Vietnam: Ca Na > Nha Trang

S D
May 28
2 min read

Updated: Jun 3

Apr 16-20 2025 |k hook

Section 3 of my Vietnam 2025 journey. This ride included 2 of the country's most renowned sections of coastline. And Nha Trang turned out to be a highlight of my trip, where 2 days turned into 4.

After 1 night in gritty Ca Na I was keen to hit the road. And I was itching to get to Nha Trang, having first visited in 1999.

Straight out of Ca Na, the road is great and the scenery spectacular. This traffic-less road winds up along a cliffside with amazing views down to the water. After about 10 km the road goes inland a bit, through sand dunes and a hilly landscape of round rock. You get decent views of the coast from a distance.

Kim

After a 90 mins I stopped in Phan Rang, a really nice little beach resort town that seemed to have no tourists. It's also home to many abandoned high-rise buildings, a key feature of the coast thus far.

The next section of road, from Phan Rang towards Cam Ranh was expected to be the highlight of the ride. But the first past was not overly exciting, not much of the road is actually on the coast. But after an hour or so things changed, with some epic views. No doubt this is world-class scenery, but the garbage on shore and in the water was also "epic".

This scenic section ends when you merge onto the main highway, a belching melange of trucks, buses, and crazy driving. So I turned off the highway just past Cahm Ranh, a Vietnam port and airbase that is now the regional international airport. The last 45 mins was a fast ride into Nha Trang.

Nha Trang was better than expected. It's like a mini Da Nang, but cheaper. I stayed at Amber Hotel, an amazing place, $12/night, 2 blocks from the beach. Nha Trang has excellent international food and goods, servicing the golden horde of Russian tourists. A photo below shows the horde of goods I bought for $15.

Aside from the beach, there are also some great activities to do and sights to see in Nha Trang. The Champa-era ruins right in town are superb, the remains of the time the city was a major ancient trade and culture center. Nha Trang is Vietnam's main diving center and I partook with Rainbow Divers (look for a separate update).