Editor: Irina
The beaches of Nha Trang in Vietnam are considered the most popular among Russians. There are many of them, but is it worth going somewhere else besides the beach close to the hotel?
Discussing with a friend where to go to rest in Asia in February, we hesitated between Thailand (which we have been to three times already) and Vietnam. The choice fell on Nha Trang, because it is more interesting, and the tour was found to be inexpensive.
On the spot, we rented bikes and rode as many as seven (!) Beaches of Nha Trang and its environs. I will tell and show everything that I saw - where it is better, where it is more beautiful, where there are fewer Chinese.
Nha Trang Beach
Nha Trang Beach is the central beach and the most famous among vacationers. The entrance is free.
In general, the beach is like a beach. Sandy, wide, long, along the embankment stretches, sometimes turning into park zones.
- What is important: there is little vegetation on Nha Trang Beach, do not count on the shade of the palm tree. After 5 pm the sun goes down behind the high-rise hotels.
First, we went to the lot in the lotus building area, where the main entrance to the city beach is located. The first impression is that I got to the Anapa coast: Russian-speaking tourists, lying close to each other; someone smokes right on the beach and listens to music from speakers. Go to the left of the Lotus along the park, there are fewer people, and there is not so much garbage (although the locals clean the beach every day).
We rested in February, and the sea was stormy every day (find out about the season in Vietnam). The waves rose so that it was impossible to swim normally. But at the same time, the sea temperature was not less than + 24 ° C ... + 26 ° C. Nha Trang Beach is crowded. However, if you arrive early in the morning, you can find silence and a guaranteed calm sea.
Sand Nha Trang Beach is large and hard. The beach is not suitable for barefoot jogging as the sand rubs your feet. The coast is different everywhere: in the northern part, closer to the Kai River, it is gentle and long. At Lotus, it gets washed out, and it becomes dangerous to swim because of the sharp seashells and stones.
Although everyone is sunbathing on towels, you can rent on Nha Trang Beach sun loungers and umbrellas... In the 2021 season, the cost is in the region of 100,000-150,000 Vietnamese dong (300-450 rubles). We often bargained at half price!
Rarely, but there are taps for flushing sand from feet (these are usually installed opposite expensive hotels). Lunch went to the hipster restaurant-bar Happy Beach - liked it for its atmosphere, prices and photo zones. I advise you to take a look!
Dream Beach
In fact, this is an area with access to the Central Beach, a kind of beach club or beach complex with a paid entrance.
Dream Beach is a rescue for tourists who are afraid of theft on a public beach (there are safes for valuables and security) or fear the sea because of the waves (there are already 4 swimming pools for children and adults on the territory). Entrance fee is 150,000 VND per person.
We came here only out of curiosity. We immediately realized that this is a haven for Russian-speaking tourists: here are families with children, and men's companies with beer, and parties with speakers by the pools. Such a local Antalya ...
The cost of a sunbed with a towel starts from 50,000 dongs. Since Dream Beach is part of the city beach, the sea is no different. But it is better to spend a beach vacation in Nha Trang with children here - you can find something to keep the little ones busy while their parents are sunbathing. Plus, it is located in the center where all the hotels are.
Not far from Dream Beach, we went to a Louisiana brewery. I advise you to try local craft beer (this is not Saigon, of course).
Paragon Beach
Paragon Beach (also called South Beach or South Beach) is atypical. Let it not be included in the "best beaches of Nha Trang" for me, but many people like it.
It seems that I got into some kind of cove or even a pool, fenced off by a breakwater. This is the most accessible beach, where there are no waves, and which is close to the center of Nha Trang. The water is calm here even in a storm. But at the same time, it stagnates, since there is no movement or flow.
Many families spend their holidays in Paragon, renting houses or villas on the beach. The sand is similar to bulk sand, we have never seen such fine sand anywhere else. The entrance to the sea is shallow, but there are sharp stones at the bottom and it smells of stagnant water, which we did not like most of all.
- The big disadvantage of the beach is the lack of any infrastructure. From entertainment there is only a jet ski.
We found a cafe for breakfast only a decent distance from Paragon. I won't recommend it, the prices were overpriced and the food is no better than in the city.
How to get there?
Paragon is located a little further than the Winperl cable car. The bike ride takes 20-30 minutes. You can also get to the beach by taxi or by bus # 4, which stops a 10-15 minute walk.
