Why Nha Trang May Not Be Worth It

Vietnam isn’t exactly famous for its beaches. For those who do want to take in the sun in Vietnam, Nha Trang is usually at the top of most recommendations. However, in my opinion you would be better off spending your time somewhere else. Let’s break this down:

The beaches are not that nice

If you’re expecting white sand and turquoise water, this isn’t it. Don’t get me wrong – the beaches are very decent beaches. There are palm trees everywhere and the water cools you perfectly from the Vietnamese heat. They just look more like this

than this.

And that’s fine! I just think it’s important to know what to expect. Vietnam is a beautiful country and if you happen to go through Nha Trang it can be nice to spend a day or two there. However, don’t plan a trip there just because of the beaches.

Nha Trang isn’t a beach town, it’s a tourist town.

Wherever you go in Nha Trang, everything will be written in four languages: Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese, and English. The pharmacies are called аптека and I had people come up to me and ask a question in Russian more than once. There is a crepe stand selling bolognese, caesar chicken, or nutella crepes on every street.

There are also tons of hairstylists that advertise colorful braids, especially near the main beach. This really weirded me out. I can understand this being a distasteful (cultural appropriation-y) tourist attraction in the Caribbean, where locals actually wear similar hairstyles, but wearing your hair like that isn’t a thing in Vietnam so I was very confused. In retrospect I saw similar hairstyles on Koh Phi Phi so maybe it’s just something you’re bound to encounter in places with lots of tourists.

The beaches were nowhere as crowded as beaches on Koh Phi Phi for example, probably because we went there in the low-ish season (mid-december, before Christmas break and the Chinese new year. Nonetheless, there are lots of people and restaurants along the beach.

I don’t want to bash anyone who likes going to places like this. It can be really fun to go somewhere with a group of people from your country and not have to deal with a huge culture shock. However, that’s just not me – to me the culture shock and interacting with the locals are what make the trip. If that’s what you’re looking for too, maybe Nha Trang isn’t the place for you.

What about VinPearl?

VinPearl Nha Trang is a huge amusement park on an island with a waterpark, a zoo, and a resort. On top of the regular amusement park attractions, of course. You go there on a cable car and pay about 1M VND, or 40 Euros (also about 40 USD at time of writing).

I have mixed feelings about VinPearl. It’s a good way to spend some time, but the 1M VND were a little much for our backpacker budgets. While we didn’t visit the waterpark, it looked fun but was also crowded with people. I’m not a fan of zoos for ethical reasons, but the enclosures looked big and the animals looked healthy (I say looked because, to be honest, what do I know?). Finally, the attractions were honestly a lot of fun and that’s where we spent most of the day.

Is it worth going to Nha Trang just for VinPearl? Definitely not. It’s fun but it’s more something to do if you’re already in Nha Trang and don’t have anything else to do.

Where can you go instead?

If you want to go to a beach, there are tons of other beautiful places nearby. For those who have their heart set on Vietnam, Phu Quoc is apparently really nice – I haven’t been there personally but I have friends who spent a week there and had only good things to say. If you don’t mind the touristy aspect of Nha Trang and are willing to go a little further I can recommend Southern Thailand. Koh Phi Phi and Krabi attract masses of tourists but if you don’t mind that they can be good options. Finally, if you want to go somewhere with nicer beaches and less people I can recommend Koh Rong in Cambodia (apparently Koh Rong Sanloem is really beautiful too).