Nha Trang - Land of peace and opportunities

From a deserted fishing village in the early twentieth century, Nha Trang has become a major tourist center of Vietnam with hundreds of 4 to 5-star hotels and resorts. Many overseas Vietnamese in Eastern Europe have returned to invest in tourism in the coastal city since the 2000s.

From a deserted land

 Khanh Hoa Province has had 370 years of construction and development and Khai Dinh King founded Nha Trang City nearly one century ago on April 30, 1924. At that time, Nha Trang had 4 villages, namely Xuong Huan, Phuong Cau, Van Thanh and Phuong Sai.

Nha Trang used to be deserted. The oldest photo of Nha Trang was maybe taken by Dr. Yersin in 1894, featuring a deserted beach, sparse houses and a few boats anchored. The photo of Con Hamlet in 1902 with few roofs and on the other side of Cu Huan Estuary is La San Hill.

In the following years, the French began to leave their mark with such constructions as Nha Trang Post Office (photo taken in 1920), Nha Trang Hospital (1920), Nha Trang Railway Station (1932), Beau Rivage Hotel (1942) and so on.

A corner of Nha Trang.

 In Quach Tan's book “The Land of Aloe Wood”, Nha Trang used to be very deserted. "There are no houses in Ma Vong area. Phuoc Hai area is also deserted. Houses are sparse. A large part of the area is covered with apricot forest”.

During the years of resistance against the French colonialism and American Imperialism, in spite of few changes, the urban center was still just around Dam Market. There were almost no high-rise buildings. The Xom Moi  - Phuoc Hai area behind the Nui Mount was still a wasteland with some cottages; The road connecting Dien Khanh with Nha Trang was very small with scattered houses hidden rice fields on the two sides of the road.

... to become a modern tourist city

In 1977, Nha Trang Town was upgraded into a city with a population of 210,000. Along with the renovation, Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa experienced remarkable development. Today, Nha Trang has grown to become a famous tourist city with hundreds of 4-5 star hotels and resorts, attracting millions of tourists per year. The Investment in tourism of Vietnamese business from Eastern Europe have contributed much to the local development.

Vinpearl Tourist Site on Tre Islamd.

The story began with Vingroup, formerly known as Technocom, decided to invest in Vietnam in tourism and resorts. Stepping foot on Hon Tre Island, Nha Trang, billionaire Pham Phat Vuong and architecture Claude Cuvelier had the same idea to turn this place to become a tourist attraction in Nha Trang. After 18 months of construction, in 2003, Vinpearl opened a 5-star; resort with 500 rooms and become a top tourist destination in the coastal city. From the success in Nha Trang, Vingroup has expanded the Vinpearl to many regions across the country to become a leading tourist trademark in Vietnam.

Since then, Nha Trang has been known as the Land of peace and opportunities, attracting more and more investors and several famous resorts have come into being such as MerPerle Hon Tam, Amiana, Champa Island, Ana Marina, etc. and Vega City, which is coming soon. The World’s leading hotels, namely Novotel and Sheraton, have also appeared in the beach city.

The wave of investment in Nha Trang has been recorded with many Vietnamese investors from The Eastern Europe. Le Xuan Thom, Director of Hai Dang Company, Ltd. said, “Returning to Vietnam in 2008, I spent 21 days traveling across the country, Da Nang, Phan Thiet, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, etc. Finally, I found Nha Trang was a suitable place to invest in as it has a favorable weather condition all year round. To stay and invest in Nha Trang is the right decision.”

In the “Mes Trois Ans d’Annam” book published in 1910, Gabrielle Maude Candler Vassal, who used to stay in Nha Trang 1904-1907, mentioned Nha Trang as a beautiful land but quite town with few accommodations for visitors. Over 1 century has gone and Nha Trang has become an international tourist destination and the city is becoming more and more beautiful.

T.N

Translated by N.T