Doc Let Beach
On the second day of rest, we harnessed our rented bikes and drove to the farthest from Nha Trang and the most heavenly (according to reviews) Zoklet beach. And on the way, you can also look at the Baho Falls - remember the location, it's worth a visit. It took about 1 hour to get to the beach. Beware, there is a toll road.
You can also get to the beach by bus # 3 for 30,000 dong (90 rubles).
Zoklet beach - or Doklet - from afar reminded us of a Bounty advertisement: white fine sand, calm clear sea, palm trees and coconuts (which sell for 10,000 VND).
Almost everyone goes through free entry to the beach. Many Chinese and Russians hang out here, you can take a sun lounger for 80,000 dongs (235 rubles). And also - a lot of garbage that does not fit into the "bounty" picture.
Therefore, know that you can get to Zoklet and paid for 30,000 VND per adult and 15,000 VND per child. Pay is for cleanliness, showers and changing cabins. Note that the ticket is being checked! We were not scared away even by the local cost of sun loungers - 150,000 dongs, so we did not want to swim among the garbage in the free zone.
Infrastructure represented by cafes with seafood, shops with coconuts and ice cream. I recommend visiting U Ten's cafe (in Googlemaps it is called so), there are fewer people, and the prices are more pleasant - 70,000-90,000 dongs for a set lunch.
Water Zoklet is warmer than Nha Trang Beach. The entrance to the sea is shallow and long, there are no strong waves. Here you will not find sharp stones at the bottom, only small corals on the shore, so Zoklet is ideal for families with children. However, with hotels around tight.
Jungle Beach
Photo taken from worldwidetour.ru
If the reviews of tourists about the beaches of Nha Trang are not always positive, then about the beaches in the vicinity it is much better. Probably because they are freer and cleaner (they say that some Chinese tourists are not specially brought in!). I'll tell you about one of these.
On the way back from Zoklet we stopped at Jungle Beach. Take note that he paid - entrance costs 50,000 VND per person. We did not want to swim, but the beach was examined, and here are my conclusions on it.
- The beach is really wild, there are few tourists here even in high season.
- The entrance to the sea is shallow; sometimes there are waves, and then surfers enter the sea.
- We also noticed a couple of snorkelers - at the bottom there are large stones with algae and fish around.
- From the shore you can see that the water is clear.
There is a separate area with sun loungers for an extra charge, the rest of the beach does not have any infrastructure.
How to get there?
I do not recommend going so far just for the sake of swimming at Jungle Beach, but how to stop after the Baho Falls will go. The beach is located on the Heo Peninsula, 60 kilometers from Nha Trang. Public transport does not go here, so you can only get there by bike or taxi.
Bai Dai Beach
You can leave the noisy Nha Trang and feel like Robinson Crusoe on the wild and picturesque Bai Dai beach (or Bai Dai, as the locals call it). I will say right away that this is the only beach of all, to which we have returned more than once.
How to get there?
It is located 20 kilometers to the south, you can get there by bike (follow the signs), by taxi or by bus # 18. If you are traveling by bus, be sure to tell the driver to stop at Bai Zai, otherwise he will just pass.The bus journey from the center of Nha Trang takes about 20 minutes.
The beach itself is divided into:
- left side with infrastructure
- and the right, where there is nothing but garbage from the sea.
Bai Zai is considered "wild", so admission is free. The entire infrastructure is only at the beginning of Bai Zai (left side): a cafe with cheap prices, sun loungers with umbrellas for 50,000 VND, a free toilet, a shower for 20,000 VND and ice cream vendors. We also have our own parking lot for bikes, for which we paid 5000 VND.
Sea calmer and cleanerthan on Nha Trang Beach, the entrance is shallow and long. For surfers, this is, in my opinion, the best beach for boarding, but in winter, when there is a big wave (for beginners: an hour of lesson with a Russian-speaking instructor costs $ 50).
Bai Zai stretches for 15 km in length, so you will not find a dense concentration of vacationers, except perhaps near a cafe in high season.
Pearl beach
Photo taken from worldwidetour.ru
Pearl Beach is popular, but ... it seemed to us somehow too artificial and not worth the money and time (located 60 kilometers from Nha Trang).
The entrance fee is 50,000 dongs per person. Why Pearl? Perhaps because of the white sand shimmering in the sun. Plus, rather big pieces of limestone rocks rise here, which makes it unusual.
