Nha Trang Guide
← Sport

5 hill walks around Nha Trang

Rating: 4.4 / 5 — Our own score, not an average of guest reviews

Our own score, not an average of guest reviews

Two real climbs, one summit you can drive to, and a zipline park: and which needs a 5am start

North of the city

Reference photo

Reference photo

Reference photo

Reference photo

Reference photo

Address
Cô Tiên and Cô Lý to the north, Hoàng Ngưu Sơn and Hòn Chín Khúc to the south, Kong Forest 25 km out in Cam Lâm
Opening hours
Cô Lý opens at 04:00; on the others, start before 06:00 or after 15:30
Price range
Free
Best time to go
Before six in the morning. The slopes have no shade, and dawn on the ridge is the point

Overview

Nha Trang has hills on three sides, but there are fewer real climbs than the phrase "hiking in Nha Trang" suggests. Of the five below, two are proper treks: Hoàng Ngưu Sơn to the south and Núi Cô Tiên to the north, one is a short climb, Cô Lý above the Đường Đệ district, one has a paved road to the top, Hòn Chín Khúc, and one is an adventure park rather than a mountain: Kong Forest. Knowing the difference stops anyone turning up in the wrong shoes.

Núi Cô Tiên is the best-known of the five here and the finest of them: a long ridge north of the city, a flagpole at the top, and a view down the whole bay with the beachfront towers along it. The path is clear and needs no guide, but it is steep and has almost no shade for most of the way, which means an early start. It has its own page under attractions with fuller notes on what to bring.

Hoàng Ngưu Sơn in the south is less walked and the better choice once you have done Cô Tiên: a path through low scrub to a summit marked by a metal survey marker set into the rock. Proof this is a real peak rather than a bluff. From there you see both Nha Trang bay and the valley behind, and on a clear day the Cam Lâm ranges. There is nowhere to buy water on the way; carry it all up.

Cô Lý, off Ngô Văn Sở in the Đường Đệ district, is the shortest climb and people do it at the oddest hour: Maps lists it as open from 4am, because this is where you go up for the city lights before dawn and are back in time for breakfast. There is a small drinks stall at the foot. The only one of the five where you can buy water at the trailhead. The climb is short but bare rock, so wear something with grip.

The last two need stating plainly so nobody packs wrongly. Hòn Chín Khúc to the south has a paved road all the way up, switchbacks marked and all, and at the top is a temple complex with a gilded nine-tier pagoda, a bell pavilion and a terrace over the whole city. You can walk that road if you want, but with older relatives or small children, drive. Kong Forest at Km19 on the Hòn Bà road is an adventure park. Zipline, ATVs, river tubing. Out at Suối Dầu in Cam Lâm, some 25 km from Nha Trang, and it sells tickets rather than offering a route.

Three things for all five. Start before six in the morning or after 15:30. In the middle of the day the slopes are bare and there is no shelter. Carry twice the water you think you need, because only Cô Lý has a stall at the bottom. And do not go alone the first time on Hoàng Ngưu Sơn or Cô Tiên: the paths branch, phone signal drops in places, and in the October-to-December rains the rock is slick.

In the same family: gyms and pools for wet days, plus football pitches, badminton, pickleball and golf.

Some shops, with addresses

  • Núi Cô Tiên

    Open map →

    The ridge north of the city, approached from Pham Van Dong, northern Nha Trang

    4.8★ Google · 201 reviews

    The northern ridge, approached from the Phạm Văn Đồng side. The city's best-known trek and its best view: a flagpole at the top, the whole bay and its towers below, and Hòn Chồng and the river mouth behind you. Walkers before you have left cairns along the ridge, and dawn up there is why people set out at four or five in the morning. The path is clear and needs no guide, but it is steep and unshaded. It has its own page with fuller preparation notes.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

  • Hoàng Ngưu Sơn

    Open map →

    Southern Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa — approached from the Phuoc Dong side

