Nha Trang

With a population of 300,000, Nha Trang is the closest thing to a European resort centre in Vietnam, but still retains its Vietnamese culture and its small town atmosphere. The city is flanked by nearly ten kilometres of prime beach and benefits from an all-year-round warm climate and an attractive archipelago of offshore islands. Further out in the South China Sea are the Spratly islands, mostly occupied by Vietnam but claimed by several south-east Asian countries including China.

The city is well-served by transport links. Both the railway and Highway 1 runs past, and a new international airport has just opened on the site of a wartime US airstrip at nearby Cam Ranh.

The beach is mostly backed by palms and firs, and a row of restaurants and cafes fronting on to a seafront road that runs the length of the city. Most of Nha Trang's hotels are on the landward side of the road and further back in the city. Notable exceptions are two up-market resort hotels, one a small establishment located on the seaward side of the beach road at its southern extremity, and the other much larger, hidden from view in a secluded bay on the far side of Hon Tre Island.

The sea is Nha Trang's main attraction. Warm and clear for most of the year, with sandy beaches and rocky islands with coral reefs, it has become the most popular destination in Vietnam for scuba diving, snorkelling, water sports and sunbathing. Boat trips around the bay and up the Cai River are also popular.

There's plenty of choice for places to eat – Vietnamese, Asian and international, and prices are good. The Louisiana Café does excellent pastries and has a good swimming pool free for customers. The Italian and Indian restaurants next to the Nha Trang Sailing Club are worth a visit.

All around Nha Trang are references to the Dr. Alexandre Yersin, a Swiss-French microbiologist who lived much of his life in Nha Trang and is famous as the person who first identified the plague bacillus in 1894. The Pasteur Institute he founded is still active, and his library and office on the second floor is a museum.