Please note: the beach is currently deserted (but according to recent reviews,
on repair).
We stayed on the beach for only 30 minutes, during which we managed to rent a sun lounger for 100,000 VND, ride a swing right into the sea, walk along the bridges and watch a bunch of Chinese tourists who come in droves to take photos at sunset. There is nothing else to do there, there is no infrastructure (except for a cafe and a hotel). We were sad because of the lack of a shower, as it was an hour or more to get to the hotel in Nha Trang.
Buses do not go to Pearl Beach - after all, it is a fenced small cove. You need to get there by bike (look for the Yen Bay Resort point on Googlemaps). But I honestly do not advise you to spend money and time for this beach.
Which beach in Nha Trang is better to choose?
In my opinion, a universal option among the beaches of Nha Trang for recreation is Bai Zai beach... It is suitable for families with children because of the good entry into the sea, and for amateurs of entertainment because of the opportunity to go surfing, and simply for those who prefer a quiet holiday. Yes, there is rubbish in the sand and a lot of tourists during the high season. But it's FREE, there is all the infrastructure here, and you can hide in the shade of the trees on the beach. And also an awesome view of the mountains with the jungle behind.
The other beaches of Nha Trang did not impress us as much - but that does not mean that they are bad. Nha Trang Beacheg a standard city beach, wide and long. Here, too, you can find a place for yourself. We stayed near it at the 4 * Ivy Hotel.
The cost of tours to Nha Trang - 2021
If we consider the high season, which will now begin at the end of February-March 2021, then:
- The cost of tours to Nha Trang starts from 95,000 rubles for 10 days for two.
- Vouchers to higher level hotels, 4 and 5 stars, already from 110,000 rubles for the same period and composition.
You can find out prices for tours with a departure from your city and choose a hotel online - on aggregators. They collect offers from all leading tour operators directly:
- Travelata
- Level.Travel
- Onlinetours
We found our tour just on the aggregators. And I especially like Level.Travel for its handy feature - the hotel map. If the location is important to me, I click on the map on the site / area I like, and consider hotels only in this area. You can also see everything that is (or is not) useful - cafes, shops, pharmacies.
In 2021, there is a chance to get on the "great sale" of tours to Nha Trang in December - when vouchers are sold for a pittance (60,000-70,000 rubles for two), and people buy. And on the spot they literally freeze, because it is out of season, and the sea is admired only from afar, because the waves. Whether to go or not is up to you :)
Reviews of tourists about the beaches of Nha Trang
The beaches of Nha Trang cause different reviews from tourists. For some it is too crowded, some do not like the waves. But in most cases they are rated as "good":
- Too large waves, which do not allow entering the sea, do not swim with children (but this is relevant for the period from December to February, the season in Nha Trang begins in March). Debris is found both in the sand and in the water. Infrastructure is not well established everywhere.
+ The water is always warm, even after a storm. The sand is fine and pleasant, the beaches are wide. Even near the most remote beach, you can find a cafe.
I compared the beaches of Nha Trang with the beaches of Thailand and I can say that for me Vietnam is winning this battle. There is no need to travel to distant islands for the sake of white sand and a transparent sea. This is right here in the center of the resort. Plus, I realized for myself that the beaches of Nha Trang differ from north to south: there are more wild and deserted places at the top, and there are many Chinese in the south.
In general, Nha Trang is a fairly developed Vietnamese resort. Here they are not yet so spoiled by tourists, and therefore the prices are lower. A lot of entertainment for vacationers both with families and with friends.
What to do in Nha Trang?
If you have the opportunity to take a bike - take it! Nha Trang is a very interesting city outside the center. You can:
- see all its beaches and choose the best one for yourself,
- visit the White Buddha of Long Son Pagoda,
- appreciate the Po Nagar towers,
- climb the 3rd level of Baho waterfall, which I advise everyone to go to,
- see the rice fields and the daily life of local Vietnamese.
And if a bike is not an option for you, then walking around Nha Trang on foot is also interesting, just longer. You can use your feet and buses to visit all the night markets of the resort, go to the railway area where Vietnamese live (we often walked to the Big C supermarket and went to street cafes, where prices are lower and pho soup is tastier) and have fun in the Vinpearl amusement park ...
And for lovers of nightlife and parties, I advise you to go to the vertical Sky Bar or Skylight rooftop bars and see the panorama of Nha Trang at night. Memory for a lifetime!
