Vietnam's Information
Nhận một câu hỏi?
The city has, perhaps, changed more visibly than any other in Vietnam over the last few years, with a burgeoning number of high-rise buildings - most commonly hotels and apartments - mushrooming around the compact center and giving it an almost Manhattanesque skyline, especially by night. The dining scene is correspondingly cosmopolitan and increasingly sophisticated, and the city boasts some stylish boutiques and bars. On the other side of the sand, scuba-diving classes and other watersports are available. At the same time, local companies also offer popular day trips to Nha Trang's outlying islands, combining hiking, snorkeling, and an onboard seafood feast. Bear in mind that during the rainy season, around November and December, the sea gets choppy and the beach loses much of its appeal.
Nha Trang's not all sand and sea - there is a small knot of sights near the train station, including the excellent Nha Trang Cathedral and Long Son Pagoda. Closer to the beach is the diverting Yersin Museum, while rising high above the waves and the rest of the city's buildings is the new Skylight.
The stolid, grey-brick Nha Trang Cathedral, built in the 1930s, rises over the sloping cobbled track that winds round to its front doors from Nguyen Trai. This Gothic-style building is one of Vietnam's most passable impressions of a European cathedral; under the lofty, vaulted ceilings, vivid stained-glass windows depict Christ, Mary, Joseph, Joan of Arc, and St Theresa.
The Long Son Pagoda is a 1930s creation whose entrance is marked by stone gateposts topped by lotus buds. An impressive bronze Buddha stands at the head of te altar, and there are the usual capering dragons on the eaves, but it's the huge White Buddha, 180-odd steps up the hillside behind, that's the pagoda's greatest asset - and Nha Trang's most recognizable landmark. It was crafted in 1963 to symbolize the Buddhist struggle against the repressive Diem regime, and around its lotus-shaped pedestal are carved images of the monks and nuns who set fire to themselves in protest, among them Thich Quang Duc. Note that the pagoda has become a popular haunt for beggars, who often use children as part of their ploys - if you do want to give a contribution to the pagoda, pop it in an official collection box.
Budding culture vultures could do worse than track down the Long Thanh Photo Studio, a gallery filled with the monochrome works of Long Thanh, a Nha Trang native and long one of Vietnam's foremost photographers. The man himself is often around to chat, or even share some of the secrets behind his skills.
Another sight worth tracking down in central Nha Trang is the Yersin Museum, dedicated to the famed French scientist. It's stuffed with laboratory equipment, letters, books, and other paraphernalia formerly belonging to Yersin, though it shouldn't take you long to navigate the various exhibition rooms.
One of Nha Trang's top draws, in a most literal sense, is the Skylight building's "Skydeck", an observatory platform that provides truly commanding views over the city to one side, and the ocean on the other - and, from the "Skywalk", straight down 43 levels to the ground, which provides a little thrill. The building is topped with a lighthouse of sorts - not exactly a useful aid to passing mariners, but enough to be claimed as a world record. In the evening, the place morphs into the Rooftop Beach Club.
