Buzz
Azure Seas, White Sands, Golden Sun – Indeed, these are the priceless gifts bestowed upon the central region of the country by nature, among which Cam Ranh stands out. The distinct allure of this land is hard to pinpoint, but it can be described as a blend of the bustling urban noise and the serene simplicity of the countryside by the sea.
With picturesque beaches and pristine islands, Cam Ranh possesses an understated charm that is truly remarkable! This charm captivates travelers, allowing them to immerse themselves in the beauty of this place effortlessly, only to realize upon departure a lingering sense of reluctance to leave. In Cam Ranh, besides enjoying the crystal-clear sea, you can also venture to nearby attractions such as Vinh Hy Bay, vineyards, sheep fields,… to enhance the excitement of your journey.
Cam Ranh and a glimpse of the city with refreshing sea views
1. Characteristic Landscapes and Climate
Situated in the central coastal region of the country, within Khanh Hoa province, Cam Ranh is a naturally stunning coastal bay area with bustling seaports and ships. Perhaps that's why Cam Ranh possesses both the serene beauty of the natural sea and the vibrant activity of bustling life. The characteristic landscape of Cam Ranh is its long stretches of beaches with smooth white sand. The color of the sea here is a pale blue, reflecting the sky's hue. The clear water allows you to see the seabed, while the waves are gentle and moderate. With these factors, Bai Dai in Cam Ranh always ranks among the top most beautiful beaches in Vietnam. I think, if given the chance, I'd happily spend an entire day gazing at Bai Dai beach with a few sweet coconuts, as the tranquility here is just too peaceful.
Bai Dai with its smooth white sand and crystal-clear blue water, gentle rolling waves
Cam Ranh's climate is relatively mild, with two distinct seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. The rainy season typically occurs from around September to December. If you're planning a trip to Cam Ranh, it's best to visit between March and August, during the dry season when the weather is pleasant and the skies are clear. Cam Ranh is particularly famous for its charming untouched small islands. To conveniently visit these islands, you should also consider going during the dry season. If you want to avoid the crowds during the peak summer months like May, June, and July, you can go earlier in April or later in August to dodge the crowds. During our trip, my family visited Cam Ranh at the end of August and enjoyed 4 days and 3 nights of 'super adorable' weather: sunny but not too harsh, cool sea breeze, clear blue skies,...
The sea looks stunning like scenes from tourism commercials
Pose freely with the sea
Just standing still in front of the sea yields beautiful photos
2. How to Get to Cam Ranh
From Hanoi, the quickest and most convenient way is to fly directly to Cam Ranh (landing at Cam Ranh Airport). The flight time from Hanoi to Cam Ranh is about 2 hours. If you're flying from Ho Chi Minh City, it's even shorter, only about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can choose to travel by road or rail.
I always prioritize the fastest way to start enjoying my trip, especially because I have a 4-year-old with me, so I opt for the airplane for convenience. A little note, you should consider carefully if choosing a budget airline because I've seen many families at the airport getting frustrated and annoyed due to frequent flight delays.
From Cam Ranh Airport, you can take a taxi to your accommodation. My family prefers using the airport shuttle service provided by the resort, which is very convenient. Just remember to inform the resort in advance to arrange the shuttle at the right time. Most resorts and hotels here offer complimentary airport shuttle services.
3. Accommodation and Transportation
In recent years, with the development of many resort projects, you can easily find and choose resorts/hotels in Cam Ranh with various prices. The beauty of Cam Ranh lies in the fact that, during this period, the resort areas have not spread out as densely as in Nha Trang, so you can enjoy tranquility or liveliness as you wish. Typically, people choose to stay and travel in Nha Trang because it's extremely famous as the top attractive destination in Vietnam, even in the region. Therefore, Cam Ranh is just as beautiful and serene as that, but a bit quieter and suitable for families who want to enjoy a place that's not too bustling and lively.
1 corner from the super spacious pool of Selectum Noa Resort
Resorts in Cam Ranh are built close to the beach to utilize the natural beach as part of the resort, aiming to provide the best experiences for tourists where you can reach the beach with just a few steps. Especially, most resorts here integrate an 'All-in-one' concept - meaning you can have everything at one place: 3 meals plus 1 snack, unlimited drinks, water park, swimming pool, private beach,... You can check out many resorts on Mytour! Prices of resorts and hotels can range from 1,500,000 VND/night depending on room category and services.
