Vietnam’s finest beaches and the best-known beach resort is Nha Trang – one of the most 29 beautiful bays of the world - with its white sandy beach and swaying palm trees. A boat trip on the clear blue-green waters of Nha Trang Bay with some snorkeling among the coral reefs and a fresh seafood lunch is a great way to spend a day in Nha Trang. For scuba divers there are several diving shops along the beach offering professional dive services. Away from the beach Nha Trang has some other interesting attractions including Long Son Pagoda, with its enormous seated white Buddha statue, the 7th century Po Nagar Cham Towers, Hon Chong Headland where hundreds of boulders are balanced on top of one another and lots of Island as Coco islet, Bamboo Island, Black Island and etc.
Ninh Chu Beach, belongs to Phan Rang Province, is fringed with coniferous trees, an indicator of the region’s aridity. Ninh Chu features a long, narrow, white-sand beach and a fishing village with basket boats. You can enjoy a lots of rice paddies, grape trellises, cacti hedgerows and salt pans on the way to visit the Cham Towers (Po Klong Garai) consists of three towers and a brick platform from the 13th century.
Just 200km north of Ho Chi Minh City, is Phan Thiet, an old Cham outpost town with large fishing fleet and famous fish sauce “Nuoc mam” While Phan Thiet is a pleasant enough town, the real attraction is the nearby Mui Ne Peninsula and its 10km of sandy beaches and coconut groves. Many attractive small-scale beach resorts have opened up in recent years amongst the palm trees of Mui Ne and it has become a popular place to rest up for a few days. At the end of the peninsula near to the fishing village are some enormous sand dunes that look as if they belong in the Sahara rather than southern Vietnam. For golfers Phan Thiet offers one of the best links golf courses in the region, the Nick Faldo-designed Ocean Dunes Course.
Just 130km to the southeast of Ho Chi Minh City are two more beach resorts, Vung Tau, a popular weekend resort for Saigonese, and the much quieter and more attractive, Long Hai. Around 100km to the south of Nha Trang, near to the dusty coastal town of Phan Rang, is another fine example of Cham architecture, the Po Klong Garai Cham Towers. Perched dramatically on top of a rocky hill surrounded by cactus the Po Klong Garai Towers dominate the surrounding arid landscape. Sixty kilometres north of Nha Trang and a short boat journey out to sea is one of the most delightful little hideaways in the country, Whale Island. Scuba diving, snorkeling, wind surfing, hobby cat sailing or just relaxing with a good book in a hammock, you can do it all at Whale Island.
Nearly 240km north of Nha Trang is Quy Nhon, a port town with a large fishing fleet, the beach at Qui Nhon looks pleasant with white sand.
Nha Trang & The South Central Coast Highlights
Nha Trang for a cruise around the offshore islands and snorkeling in transparent turquoise waters
Phan Thiet for sandy beaches, dramatic sand dunes and a round of golf at a great links course
Long Hai for a peaceful beach
Phan Rang to explore Po Klong Garai, the best-preserved example of Cham architecture in the country
Whale Island for diving, water sports and a rustic island getaway
Quy Nhon for a beach break between Nha Trang and Hoi An