Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Ninh Hoà Lâm and on the West by Diên Khánh district. The city has about 361.454 inhabitants.
Nha Trang is well known for its pristine beaches and excellent scuba diving and is fast becoming a popular destination for international tourists, attracting large numbers of backpackers as well as more affluent travelers on the Southeast Asia circuit. It is already very popular with Vietnamese tourists. Nha Trang Bay is widely considered as amongst the world's most beautiful bays. Tourists are welcome to participate in the Sea Festival, held biennially. Nha Trang was the site of the Miss Universe 2008 Pageant on July 14, 2008 and it will also host Miss Earth 2010.
Historically, the city was known as Kauthara under the Champa. The city is still home to the famous Po Nagar Tower built by the Champa. Being a coastal city, Nha Trang is a center for marine science based at the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute. The Hon Mun marine protected area is one of four first marine protected areas in the world admitted by the IUCN.
Commercial flights to Nha Trang no longer use the city's municipal airport, but fly to the larger Cam Ranh International Airport, a former U.S. Air Force Base (built during the Vietnam War) located approximately 35 km south of Nha Trang (see the Transport section below for additional details).
The French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin (who discovered the Yersinia pestis bacterium) identified himself with Nha Trang's life for 50 years (affectionately known as Ông Năm). He established the Indochina Pasteur Institute (now known as the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute) devoted to research on the bubonic plague. Yersin died in Nha Trang on March 1, 1943. A street in the city is named after him, there is a shrine located next to his tomb, and his house has been converted into the Yersin Museum.
Geography
Nha Trang city has a metropolitan area of 251 km² and population of about 361.454 . It borders Ninh Hòa district by the north, Cam Lâm district by the south, Diên Khánh district by the west and the South China Sea to the east. The city is located on the beautiful Nha Trang Bay, which was chosen by Travel and Leisure in two succeeding years as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world. Nha Trang is surrounded on all three sides by mountains and a large island on the fourth side (in the ocean directly in front of the city's main area), blocking major storms from potentially damaging the city.
Origin of the name
According to some researches, the name Nha Trang derives from a false Vietnamese spelling of a geographical name in the Cham language of the site Ya Trang (lit. Reed River), the name of the now Cai River as referred to by the Cham people). From the name of this river, the name was adopted to call what is now Nha Trang, which was officially made Vietnam’s territory in 1653.
As far as the recorded naming of Nha Trang is concerned, in Toàn tập Thiên Nam Tứ Chí Lộ Đồ Thư, a geographical book written by a Vietnamese scholar with the family of Đỗ Bá in the second half of the 18th century, the name Nha Trang Môn ("Nha Trang gate") was mentioned. In another map dating to the 17th century, known as Giáp Ngọ Niên Bình Nam Đồ by a noble called Đoan Quận công Bùi Thế Đạt, the name Nha Trang Hải môn (Nha Trang Sea Gate) was also cited. In Vietnamese recorded historic bibliographies, these books are perhaps the earliest ones that mentioned this place name.
In a work by Le Quy Don called Phủ biên tạp lục (1776), many Nha Trang-related names were also mentioned, such as Nha Trang swamp, Nha Trang river, and Nha Trang pass.
Tourism
Nha Trang is one of the most important tourist hubs of Vietnam, thanks to its beautiful beaches with fine and clean sand and the clear ocean water with mild temperatures all year round. There are several resorts - such as Vinpearl, Diamond Bay and Ana Mandara - and amusement and water parks, both in the city and on islands off the coast. The possibly most beautiful street of Nha Trang is Tran Phu Street along the seaside, sometimes referred to as the Pacific Coast Highway of Vietnam.
Lying off Nha Trang is the Hon Tre Island (Bamboo Island), with a major resort operated by the Vinpearl Group. A motorized chair lift system, reportedly the longest in the world, links the mainland to the five-star resort and theme park on Hon Tre Island.
Nha Trang is a stopover for annual yacht races starting in Hong Kong. In recent years, the city has welcomed many five-star sea cruises. In addition to sail boat racing, Nha Trang provides a rich variety of tourist activities for visitors. Island hopping, scuba diving, water sports and other sporting activities can be enjoyed in the city. The Nha Trang Tourist Information Center (a non-governmental organisation), located near the Cho Dam Market has been set up to provide information for visitors.
The local cuisine is most famous for fresh seafoods and barbecued pork rolled in rice paper. The area's Bird's nest soup is deemed one of the best in Vietnam. Bird’s nests are collected in the wild, on bird farms on the islands off the coast and even in some houses in the inner city. The farmed bird in question belongs to the swiftlet group, popularly referred to as yến hàng (Aerodramus fuciphagus germani).
Long Son Pagoda is prominent for its statue of Gautama Buddha.
Recreation and nightlife
Scuba diving, kite boarding are available, as are catamaran sailboats. Winds are steady.
The nightlife is limited, but near the Biet Thu tourist district, it can go beyond midnight. The nightlife is therefore known as superior to other coastal towns such as Mui Ne, Da Nang and Vung Tau. It is usually busiest around the Vietnamese New Year period, but can still be worth visiting any time of year, with the possible exception of the rain period (especially November). A lot of tourists are enjoying the Nha Trang River Cai boat ride (locally known as Song Cai, as "song" means "river" in the Vietnamese language). However, if high tides keep rising as expected another meter in next 20 years (as a consequence of world climate changes), much of Nha Trang could disappear since the city is ringed by mountains leaving little soil left above high tide
Tourist attractions
* Alexandre Yersin Museum
* Boat tour on Cai River, visiting islands off the coast and Ba Ho Waterfall.
* Palace of Emperor Bao Dai
* Thap Ba Hot Spring (Lady Tower hot spring)
* Nha Phu Lagoon
* Hoa Lan Stream (Orchid Flower tream)
* Monkey Island
* Sạn Beach
* Hòn Tằm Island (Silkworm island)
* Hòn Mun Island (Ebony island)
* Hòn Con Sẻ Tre Island (Bamboo Sparraw island)
* Hòn Ông Island
* Đảo Yến Island (Swiftlet island)
* Hòn Tre Island (Bamboo island)
* Suối Đổ Stream
* Suối Tiên Stream (Fairy stream)
* Hòn Bà Mountain
* Yangbay Waterfall
* Tháp Bà Pô Nagar Nha Trang (a Champa Tower)
* Chùa Long Sơn (Long Son Pagoda- literral: The Dragon Mountain pagoda or White Buddha Pagoda)
* Nha Trang Oceanography Institute, the largest of its kind in Indochina where thousands of oceanic life samples, exhibits are on display. It is also home to the largest oceanic library in Vietnam.
* Chánh Tọa Church (or Mountain Church)
* Nha Trang Pasteur Institute
* Trí Nguyên Aquarium (an aquarium where hundreds of rare oceanic species are fed)
* Vinpearl