After considering multiple factors such as services, landscapes, design, and amenities, I chose Selectum Noa Resort because of its criteria: brand new, tidy modern rooms, spacious sea view, stunning pool, luxurious water park, indoor play area with plenty of toys for children, and spacious,... The cost at Selectum Noa Resort when I booked with a breakfast buffet package was 1,800,000 VND/night, and if you opt for 3 main meals and 1 snack with unlimited drinks, it's around 2,800,000 VND/night.
An overview of the hotel pool area at Selectum Noa Resort
The private beach at the resort is adorned with several charmingly decorated small boats
Honestly, you can spend the whole day just chilling at the resort because besides the long stretch of beach, every corner of the resort is perfect for Instagram-worthy shots. In the restaurant area, there's even a romantic table set up right on the beach with flowing curtains and twinkling candles, creating an incredibly romantic atmosphere.
A romantic scene by the seaside at the resort
Especially, since Selectum Noa Resort is right next to Bai Dai, we had a wonderful morning watching the sunrise over the sea. Just a short walk to the beach while it was still dimly lit, we witnessed the sun slowly rising above the distant horizon, casting streaks of golden light that gradually spread across the vast sky, marking the beginning of a brand new day! Don't miss out on this priceless moment by staying in bed for a few extra minutes! Besides the refreshing feeling of being physically and mentally awakened, you'll also capture breathtaking sunrise photos!
The enchanting 'love by the beach' photo captured by our 4-year-old kiddo
As for transportation, we opted to rent a motorbike for the flexibility to explore the city at our own pace. The rental price for a motorbike ranges from 200,000 to 250,000 VND per day (fuel is self-refilled according to needs). All resorts offer motorbike rental services. If you're traveling with a larger group, you can consider sharing a taxi.
4. Experience the Binh Hung Island - Grape Garden - Dong Cuu Sheep Farm - Vinh Hy Bay tour
The highlight of our family's trip this time was the incredibly 'awesome' and memorable tour to Binh Hung Island - Grape Garden - Sheep Farm - Vinh Hy Bay. Honestly, at first, I wasn't very excited about visiting the grape garden and sheep farm, but if you have spare time, you should definitely experience it because it's quite enjoyable, especially for families with young children!
You can definitely travel to these places by renting a motorbike, but for convenience and to make the most of our time, our family chose to use tour services. You can search online and check review groups to choose a suitable tour company. According to a friend's recommendation, we chose Móm Tour - the owners are very enthusiastic locals and the food included in the package is guaranteed to be delicious. According to the tour itinerary, I will record detailed experiences at each location! The tour price we booked was 950,000 VND per adult (including seafood lunch), children under 6 years old are free, and groups of fewer than 4 people incur an additional fee of 200,000 VND.
The boat dock to board the canoe to the island
Binh Hung Island
Binh Hung is a small island among many islands in Cam Ranh. In the morning, the tour car picked us up from the resort around 8 a.m., so we still had time to wake up to watch the sunrise and have a hearty breakfast. From the boat dock, we took a canoe to the floating house on the sea about 1km from the mainland. Here, we changed into swimwear to prepare for the beach. The beach we visited on the tour is called Casuarina Beach. There are also other beaches like King Beach, Freshwater Beach. If you like to take 'chill' photos with maxi dresses or elegant outfits, remember to wear your swimsuit inside and the dress outside (so that after taking photos, you can take off your clothes and immerse yourself in the cool seawater, as there is no place to change clothes at the beach). After changing clothes, the canoe took us from the floating house to the island (only about 3 minutes by canoe). The small and beautiful beach with smooth white sand, but the special thing about Casuarina Beach is that half of the sandy beach is covered with white dry coral, which looks quite unique and beautiful. The warm sun makes the sea water not too cold, and the island breeze is pleasantly cool.
Panorama of Casuarina Beach
Just standing in front of the sea, you automatically have a beautiful photo
A family photo in striking red uniforms against the backdrop of the sea
My little one striking a pose with the dreamy beach background
Here, just sitting on the beach, you feel happy already! The open space, surrounded by clear emerald water, along with the surrounding mountains, makes this beach incredibly romantic. Not only can you enjoy the scenery and swim in the sea, but the Móm tour also prepares a SUP for you to paddle around the beach and take 'cool' photos. Additionally, there are some props set up on the beach for you to pose with.
Paddling SUP at Casuarina Beach like a boss
Seizing the moment to take a 'chill chill' photo with the props provided by the tour
After our beach time, we'll be picked up by canoe and taken back to the base for some rest and lunch. The lunch, featuring a variety of seafood served in a set menu according to the number of people registered, is absolutely delightful! The food is fresh, prepared on the spot, and oh-so-delicious! I particularly enjoyed the lobster. Despite our best efforts, we couldn't finish the seafood congee in the set.
