Nha Trang generally has a low crime-rate, though the risk of petty crime especially late at night is high compared to most other places in Asia. The most common crime is pickpocketing after midnight near the Sailing Club. During the day, it is relatively safe though bag snatching on the beach is common, so don't take any valuables to the beach. Staying cautious at all times is best. Do not wear too much jewelry, and keep an eye on your belongings. It would be smart to travel in groups when you are out roaming the streets at night. Also, people coming home from the clubs should take a taxi and not a motorbike taxi. Single males walking back to their hotels in the early hours from clubs and bars such as the Sailing Club and Why Not Bar, especially if a little drunk, beware of "ladies of the night" approaching, typically in twos sometimes threes but often with a couple of guys on motorbikes watching closely from a distance ready to be get away drivers or to get involved if things get nasty. They come over all friendly and being all touchy feelly, first checking to see what valuables you have and where, then relief them from you. Often the guy doesn't even know hes been robbed until he gets back to his room or after he wakes up. This is almost becoming a tourist attraction in the sense you can watch this spectacle almost nightly, perhaps helping out a fellow drunken tourist being robbed and unbelievably no police are ever seen and no hotel or bar security ever gets involved either. Something needs to be done to put a stop to this or Nha Trang's tourism will suffer, which it already is.
Do not keep money in your passport. If you want your hotel to look after your money for you, they will usually be happy to do so in their hotel safe and have procedures on how that is done. Passports are kept separate to other valuables as they need access to these for reporting each day your stay to the government. Therefore never store money in your passport. Keep some money in a different pocket to your wallet/money belt. No point displaying them when paying for small purchases.
Motorcycle robbery is fairly common in Nha Trang - banknotes and wallets have been snatched from tourists' hands. Be very wary when leaving bars and nightclubs - male tourists receiving a lot of attention from young Vietnamese women have later discovered that their valuables have been taken from their pockets. If hiring a motorbike, check to see what coverage your insurance company give, often none, for riding motorbikes in Asia.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Nha Trang
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Nha Trang - updated May 2024
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Nha Trang Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
