“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

Khanh Hoa Province

Location

Khanh Hoa is the well known province with the famous tourist city named Nha Trang. For a long time, Nha Trang is the ideal city for the beach holidays. Khanh Hoa today is still a priority for choice of beach time to tourists because this province invests in tourism each year to serve tourists.  
Khanh Hoa is located in South Central. The province is bordered with Phu Yen province to the north, with Dak Lak province to the north west, with Lam Dong province to the south west, with Ninh Thuan to the south and with the East Sea to the east. Thank for this position, Khanh Hoa owns the great things for the development especially in tourism.


  • Center city: Nha Trang City
  • Town and Districts: Ninh Hoa Town, Van Ninh District, Dien Khanh District, Khanh Vinh District, Khanh Son District, Cam Lam District and Truong Sa District.  
  • Tourist places: Nha Trang City and Cam Ranh City.
  • Climate: Khanh Hoa is in the tropical savanna climate region. There is the rain season from September to December and the dry time from January to August. The average temperature is 27 C degree. The time for travelling in Khanh Hoa is in the dry season.
  • Transportation: Travel conveniently by land, railway and airline to the province and from it to other provinces.

           The distance is for reference as below:
           From the center of Nha Trang city to the Cam Ranh Airport: 37 km
           From Khanh Hoa to Ha Noi: 1255 km
           From Khanh Hoa to Ho Chi Minh City: 424 km
           From Khanh Hoa to Dak Lak:  184 km
           From Khanh Hoa to Lam Dong:  137 km
           From Khanh Hoa to Ninh Thuan – Ninh Chu – Phan Rang:  100 km
           From Khanh Hoa to Binh Thuan – Phan Thiet – Mui Ne:  246 km
           From Khanh Hoa to Phu Yen: 123 km
  • Population: There are the main groups who live together such as Kinh, Raglai, Hoa, Êde, Cơ-ho, and some other ethnic groups.

Landscapes

Po Nagar Cham Towers: This group of Cham towers is located on top of low marble mountain formerly surrounded by the sea in Vinh Phuoc Ward, 2.5 km from the centre of Nha Trang City. Construction of the towers were begun in the 8th century and finished in the 12th century. The most beautiful tower was built in 813 and 817. Unfortunately, time and environment factors have destroyed most of the towers. Now, there are only four remaining.
Nha Trang Cathedral: The construction of the Nha Trang Cathedral was begun in 1928 and completed in 1934. The Bourdons Carillons Company provided three large bells in 1934, and a big clock was assembled on the tower in December 1935. The buildings of the Nha Trang Cathedral, which is now over 70 years old, are still intact and attract many visitors.
Hon Chong (Chong Promontory): Chong Promontory, located in the sand dunes near Cu Lao fishing hamlet, 3.5 km from central Nha Trang, looks like the work of a giant who has put several massive rocks together. It forms a small crescent-shaped inlet with a marble peninsula of massive rocks layered on the top of one another. Chong Promontory is an interesting natural landscape.
Tam Island: (Silkworm Island) The Island looks like a silkworm shape so it was named Hon Tam. There are not any residents living in Hon Tam but there are just services for tourists. Round year, the island is calm; therefore, the surface of the seawater looks like an autumnal lake. This is a nice place for bathing, diving, relaxing and enjoying water activities.
Hon Mun: In Vietnamese, “Mun” means “Black”. A legend is that a long time ago, there was an eruptive volcano, therefore, it darkened by time. It takes 90 minutes from Nha Trang to Hon Mun by cano. In the clear ocean water, there is beautiful coral island, which is an ideal place for tourists to go swimming and scuba diving to discover the coral world. 
Dao Khi (Monkey Islet) Actually: Monkey Islet is Hon Lao (Lao Islet) where is a small islet near the mainland. Recently, people have used this islet to breed monkeys such as short-tailed monkeys, “lion” monkeys, “yellowy fur” monkeys...; therefore, the island is called Monkey Islet.
Tri Nguyen Fish Pond: located on Bong Nguyen Island (also called Hon Mieu), Tri Nguyen Fish Pond was built in 1971 from an original initiative of the coastal inhabitant loving nature. The pond is a reputed tourist attraction in the province. The fish in the pond are divided into three categories: ornamental fish, edible fish, and carnivorous fish. Standing on the wharf, visitors can see the many kinds of fish that live in the lake. On the island, there is Bai San area, one of the popular bathing seaside resorts.
Institute of Oceanography: located on an elevated land next to Cau Da Wharf, about 6km from the centre of Nha Trang, the Institute of Oceanography, which was established in 1923, was one of the first centers for scientific research in Vietnam. Nha Trang is an excellent location for tropical oceanographic research. The Marine Animal Museum shows more than 8,000 sea and fresh water specimens, as well as, living creatures that are kept in glass tanks.
Van Phong Bay: Located 50km north of Nha Trang, Van Phong Bay consists of an 18km long sand dune situated between the mainland and two islets. Tourists can enjoy not only mountainous activities such as hunting and hiking but also water sports such as scuba diving, water skiing, and sailing.           
Dai Lanh Beach: Located next to the border between Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa Provinces, approximately 90km from Nha Trang, the water of Dai Lanh Beach is calm, clear blue water as well as there is soft, white sand; therefore, Dai Lanh Beach offers safe source conditions. A fresh water source runs from the bottom of a mountain through the beach.
Dai Lanh has been listed one of the beautiful landscapes. In 1836, Minh Mang King ordered engravers to chisel Dai Lanh’s landscape picture into one of the Nine Dynastic Urns.
Doc Let Beach: far from Nha Trang 50km to the north, Doc Let is a famous tourist site with its fine, white sand beach and clear seawater. The surrounding landscape of small islands protecting the shore from waves is magnificent. While traveling to Doc Let, tourists can visit to fishing village, Hon Khoi salt field etc.

Festivals:

  • Whale Festival: These festivals are tied to a legend in which Emperor Gia Long was saved by a whale while he was at sea. Every year, there is a celebration in Khanh Hoa in honor of the Whale. The rituals are held in communal houses and during the ceremony; there is ba trao singing and chau performances.
  • Thap Ba Festival: (20th to 23rd of the 3rd lunar month), the Thap Ba Festival is the largest festival in this region organized to commemorate the female genie Po Nagar. The festival is divided into two parts: the Thay Y (clothes changing ceremony) on the 20th, and the Cau Cung (Praying and Worshiping ceremony) on the 23rd. Following the ceremonies, there are many diverse forms of entertainment, including folk dancing.
  • Am Chua Festival (22nd of the 4th lunar month): The Am Chua Festival takes place at Chua Mountain in Dai Dien Village. It is organized to commemorate the genie of Lady Thien Yana, who is worshipped as “the Mother of the Region”.

Local specialties

There are different local specialties in the province such as Ninh Hoa fermented pork roll, swallow’s nest, fish sauce, duck meat from Ninh Hoa District, lobsters from Binh Ba island, seafood, fish noodles and other typical specialties.