Nha Trang Beach

Nha Trang Beach, also sometimes known as Tran Phu Beach, is a 6 km stretch of white sand the northern end of which is in Nha Trang City Centre.

Nha Trang Beach is the busiest and most commercially developed beach in Nha Trang, and probably in all of Vietnam.

About Nha Trang Beach

As city centre beaches go, Nha Trang Beach is pretty good. The sand is kept clean and the sea is safe to swim in nearly all year round, except for the stormy season from October through to late December when the waves and wind pick up.

To get to Nha Trang Beach you first need to cross the Tran Phu Road, which is a busy four lane obstacle between the town and the beach. Unfortunately, the city planners haven’t worked out they need to install bridges or tunnels to connect the town, and its hotels, to the beach so visitors to the beach need to cross this road at street level. Fortunately, cars and motorbikes will slow down for pedestrians to cross in Nha Trang, particularly if these are in large groups. If you are patient and careful then the Tran Phu Road is not an insurmountable obstacle, but it is an annoyance.

Nha Trang Beach is long and its thin. On the beach side of the road there are facilities such as toilets and places to buy things although only at certain parts of the beach. Unlike other some of the other popular beaches in South East Asia, such as Pattaya Beach in Thailand, there is not a continuous line of bars, restaurants and shops on the edge of the sand. For most of the length of the beach there are open public spaces between the road and the beach.

Most people planning to spend the day on Nha Trang Beach will choose to rent a sunbed and an umbrella for the day. The sunbeds and umbrellas are priced to be affordable to the Vietnamese tourists who make up the majority of the visitors and therefore not expensive: they cost around 35,000 VND a day (approximately $1.5 USD or 50 THB). If you go during the busiest period, particularly during Vietnamese public holidays, you may need to arrive early in the morning to get a sunbed. If the beach is simply too crowded then get in a taxi and go to another beach, there are plenty of other beaches not too far away.

Nha Trang Beach attracts a lot of visitors and is closely managed by the city authorities. There are life guards constantly on duty on the beach, as well as rubbish collectors and a discreet police presence. The local authorities are keen to keep visitors safe and stop crime and anti-social behaviour, particularly during the day time when Nha Trang Beach is a family oriented destination.

There is a wide footpath between the sand and the road running all the way along the length of Nha Trang Beach. This is a great place to take a walk, or go jogging, early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Much of the path has shade from trees.

Nha Trang Beach has plenty of places to eat and drink. Popular bars and restaurants include Happy Beach, The Sailing Club, Zima and the Skylight Skydeck & Rooftop Beach Club. The sunbeds near to these establishments tend to be the most sought after because beach goers can order drinks and food to be brought to them on the beach. In the evening these beach bars are often the most lively and popular places in the city to go for a drink.

Nha Trang Beach also has a number of public spaces and monuments dotted along the strip of land between the sand and the road. The most famous of these is the Tower Incense, or Thap Tram Huong, which is located about a third of the way down the beach from the most northerly point.

Right by the Thap Tram Huong is a large public plaza which is where events are sometimes held and local people come to play games, skateboard and generally hang out in early evening.

Nha Trang Beach is somewhere local people come to relax as well as tourists, although they don’t generally appear until late afternoon when the heat of the day drops. Football and volleyball are popular activities in Nha Trang, and early in the evenings you will see lots of Vietnamese people on the beach playing both.

Location of Nha Trang Beach

Nha Trang Beach is located 2 km from Nha Trang Railway Station.

Next read about Otres Beach in Sihanoukville