Nha Trang is a seaside town, also the capital city of Khánh Hòa Province - on the South-Central Coast of Vietnam. Nha Trang is becoming increasingly popular in recent years because of its pristine beach, best scuba diving center of Vietnam as well as lots of interesting places and delicious food to enjoy. Nha Trang used to be no more than small fishing villages until the French colonization. The French recognized Nha Trang as a perfect place for bathing, so they invested in the transformation to turn Nha Trang into a resort town. Today, Nha Trang attracts a large number of domestic as well as international tourists from all over the world, mostly in summer. If you plan to visit Nha Trang from June to August, it is advisable that you book your hotels in Nha Trang well in advance.
There are some must-see spots for foreign tourists who have Vietnam visa to visit, such as National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam (01, Cau Da Street), Nha Trang live – a place to get free city maps, drinks and tour travel guide books, also the largest collection of local paintings (Thong Nhat Street & 2 Thang 4 Street), Long Son Pagoda (Thai Nguyen Street), Po Nagar Cham Towers a.k.a Thap Ba (2 Thang 4 Street) – built between the 7th and 12th century by the Cham civilization with amazing architectures, Bao Dai Villa (near National Oceanographic Museum) – where you can get a beautiful view of the Nha Trang bay and Cam Ranh Beach (15- 20 km from the city center) – a very long, nice and clean beach, etc.
Vinpearl Land – the most famous among all- is a complex of five-star resort and amusement park that lies on Hon Tre (Bamboo) Island. To get there, people must take cable cars with the system currently considered the longest in the world. Vinpearl is also the venue for beauty pageants, ranging from Miss World to Miss Universe. Nha Trang is famous for its culinary specialties like fresh seafood and barbecued pork rolled in rice paper, which are available in many restaurants and hotels in Nha Trang. In addition, the swallow’s nest soup – with bird’s nests collected from the wild, is regarded as the best in Vietnam.
Khanh Hoa Provincial Museum, Khanh Hoa Among these are many precious objects. In the museum there are several symbol object collections such as: Stone Axes Collection; Stone Adornment Collection that belongs to the Con Hamlet Culture (3,500 years ago); Nha Trang Bronze Drum Collection (dated back 2,000 years ago); Champa Stone Carving Collection (between the 9th century to the 14th century); Ancient Money Collection (between the 9th century to the 18th century); Commercial Ceramic Collection (between the 9th century to the 18th century); the collection of weapons in the war against French and American. The displaying system is on the themes: the ancient culture in Khanh Hoa; the revolutionary struggle traditions of the Khanh Hoa people and Khanh Hoa Party Committee; the life and the work of President Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969); the theme of Vietnamese Heroine Mothers of Khanh Hoa Province. Every year, Khanh Hoa Provincial Museum receives more than 20,000 foreign and domestic visitors. At the same time, the museum is published several researching value works, such as a series research books: “Khanh Hoa - a cultural aspect of a region”, “Con Hamlet Culture” which were highly apprised by the domestic scientists.
Tomb of Lady Vu, Khanh Hoa As she had no child, the king gave her a large field for cultivation without tax. According to the legend, the anniversary ceremony of her death is on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month. The tomb stands solemnly on the upper mound of a large field. The tomb is constructed according to the Chinese character "Quoc", faces to the south east. There is a large rectangle lotus pond there. The tomb consists of three ramparts which were made of limestone, sand and bricks. The outer rampart with 20m long, 14m wide and 1.5m high surrounds the tomb on which there is a small door, two pink lions made of limestone and sand stand by two sides of the door. On the inside of the wall, many pictures were carved following tales, which are related to Confucianism and Taoism. The middle rampart, then the inner rampart surrounds the tomb which is 12m long, 0.9m wide, 1.2m high. The grave has in arched shaped. Two sides of the gate have two skilful carving unicorns. The grave is located on the middle of the area on which has a steal carving Chinese character to record her services.
Po Nagar Cham Towers, Khanh Hoa She spent part of her life in teaching new weaving and agricultural techniques. The 22.5m tower contains her sandstone statue sitting cross-legged on lotus-shaped stone estrade. The statue is 2.6m high (including the Yoni-shaped stone pedestal). The statue has ten hands, eight of which each holding a specific object illustrating the intellect and power of her. The remaining towers were dedicated to different gods: the southeast tower, the northwest tower and the south tower. Not only are the towers famous for their architecture and sculpture, but they are also well-known for their great significance in history, nationalism, and archaeology. Standing on the top of the hill, one can admire the beautiful landscapes of the coastal region of Nha Trang.
Phu Cang Communal House, Khanh Hoa The main house is 8m long, 9m wide dividing into 3 compartments, constructed by four-pillar architecture with 16 wooden pillars, rowed by 4 equivalently. The front door of the house was engraved with shapes of sacred creatures, sophisticated designs and three words "Phu Cang Dinh". The interior was decorated by rural furniture as common as in other communal houses. There have altars of the gods, of the Goddess Thien Y A Na, of Tran Duong - a Deputy General who grouped up people according to King Ham Nghi's appeal for French resistance in Khanh Hoa Province. Many honors and presents bestowed on Phu Cang Commune House during the war, among them are a supreme honor for the god of the commune (Call Thanh Hoang), an ancient bell and a command drum.
Long Son Pagoda, Khanh Hoa The Khanh Hoa Buddhist Studies Foundation originated here in 1936. The pagoda underwent further restorations in 1940, 1971, and 1975. There is a huge white statue of Sakyamuni Buddha sitting on a lotus pedestal, which erected in 1964-1965, 24m high not including its pedestal being 14m high. This pagoda is one of the more than 20 famous pagodas in Nha Trang City.
Am Chua Temple, Khanh Hoa According to the legend, this was place where the Goddess descended on earth. The temple was restored many times, and today it looks nicely. Every year, on the first, the second and the third day of the third lunar month, the festival is organized at the temple which is attracting many Cham and Viet people to attend.
Source: www.dulichso.com