TTC Van Phong Bay Resort Nha Trang

TTC Van Phong Bay is at Doc Let, some 50 km north of central Nha Trang. What you get for that distance is a pairing no resort near the city offers at once: the largest water park in the area, and a small zoo inside the grounds. Rabbits, birds and a few other animals for children to see up close.

Doc Let's beach is the built-in advantage: a gentle shelf and clear water, so you can wade a long way and still be waist-deep. The resort has its own stretch of it, wide grounds, pools and play areas, and a breakfast spread with real variety. This is for families with young children on a two- or three-night stay, not a base for seeing Nha Trang.

The distance has to be accepted up front: 50 km north, about an hour and a quarter each way. This is not a base for seeing Nha Trang. It is its own destination, for two or three nights. In exchange, Monkey Island and Ninh Hoa lie the same way, so they fold into the drive.

The built-in advantage is Doc Let beach itself: fine white sand shelving a long way out, so you can wade tens of metres and still be waist-deep. Far less worrying with small children than a steep beach. Add the water park and the small zoo inside the grounds. Rates across Bai Dai swing with the domestic calendar: Tet, the 30 April–1 May holiday and the June-to-August school break are dearest and fill earliest, while October to December is wet and cheapest.

Other places to stay in Ninh Hoà and Vạn Ninh: Pax Ana Doc Let Resort & Spa, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. The beach here is Dốc Lết, and Ninh Hoà is where the nem comes from.