I have been to Nha Trang before, so I didn’t stop here to explore the city itself but to rent a motorbike to go south on a trip to Cam Ranh and explore an unknown area of Vietnam for foreigners.
My trip was from Nha Trang to Cam Ranh where I stayed for 1 night, but on the way I explored the peninsula that is between both cities. The ride is smooth and easy and traffic isn’t chaos at all. In fact, in the peninsula itself, there isn’t much traffic and the streets are wide and very good, too good for such a low amount of visitors haha.
So, on my way south, I wanted to explore the peninsula and get to know the beautiful spots along the way. – I think this peninsula is named Cam Nghia– The plan didn’t go quite as planned because there was an area that I thought of exploring that didn’t seem to be accessible to the general public.
Bai bien Nhu Tien
I had in mind to visit this beach Bai Bien Nhu Tien during this day motorbike trip to Cam Ranh, but I couldn’t find a way to do so. The GPS was sending me to paths through private resorts like Diamond Bay Resort and Spa. This resort was huge and was occupying all the area that is along the ocean. I honestly didn’t see a way through. It feels like this whole area is private so you might wanna skip this part of Nha Trang, what a shame.
To go from Nha Tang to Cam Ranh I followed the street right next to the ocean and the street is worth a ride! You will come across many different landscapes and views of the ocean. These spots are not marked on the map. Just ride and stop wherever you feel like doing so. Stunning views! The street is hilly, which makes it a scenic motorbike ride. Worth it!
Bai Dai
My next stop along the way to Cam Ranh airport was this very wide beach called Bai Dai, or other names too, as it is too long and the same beach has different names at different ends. I skipped the area closer to Long Beach, but that might be a good area to spend a day at the beach if you are willing to do so. I say it because I stopped closer to Bai Dai and there is nothing there besides huge hotels and resorts. The area seems to be so empty… I don’t know, but this place is filled with massive hotels and I didn’t see much movement in the area. Must be a very quiet getaway.
Therefore, I don’t think this is the spot to stay. There is no shade on the beach and people there are staying at the resorts by the beach. The sea has a nice color though and the beach seems to be quite clean. I didn’t stay long and proceeded on my way to the next beach. Which was a failure too.
This part was closer to Long Beach:
Sa Huynh Beach
Next on my list during this trip to Cam Ranh was this beach called Sa Huynh Beach which seems to be too further out to be crowded and seems to be beautiful so I was excited to explore an unknown spot. I tried to go there through the eastern side road in the Cam Nghia peninsula. I couldn’t…
At some point, I found a resort entry, or whatever that was, with security. Everything here is big and empty… kinda weird honestly…
I stopped by the security and said “Beach”. They obviously didn’t speak any English, but their answer was no.
How come? That is the only road to go further south… I don’t know if I should have asked again, or insisted or used the translator, but once they said no I turned around and went back.
I think I should have insisted because I saw locals passing by the security gate. They couldn’t all work in there, right? What I know is that ahead is a golf course, so I thought maybe this was a private area too. Too bad! I would have to change plans and try to go somewhere else. Not sure if it’s worth a try…
I was honestly getting a bit frustrated with this trip as the only worthy thing I saw was really the views from the road…
Nha Khach Tan Cang
So, I had to redo my plan and try to reach another beach on the Cam Nghia peninsula. There seems to be one in this spot: Nha Khach Tan Cang so I went for it. This motorbike trip to Cam Ranh was absolutely freestyle. I knew nothing about the places and the risk of failing expectations was real. That’s what happens when you travel unexplored: You may come across something stunning, or be disappointed. This whole Cam Nghia trip was disappointing I confess.
On my way to Nha Khach Tan Cang, I came across a beautiful sea view near Cam Ranh Airport and Nguyen Chi Thanh Bridge. This time I was using the western side street of the peninsula. It passes just by the airport which poses a nice view of landing airplanes right there next to you. That was cool. And an abandoned palace that looked awesome in the landscape. By Nguyen Chi Thanh Bridge, I had to turn left to go further south. Again a stop with security personnel but these ones have a uniform that resembles something from the marine.
I stopped to ask if I could go and I heard a prompt “No”. What? Again? What is wrong with this area? Is this peninsula all interdict or what? This time I insisted, I showed the map where I wanted to go, they didn’t speak English too but the answer and a very convict “No” all the time, so I had no other solution than to accept it. What a failure. This whole peninsula which seemed to be a great discovery ended up being the biggest disappointment. I’m not sure if I was unlucky or if it is inaccessible just to foreigners, I can’t tell. From my experience, this place is a no. Don’t waste your time trying to explore it unless you speak Vietnamese.
Well, I had planned to spend my day on the way to Cam Ranh exploring Cam Nghia, and all this collection of “No’s” ended up in a new plan. It was still very early because seeing this area didn’t take as long as I was expecting because I couldn’t go anywhere.
After this, I went to the hotel I had booked in Cam Ranh to try to check in, but it was too early. Haha oh my. Ok let’s go to the place I was very expectant about: Cam Lap, and this one didn’t disappoint a single bit, worth all the unworthy hours in the peninsula between Nha Trang and Cam Ranh.
