Off-the-BOATIN’-Path Island Hopping in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Sparkling electric blue water. Fishermen floating ever so peacefully in the balmy tropical breeze on their circular fishing “pods”. Coral reefs for as far as your little flippers can take you. Coconuts galore, waiting to be cracked open and slurped up by no one else but you. Yes, YOU. Ahhhhhh. My friends, welcome to the Nha Trang islands: (CUE – watch the video!)

Like most things in life, Nha Trang’s islands are not all created equal. Indeed, some islands are certainly more beautiful than others. And to get to those islands, well, ya’ gotta’ work at it a little bit! But the work involves hopping on a boat, so I promise I won’t make ya’ work too hard on vacay. After doing lots of travel research, cross-referencing with locals and literature, I dedicated my island-hopping adventure to two off-the-“BOATIN'”-path destinations: Hon Mun Island and Diep Son.

Hon Mun Island

Nha Trang is surrounded by close-by islands, so how do you choose which one to go to? Well, Hon Mun is said to have the most crystal clear blue water, with the best coral reefs. I can’t tell you it’s the most beautiful, ’cause I haven’t been to all of them. But I can tell you, by passing its island neighbors by boat, the water at Hon Mun seems incomparable. I mean, the water…it was STUNNING!

How to get there:

It’s easy! Just go to the port in Nha Trang, and tell them you want to book a private boat to Hon Mun (as always, the early bird gets the worm). By booking a private boat with your very own captain (shout out to Captain Hua!), the price is comparable to a group tour, but you can come and go to the island on your own island time. Oh, and you don’t feel like a heard of sheep with Korean and Russian tourists (Nha Trang gets a lot of those) jam-packed like sardines in a boat.

PRICE we paid for 2 people: 800 K ($35 )

Bonus Advice:

• Double check on your google maps that the captain is taking you to the right island. It might sound silly, but because Hon Mun is the farthest island, they might try and stop at a closer island thinking you won’t notice (yes, that actually happens).
• Bring your own goggles/ snorkel gear! They don’t offer it on the island.
• Bring a snack! There is no restaurant on the island. They have snack stands that sell coconuts and other goodies, but they only stay open for a limited time.

Diep Son

The reason I went to Nha Trang was literally for THIS island. Or should I say, these three islands. Diep Son refers to three islands connected by sand paths during low-tide. When it is indeed low tide, you can walk from one island to the next, easy! When it’s high tide…well, ya’ gotta do what I did and swim/trot through the knee-high water to get from one island to the next. Or, be smart and do what I didn’t do… rent a kayak! The setting of the archipelago is just stunning, with calm clear blue water as far as the eye can see, surrounded by mountainous islands in the distance.

Here’s the breakdown of the three islands: The island where the speedboat will drop you off is the “restaurant island” – that’s right, the island with the restaurant. The middle island is just an obstacle to get past…to THE THIRD ISLAND. Now, the third island is where true paradise awaits – tiny bamboo cabanas on stilts, hammocks swaying with the balmy breeze, kayak rentals, a refreshment shack…oh yes…it was totally worth trudging through 1 mile (1.6 km) of knee-high deep water.

How to get there:

Okay, here’s where it gets a bit more complicated. You actually can’t go straight from Nha Trang. You have to get to Van Gia Village, which is about an hour north from Nha Trang. Once in Van Gia, you take a speedboat out to the islands, which takes a zippy 10 minutes. There are two ways you can go about this journey: OPTION 1) RECOMMENDED! For those adventurous spirits out there, rent a motorbike ($5/day) from Nha Trang, and drive it out to Van Gia. The drive is STUNNING, and it’s just downright way more fun (this is what I did). OPTION 2) Okay, if you’re not feeling so ballsy, I get it. There are tours offered from Nha Trang to Diep Son, that will transport you via van to get to the village and take care of all the logistics for you. Just ask your hotel/ hostel for deets and they’ll hook you up. (Did I mentioned I recommend the motorbike route?)

Bonus Advice:

• ACCOMMODATION: If you want to stay the night to maximize you paradisiac experience, you can! Go to the island with the cabanas and ask them for a cabana rental for the night. Here’s the catch… you can’t call or book it in advance. I tried to call the “number” in advance and they hung up on me…sooo ya’ just gotta put caution to the wind and go in person. Oh… anddd there’s no electricity on the island – just you and nature. Who’s feeling adventurous?
• Rent a kayak from the “cabana island”. Ask if the speedboat can drop you off their instead of the restaurant island, which is where they usually drop the crowd off.
• Get to Van Gia port EARLY (no later than 9 am) so you can be sure you won’t miss the boat to the island and you’ll have plenty of chill time on the island before you have to go back (on a quiet day, the last boat returns at 3 PM).

Now…The Catch.

Okay, so there’s a pretty big catch (and I don’t mean the fish!). I was really disappointed to seen TONS of litter on the islands – specifically, on Hon Mun and the middle island of Diep Son (the first and third islands were better taken care of). I mean, parts of these beaches were seriously trashed. Maybe I just went on a bad day, but I want to warn you guys so you know what you’re in for. Unfortunately, it seems to be a common occurrence when going “off-the-beaten-path” in Vietnam. The touristy destinations are well-groomed, but less frequented spots just aren’t cared for. Sad, I know. Is it still worth it? I mean look at these photos…you tell me!

A Wandering Mermaidilla!

So, will the Nha Trang Islands make it to your Vietnam itinerary?!

In Southeast Asia and want more breathtaking tropical islands? Go to Koh Mook!