    Call 0989 802 543
    4.8★ Google · 72 reviews

    A peak south of the city, less walked than Cô Tiên and the better choice once you have done it. The path runs through low scrub and elephant grass to a summit set with a metal survey marker. Proof it is a real top. From there you see Nha Trang bay, the valley behind and, on a clear day, the Cam Lâm ranges. No stall on the way and no shelter; carry water and start early. A small outfit runs guided walks here, and the number above is the contact Maps lists.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

  • Núi Cô Lý

    Open map →

    Ngo Van So street, Duong De, northern Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa

    Call 0935 403 521
    4.3★ Google · 26 reviewsOpen 4:00 – 21:30

    Ngô Văn Sở in Đường Đệ, and Maps lists it as open from 4am. A figure that tells you exactly how this hill is used: up before dawn for the city still lit, and down in time for breakfast. The shortest of the five, but steep and bare rock, so wear grip. There is a small drinks stall at the bottom, the only trailhead on this page where you can buy water. The top looks down on Đường Đệ, the bay and the beachfront blocks.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

  • Hòn Chín Khúc

    Open map →

    Southern Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa — the road up from Phuoc Dong

    4.5★ Google · 54 reviews

    Said first so nobody packs wrongly: there is a paved road to the top. Switchbacks marked and all, and both cars and bikes go up. At the summit sits a newish temple complex: a gilded nine-tier pagoda, a red timber bell pavilion, and a stone terrace over the whole city out to the islands. Being drivable makes it the right choice with older relatives or small children, and the one to switch to in the rains when the rock on the two real treks turns slick. You can still walk the road if you want the climb.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

  • Kong Forest

    Open map →

    Km19 Hòn Bà road, Suối Dầu commune (formerly Suối Cát), Khánh Hoà

    Call 0972 849 768
    4.5★ Google · 751 reviewsOpen 8:00 – 17:00

    This is not a walk but a ticketed adventure park. Ziplines over the stream, ATV trails, tubing down the water, rope bridges and boardwalks through forest. It sits at Km19 on the Hòn Bà road in Suối Dầu, Cam Lâm, about 25 km from central Nha Trang, so it is a full day out with transport. It is on this page because searches for hiking in Nha Trang lead here anyway, and because for a family with older children it suits better than a bare ridge. Ring ahead for what is running and what it costs.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

Addresses come from each shop's own Google Maps listing, and the Open map button opens that shop's pin rather than running a search. 18 shops on the site have no listing we could confirm, so they have no button: the address lookup returned a different business, and a button that points at the wrong place is worse than none. A Google score appears only when Maps carries both the score and the number of reviews — a bare average cannot be weighed, so this page leaves it out. Street-food stalls change hours and close without telling anyone; call ahead if you are travelling across town.

Before you book

  • Hoàng Ngưu Sơn has a survey marker at the top, over both bay and valley
  • Cô Lý opens at 4am, a short climb for the city lights before dawn
  • Hòn Chín Khúc has a paved road to the summit. No climbing needed
  • Only Cô Lý has a stall at the trailhead; on the others, carry your own water

Practical tips

  • Start before 06:00 or after 15:30, the slopes are bare, with no shelter
  • Carry twice the water you think you need
  • Go in pairs the first time: the paths branch and signal drops
  • In the October–December rains the rock is slick; drive Hòn Chín Khúc instead

Frequently asked

Do the Nha Trang hill walks need a guide?

Not required: the paths up Cô Tiên and Hoàng Ngưu Sơn are well trodden and clear. But go in at least a pair the first time, because they branch and phone signal drops in places.

Which summit can I reach without climbing?

Hòn Chín Khúc to the south has a paved road right to the top, where a temple complex with a nine-tier pagoda looks out over the city. It is the one to choose with older relatives or small children.

What time should we set out?

Before six in the morning, or after 15:30. The slopes around Nha Trang have almost no shade, so the middle of the day is both hard and unsafe. Cô Lý is listed as open from 4am, because people go up for the city lights before dawn.

This page also appears in

More in this category