Nha Trang Island Hopping: Choosing a Boat, a Route and a Budget

Nha Trang Bay, off the coast of Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam, holds 19 islands. The biggest, Hon Tre (Hòn Tre), covers 32.5 square kilometers and sits right in front of the city. A day on a boat, a swim off a couple of island beaches and lunch on a floating raft is the part of the trip many visitors set aside a full day for.

Booking a Nha Trang island hopping day goes more smoothly in steps: tour type, route, boat, price, then the date. Changes to dive sites and to which islands may receive visitors have a direct effect on where boats can go. Hon Mun is still closed to diving, and Binh Ba and Binh Hung no longer take tourists at all.

The four kinds of Nha Trang island hopping tours #

There are four main options. The most common is the shared four-island tour on a wooden boat. It is usually the most affordable choice and the easiest to book on a first trip.

Then there is the three-island speedboat version, with fewer stops and more time actually in the water. Snorkeling and diving trips, shared or private, leave early and focus on one of the bay's permitted dive zones. Groups can also charter a private boat and choose their own stops.

VinWonders on Hon Tre is not part of any Nha Trang island hopping tour. You get there separately on a 3,320-meter cross-sea cable car, and the round trip is included in the park ticket; more in our guide to things to do in Nha Trang. If you are not sure which island suits you, the island personality quiz is a quick way to narrow it down before you book.

Choosing a route: where the four-island tour goes #

The four-island route, the classic Nha Trang island hopping loop, stops at Bai Tranh (Bãi Tranh) beach, a floating fishing village, Bai Soi (Bãi Sỏi) beach and the Tri Nguyen aquarium on Hon Mieu island. Mornings are for swimming at Bai Tranh, lunch is seafood on a raft, early afternoon is beach time at Bai Soi, and the aquarium comes last if your ticket includes it.

On the way out, boats usually cruise past the Hon Mun marine protected area so everyone can see the island from the water. When you compare tours, read the list of stops closely: some include all four, while others drop the aquarium to keep the price down.

Snorkeling routes: where you can dive, and what happened at Hon Mun #

Since June 13, 2024, the province has piloted reef snorkeling and diving in four zones: north of Hon Rua island, the artificial reef area off Vinh Hoa, northeast of Tri Nguyen island, and the water between Bai Tranh and Bai Soi. Hon Mun is not on the list.

Hon Mun (Hòn Mun) has been closed to swimming and diving since June 2022, after its reefs declined sharply, partly bleached and partly damaged by storms. The coral is coming back: surveys from late 2022 to March 2023 found live coral cover of about 74.5 percent, rated "good", on the north and southwest reefs.

Recovering is not the same as reopened. The city proposed reopening Hon Mun dive sites in August 2023, and the province did not approve it. As of mid-2025 there had been no official announcement allowing diving there again.

Photo: Nguyen Hung Vu · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

When you book a snorkeling or dive trip, ask a few specific questions: whether the operator is licensed, which of the four pilot zones you will use, what sea conditions lead to a cancellation, and what equipment is provided, from life jackets and masks to a guide in the water with you.

A private route: the Diep Son sandbar #

For a change from classic Nha Trang island hopping, head to Diep Son (Điệp Sơn) in the Van Ninh area, in the north of Khanh Hoa Province. It is known for a sandbar about 800 meters long that links three islets and only surfaces when the tide goes out.

You drive to Van Gia wharf and take a local boat, usually as a private day trip. Everything depends on the tide: at high water the path is under the sea. Ask the boat operator for the tide times on your exact date rather than relying on an old timetable online.

Routes no longer sold: Binh Ba and Binh Hung #

If anyone offers you a trip to Binh Ba (Bình Ba), the "lobster island", or to Binh Hung, it is best to pass. In September 2025, Vietnam's Prime Minister issued security regulations for the Cam Ranh military base, under which the Mui Hoi area, Binh Ba Island and Hon Chut (Binh Hung) may not host tourism in any form.

On June 4, 2026, the provincial tourism department ordered businesses to stop advertising, brokering or operating tours to those sites, and online ads for them are being taken down. Taking foreign visitors to Binh Hung was already banned before that, because the island sits in a key defense zone.

Photo: Violetbonmua · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tours still selling these islands are operating illegally. Before you pay for any boat trip, ask whether the operator holds a travel license and whether guests are covered by insurance. The bay itself has plenty of islands that are open to visitors.

Choosing a boat: wooden boat, speedboat or private charter #

Most Nha Trang island hopping trips use either a wooden boat or a speedboat. Wooden boats are slower, fit all four stops into the day and cost less. Speedboats are quicker and usually make fewer stops, leaving more time to swim. With small kids, a morning departure while the sea is calm is a good choice.

Shared tour or private boat is usually the first thing a group needs to agree on. Each suits a different kind of trip:

Nha Trang island hopping prices: what is and is not included #

A shared four-island tour costs VND500,000-950,000 per person (reference prices, September 2026). The gap comes down to the boat, since wooden boats are cheaper than speedboats, and to whether the aquarium ticket is bundled in.

That price normally covers hotel transfers both ways, the boat, a guide and lunch. Water sports are extra: jet skis, parasailing and tank dives are all charged on the spot, so ask the price before you climb on anything.

A tour priced well below the rest is not necessarily a bad one. Before booking, we usually ask whether the price includes island entry, lunch, life jackets, beach loungers and water activities. For whole-trip budgets, see our Nha Trang travel guide.

Picking a date: calm-sea months and the forecast #

The best window for Nha Trang island hopping is usually February through August, when rain is light and the sea is calmer; dive operators also tend to recommend these months for clearer water. From October to December, heavy rain and spells of big waves can postpone tours. Our best time to visit Nha Trang guide has a full 12-month climate table.

We once got all the way to the pier only to learn the waves were too big and no boats were leaving. So a day or two before your trip, check the is the sea nice today tool on the Review Nha Trang homepage, and ask the operator how date changes or refunds work if the boat cannot sail.

If your dates are flexible, pick a weekday. Island beaches tend to be busier on weekends.

A day on the boat: the four-island schedule #

Local operators run very similar schedules. A minibus collects you downtown between 8:15 and 9:00 am and drops you at Cau Da (Cầu Đá) tourist port, south of the center next to the Institute of Oceanography. From there, the boat heads straight out into the bay.

If you are prone to seasickness, ask a pharmacist about motion-sickness tablets and take them before boarding as directed. Bring a hat, water and reef-safe sunscreen, and put the sunscreen on before you get in, because the midday sun on the water is strong.

Lunch on the raft is usually a set group meal. If you want a long seafood dinner, save it for the evening in town with our what to eat in Nha Trang guide. Boats are back around 4 pm, early enough to walk next door to the Institute of Oceanography (VND40,000 for adults).

Photo: Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Staying safe on a Nha Trang island hopping day #

The bay has eight designated safe swimming areas with buoys and lifeguards. In just six days of February 2026, 20 swimmers got into trouble, mainly because of rip currents pulling them away from shore.

Wear the life jacket, stay inside the buoyed zones and keep an eye on the beach flags. When you board, check that there are enough life jackets for everyone, and ask the guide where swimming is allowed at each stop.

In July and August 2026, stinging jellyfish swarmed parts of the bay around Hon Mun and Hon Bac, causing burns, blisters and, in bad cases, breathing trouble. If you are stung, get ashore and find the lifeguard right away rather than trying folk remedies.

Nha Trang island hopping FAQ #