Sightseeing in Nha Trang

The Alexandre Yersin Museum is dedicated to Alexandre Yersin, the bacteriologist, who spent his life in his busy laboratory and researched agricultural methods and meteorological forecasting. Alexandre Yersin’s desk, overflowing library and scientific instruments are all on display.

Po Nagar Towers, built between the 7th and 12th century, were originally dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Po- Nagar but the temples were later surpassed by the Mahayan Buddhist. Today, only four towers remain, each dedicated to a deity – the tallest to Po Nagar, the wife of Shiva, the second to Lord Shiva and the third one to Shiva’s son, Lord Ganesha. Till date, ethnic Chinese and Buddhists come to Po Nagar to pray and make offerings, according to their respective traditions.

The main attraction in Nha Trang is the Buddha, seated behind the Long Son Pagoda on a lotus blossom. The statue of Buddha is about 14m high and is visible from all corners of the town. Around the statue''s base, are fire-ringed relief busts of Thich Quang Duc and six other Buddhist monks who died in self-immolations in 1963.

Nha Trang Cathedral construction began in the late 1920s and was completed in 1934 in the French Gothic style. Sitting on a small hillock just a few clicks west of the town centre overlooking the train station, the Nha Trang Cathedral is an elegant building made of simple cement blocks. The cathedral holds numerous masses read in Vietnamese throughout the day.

The National Oceanographic Museum founded in 1922 is situated in the port district of Cau Da at the far south end of Nha Trang. The museum houses tanks of colourful marine life and 60,000 jars of preserved specimen that make up the collection. There are also old-ship navigation machines, local boats and fishing artifacts along with stuffed birds and sea mammals.