resided there. The four auspicious hills all have sites that can be visited today. Canh Long hill, now the location of the Bao Dai Villas, represented the blue dragon playing with water; Trai Thuy hill, with its large statue of Buddha, was a bat carrying a jade necklace in its mouth Sinh Trung hill, site of the Ky Vien pagoda near Dam Market, was the symbol of the white elephant (see page 158); and Mot hill, where Nui Church now sits, was the gold tortoise bearing a tower (see page 136). The main draw for tourists is the sun kissed sands of Nha Trang’s municipal beach, which curves gently between two promontories. A sun worshipper’s idea of heaven, there’s no shortage of dried palm leaf beach umbrellas clustered along the shoreline. Hawkers selling snacks, drinks, paperback novels, and at-yourservice message ply their trade under the tropical sun. If you choose to laze on the sand in front of one of the beach’s main hotels or restaurants, you can take advantage of their beach bar services and keep the cocktails flowing until you’re feeling as rubbery as a sun-dried inner tube.