A satisfying and delicious lunch on the base
The view from the base is amazing, enjoying the cool sea breeze while having lunch
The vineyard in Ninh Thuan
After having lunch at the base on Binh Hung Island, we rested for a while on the base before the canoe took us back to the mainland pier. From there, we got back on the car to head to the vineyard in Ninh Thuan. Initially, I thought a vineyard would just have grapes and nothing much else exciting. And just as I predicted, indeed, it's a sea of grapes, grapes everywhere you look! But what I underestimated was how remarkable it could be. The vineyard is a series of grapevines with lush bunches of grapes hanging all around.
Grapevines with lush hanging bunches of grapes
Upon entering the vineyard, you're treated to a refreshing glass of grape juice on ice by the vineyard owner. Just one sip and you feel the cool sweetness spreading through every cell of your body. Here, you can leisurely stroll around and admire the grapes all over the vineyard. The grapevines are relatively low, so you feel like the grape bunches are dangling right above your head, and with just a reach, you can touch the juicy grapes. Remember, though, only admire them; don't pick them without permission! But if you want to pick grapes, you can borrow a woven basket and scissors from the vineyard owner to choose and cut your preferred bunch of grapes (you'll be charged based on the weight of what you pick). My little one was ecstatic exploring the vineyard, laughing gleefully while carrying the basket to pick grapes. Sitting under the grapevines, looking up at the ripe purple bunches intertwined with green ones, the grape leaves providing shade from the sun, was incredibly pleasant. This is also a perfect spot for capturing photos to show off the beautiful vineyard with friends.
My little one delightedly admiring the juicy grape bunches
After admiring the grapes, it's time to harvest them!
Striking a pose in the vineyard
Suoi Tien Sheep Field
Suoi Tien Sheep Field is the name of the attraction near the vineyard. After the vineyard visit, my family moved on by car to reach the nearby sheep field. Essentially, it's like a fun park, and the sheep field is a quite spacious grassy area with a flock of sheep grazing freely. The sheep here are very gentle, friendly (probably used to being models every day), though their fur isn't very white. Some sheep are lying leisurely in small groups, some are munching on grass, and some are strolling around the field. My little one loves animals, so upon seeing the sheep, they immediately ran over to make friends and curiously admired them. There are even some tiny lambs as big as a poodle wandering around and nibbling on grass. My child could sit close by, comfortably petting the heads of the little lambs.
Plenty of cuddles with adorable little lambs
Transform into any shepherd girl you like
However, you must be extremely careful not to step into the sheep's 'mines' on the grassy field! The sheep field resembles a miniature grassland. Watching the sheep stroll around, lounging with their eyes half-closed, or leisurely grazing on grass makes you slow down a bit to appreciate the tranquility and simplicity of life.
Vinh Hy Bay
On the way back from Suoi Tien Sheep Field to the resort, we stopped for a moment to admire the panoramic view of Vinh Hy Bay. Standing high, casting our eyes far and wide, we fully appreciate the majestic and awe-inspiring beauty of nature. The vast expanse of blue sea merging with the sky, embraced by towering mountains with bustling boats navigating through the bay, creates a truly magnificent scene. It's only when you pause here for about ten minutes that you realize the unforgettable beauty of this place. I think, in the future, if given the chance, I will spend more time exploring and visiting Vinh Hy Bay because I'm truly captivated by the enchanting beauty of this bay.
A snapshot with a 'million-dollar view' capturing the entirety of Vinh Hy Bay
At the end of the day, the car takes us back to the resort, concluding a day filled with countless amazing experiences.
5. Tips for a complete journey
Our Cam Ranh trip concluded with plenty of joy. Both I and my little one had new and delightful experiences, and the best part was that our family had genuinely relaxing and happy moments. Perhaps standing by the sea, all the waves would wash away the everyday stress and bring each of us a refreshing and peaceful state of mind to enjoy the finest things in life!
Author: Pham Thu Huyen
*This article participates in the Mytour Golocal program
Mytour Golocal is a blog-writing program introducing beautiful destinations across Vietnam, under the framework of the Mytour Go & Share program. This is a wonderful opportunity to promote local tourism to everyone. For each qualified article, you will receive 800,000 VND and a chance to become a Collaborator with Mytour. For more information about the program, please visit: https://trv.lk/golocal
