Red Sun Nha Trang Hotel

Red Sun sits at 96B Tran Phu: 145 rooms over 20 floors, four stars. Every room has a window or balcony facing either the sea or the city, so the categories are largely about which floor and which way.

The beach is about two minutes on foot. Within the same radius are the Louisiane Brewhouse and the Sailing Club: the two beachside eating-and-drinking addresses visitors usually look for, plus the night market. Evenings need no transport.

On-site facilities are compact: a 50 m² pool, a gym, a restaurant covering Asian and Western dishes, a spa and meeting rooms. Fifty square metres is a pool to cool off in rather than swim laps. If the pool is the point of the trip, a Bai Dai resort suits better.

The familiar Tran Phu trade: the beach out front is public, crowded at weekends and worked by hawkers. What you get for it is position. Nearly everything a visitor needs is inside walking distance.

Other places to stay in the Trần Phú strip: An Vista Hotel Nha Trang, Starcity Bayfront Nha Trang, Citadines Bayfront Nha Trang. Trần Phú beach is across the road, and the cafés around here are on the tourist-quarter page.