The first observatory in the country open to the public — right by Hòn Chồng
One of the very few Vietnamese observatories open to visitors
A 3D planetarium — an unusual outing at any age
Saturday and Sunday evenings you look at the real sky through the big telescope
For real stargazing come on a clear Saturday evening (18:00–20:30) and book ahead; a full moon washes out the faint stars, so aim for the new moon.
Few people expect one of Vietnam's first modern observatories open to the public to be sitting in the Hòn Chồng quarter — a white dome housing a half-metre optical telescope, run by the Vietnam National Space Center. By day you can go up into the dome and hear an introduction to astronomy; on weekend evenings there are sessions at the big telescope with the real sky overhead.
The highlight is the planetarium: you lie back under the dome for a 3D film on how the constellations formed — children are transfixed and adults come out having learned something. It is a genuine change of flavour in an itinerary otherwise made of sea and food.
Come to Nha Trang without eating gỏi cá mai and the trip is not complete
One family, one recipe, nearly 50 years. Fish landed that morning, rolled in rice paper and dipped in a secret fish sauce — the same taste since 1977.
