Tram Huong Tower Nha Trang

If Nha Trang has one image printed on every leaflet, postcard and tourism sign in the province, it's Tram Huong Tower. It stands in the middle of 2 Thang 4 square, right on Tran Phu street and only a few dozen metres from the beach. Meaning you will almost certainly walk past it at some point.

Its shape draws on a half-opened lotus bud and on agarwood. Khanh Hoa's most famous product, and what the tower is named after. By day the white form stands out against sky and sea; by night it lights up and the square fills with locals out for the cool air, children running about and vendors setting up. That's the hour to come.

Entry is free, and in practice the outside is the part to see: the display space inside opens irregularly, so do not build a plan around it. The tower stands on Tran Phu in the middle of town, walkable from most beachfront hotels, so this is something to fold into an evening rather than to set aside time for.

One thing worth knowing about the light in Nha Trang: the city faces east, so the sun rises out of the sea and does not set into it. Early morning gives the square low light off the water; the evening's appeal comes from the tower's floodlights and from the crowd itself. Locals out for air, children running, hawkers setting up. That is why the hour to come is after dark rather than at sunset.

A few minutes' walk from Trần Phú beach. Also in town: the Stone Church and Long Sơn pagoda.