Vietnam's coastal party city celebrates with beach sports, seafood feasts, boat races, and a nightlife scene that peaks during festival week.
Biennial. Held in even-numbered years, usually June.
The Nha Trang Sea Festival is a five-day celebration of Vietnam's coastal culture, held every two years. The festival fills the 6-kilometre beachfront with activities: traditional boat races, sand sculpture competitions, beach volleyball tournaments, seafood cooking contests, and cultural performances. Evenings bring live music, fireworks, and a night market along Tran Phu Street.
Nha Trang is Vietnam's most popular beach city for domestic tourists, and the sea festival is when it peaks. The 6-kilometre sandy beach is genuinely impressive: warm water, gentle waves, and a skyline of hotels that somehow does not spoil the view. The backpacker scene centres on the streets behind the beach, where hostels, bars, and cheap restaurants cluster.
The nightlife during festival week is Nha Trang at its liveliest. Sailing Club (on the beach) and Skylight Rooftop Bar (atop the Havana Hotel) are the main venues. Beer is astonishingly cheap: 10,000 to 20,000 VND (GBP 0.30 to 0.60) at local bars, roughly double at tourist venues. Street food is equally affordable: banh mi, com tam (broken rice), and bun cha ca (fish cake noodles) for 20,000 to 40,000 VND.
Island hopping is the essential day activity. Boats leave from Nha Trang port to Hon Mun (snorkelling), Hon Tam (beach), and Hon Tre (Vinpearl resort island). A full-day boat tour costs 150,000 to 300,000 VND (GBP 5 to 10) including lunch. The snorkelling at Hon Mun is the best on the Vietnamese coast.
Party hostels within reach of Nha Trang's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Fly from Ho Chi Minh City or take the scenic Reunification Express train (7 hours, coastal views). The airport is 40 minutes south of the city.
Day-by-day breakdown
Formal opening on the beachfront with traditional dance performances. Boat races in the bay from 9am. Beach activities set up along the main strip.
Sand sculpture competition, volleyball tournaments, and cooking contests during the day. Evening night market along Tran Phu Street with seafood stalls and handicrafts.
Closing ceremony with fireworks over the bay from 9pm. Sailing Club and beachfront bars host closing parties. The night market runs until midnight.
Realistic costs per person · Verified March 2026
Prices in GBP. Festival week prices may be higher than standard rates. Prices verified March 2026.
Other festivals and parties in the same region
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.
Getting to Nha Trang Sea Festival from Ho Chi Minh , and Hoi An