Most American veterans who were stationed in Nha Trang will tell you it was nice. Nha Trang is surrounded on three sides by mountains and on the other by the South China Sea. The beaches were, and still are, among the best in the world, making it a popular tourist destination. With its white sand, clear water and moderate climate, it has been compared to the Riviera.
Even in December and January, the coldest months, the temperatures typically range from a low in the very low 70s to a high of about 80. Temperatures in the summer months, May through August, range from lows around 78 to highs of about 90. On occasion during these months the thermometer can read over 100, with the record being 103. Nha Trang gets about 50 inches of rain in a given year, half of it in October and November. The mountains and the off-shore islands protect Nha Trang from serious storms.
Tourism is the major industry in Nha Trang. People come from all over Vietnam and other countries to enjoy the climate, the sights, and the beach. They come to scuba dive, snorkel and relax on the beach. They have also come to view several well-known international beauty pageants. Nha Trang hosts an average of 10,000 Russian tourists each month. Hence, a lot of signs are printed in Russian as well as in Vietnamese. Hotels in Nha Trang number over 1000.
Others come to Nha Trang to study. Nha Trang is home to the Nha Trang University, the Naval and Aviation Academy, a teacher’s college, Khanh Hoa University, the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute, and the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang, which is devoted to researching the bubonic plague. (Okay, that part doesn’t sound inviting.)
A half million people call Nha Trang home. In addition to tourism and education, the shipbuilding industry has been developed to provide a major impact on the local economy. Fishery remains important to the area, and lobster farming has become important as well. Some of the fishing is still done from those bright blue boats and those little round baskets. Those things don’t look seaworthy, but if you have seen how the Vietnamese can load a family of four or 800 pounds of stuff on a Honda 90, you can understand. One night in Nha Tang, at my prime, I tried to drive a cyclo. I don’t know how they do that either. There are still cyclos around for cheap transportation.
Anyone who drove from Nha Trang towards Cam Ranh remembers the immense (79 feet tall) white sitting Buddha. It was rumored that during the 1968 Tet offensive, some Viet Cong hid inside its base, and the Korean soldiers cemented the doors shut. True or not, the Koreans didn’t mess around. The Buddha, which is still as white as white gets, is part of the Long Son Pagoda, built in 1886, which also has a statue of a sleeping Buddha which is 262 feet long. The pagoda includes ornate architecture and statuary and well-maintained gardens. Buddhist flags are on display at the entrance. In the 1960s, President Ngo Dinh Diem provoked riots among the Buddhist population, in part for banning this flag.
Just north of Nha Trang, at the mouth of the Cai River, are the remains of the Po Nagar Cham Towers, a Hindu temple complex built by the Cham people between the 8th and 11th centuries. In town is the Christ the King Cathedral, also referred to as Nha Trang Cathedral, a stone church built in the early 19th century which continues to serve the local Catholic population.
One can no longer fly into Nha Trang. In 2016, the city offered the site of its airport, the former US Air Force base, for 540 million dollars. Air travel is now served by the Cam Ranh International Airport, also originally a US Air Force base. A taxi will take tourists from the airport to Nha Trang for about 400,000 dong (close to 20 dollars).
The Air Base, which is no longer an airport of any kind, is still identifiable on satellite imagery, but there is no trace of Camp McDermott. It has been absorbed into the city.
In addition to the 1100 or so hotels in Nha Trang, there are several resorts – Diamond Bay, Ana Mandara, and Vinpearl, which is on Hon Tre Island. Transportation to Hon Tre Island is via speedboat or a gondola system. The Vinpearl complex also boasts of an amusement park, water park and golf course. There are other such venues in town, as well. For indoor entertainment, there is a quite nice aquarium.
The Nautique hotel and restaurant on the Beach Road, now the Pacific Coast Highway, appears to be no longer there. It was a favorite for many of us, offering the best lobster I have eaten, but it has given way to high-rise hotels and such. There is no shortage, however, of good restaurants, either along the beach or in the city. And, there are still street food vendors with their charcoal stoves.
Women from local farms still sell their produce in the open air markets. Nha Trang also has night-time markets, not to be confused with the black-market cigarette stands of old. There is a twin tower high-rise shopping mall called the Nha Trang Center. Modern day maps also proudly point out ‘the supermarket.’
An investor has entered into an agreement with the city to build a racing course on a 300 hectare (741 acres) section on the coast of the Nha Trang Bay. The construction is estimated to cost 150 million dollars and will take three years. This course is planned to become part of the annual Formula 1 world racing tournament.
