Six pages covering the things that go wrong: arriving, entering the country, picking the month, paying for things, getting online and staying out of trouble in the water.
Widely described as the finest deep-water shelter in Southeast Asia. A narrow entrance opens into a wide, deep bay sheltered by islands and mountain ranges up to 400 m high, giving near-complete natural protection from weather and swell. The continental shelf is narrow here, bringing deep ocean close to shore.
Area km 2
140
Area km 2 Note
vietnam.vn reports nearly 14,000 ha (about 140 km²); another source (unisco.com) states 60 km². Sources conflict - the larger figure likely includes the outer bay.
Length (km)
32
Width (km)
over 3
Depth M
18-30 (average, per secondary source); can berth warships of up to 10,000 tonnes
Location
Khanh Hoa province, south-central coast of Vietnam, about 290 km (180 miles) northeast of Ho Chi Minh City
Cam Ranh Status
Former Status
Provincial city (Class III) of Khanh Hoa, established as a city on 23 December 2010; second-largest urban centre in the province after Nha Trang
Area km 2
316
Population
134,100
Population Year
2024
Population 2019
138,510
Current Status
Since 1 July 2025 Cam Ranh city no longer exists as an administrative unit. Under Vietnam's two-tier reform it was reorganised into five wards/communes: Nam Cam Ranh, Bac Cam Ranh, Cam Ranh, Cam Linh and Ba Ngoi.
Ethnic Groups
Kinh
Tanka
Cham
Infrastructure
Cam Ranh International Airport
Ba Ngoi Port
Cam Ranh International Port
Military History
French
The French navy used Cam Ranh as a base for colonial forces in Indochina.
Japanese WWII
The Imperial Japanese Navy staged operations from the bay for the 1941-42 invasions of Malaya and Borneo. In January 1945 US Naval Task Force 38 launched Operation Gratitude, destroying most Japanese facilities there.
American
After the February 1965 Vung Ro Bay incident the United States rapidly built Cam Ranh into a major base; a 10,000-foot runway was finished in about 50 days by October 1965. It functioned as an airlift hub, US Army supply depot and naval operations centre. Facilities were transferred to South Vietnam in May 1972.
Captured
North Vietnamese forces captured the base on 3 April 1975.
Soviet
The Soviet Union signed a 25-year lease in 1979. By 1987 the Soviet Pacific Fleet had expanded the facility to four times its original size, making it the USSR's largest overseas naval base. Russia completed its withdrawal on 2 May 2002.
Vietnamese
Cam Ranh is now the Vietnam People's Navy's primary naval base and submarine facility, home to the 189th Submarine Brigade.
International Port 2016
Cam Ranh International Port was inaugurated on 8 March 2016 as a dual-use facility able to receive and service foreign warships and commercial vessels. Vietnam had reopened Cam Ranh to international naval visits from 2010, hosting the first American warships since 1975.
Bai Dai
Name
Bai Dai (Long Beach), Cam Ranh peninsula
Length (km)
over 13 (one source); about 15 km of resorts line the beach
Location
North Cam Ranh peninsula, on the coastal road between Cam Ranh airport and Nha Trang; about 10 km / 10-15 minutes from the airport and about 25 km / 30-40 minutes south of Nha Trang centre
Development
Resort development along the strip accelerated from roughly 2013 onward, turning a previously empty stretch of white sand into a continuous line of beach resorts. Positioned in 2026 marketing as a 'healing' resort capital accessible to families and the middle class, not only luxury travellers.
Development Verification
The 15 km resort strip and the airport-resorts-town layout are sourced.
Planning
Under the post-merger provincial strategy the North Cam Ranh peninsula is designated, alongside Ninh Chu, as a national tourism zone.
Urban Project
Khanh Hoa approved a USD 3.5 billion waterfront urban development covering 1,254 ha in three zones, intended for over 230,000 residents and targeted for completion by 2027, positioning Cam Ranh as a tourism and logistics hub.
Relationship To Nha Trang
Note
Cam Ranh is the airport and resort district for Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa's main beach city, about 35 km to the north. Almost all international visitors to Nha Trang arrive through Cam Ranh airport, and the Bai Dai strip sits midway between the two. Since the 2025 reform Nha Trang city was also dissolved into wards - Nha Trang, Bac Nha Trang, Nam Nha Trang and Tay Nha Trang. The 'Nha Trang' ward created on 16 June 2025 has a 2024 population of 136,118 over 47.13 km² and merged the former wards Van Thanh, Loc Tho, Vinh Nguyen, Tan Tien and Phuoc Hoa - this is a ward figure, not the population of the former Nha Trang city.
Provincial Merger 2025
Date
2025-07-01
Description
Ninh Thuan province merged into Khanh Hoa province to form a single, larger province retaining the name Khanh Hoa.
New Area km 2
over 8,500
New Population
over 2.2 million
National Context
Part of Vietnam's nationwide consolidation from 63 to 34 provincial-level units (6 centrally governed cities and 28 provinces) effective 1 July 2025, alongside a shift to a two-tier local government structure that abolished the district level and the former provincial cities.
Strategic Note
The merger combined the former Khanh Hoa's seaports, international airport and high-end tourism with the former Ninh Thuan's renewable energy, high-tech agriculture and data-hub ambitions. Nha Trang is designated a smart tourism city; North Cam Ranh peninsula and Ninh Chu become national tourism zones.
Visitor Statistics
Province
Khanh Hoa (post-merger)
Latest Full Year
2025
Accommodation
1,441 accommodation establishments with over 70,500 rooms, including 107 high-star properties accounting for about 40% of capacity (as of end 2025)
Strategy 2030
Khanh Hoa Tourism Development Strategy 2026-2030 targets 20.5 million visitors by the end of the decade
2024
Total Overnight Visitors
10,800,000
Total Growth (%)
49
International Visitors
4,800,000
International Note
nearly doubled from 2023
Revenue (VND)
53,100,000,000,000
Revenue (USD)
2,090,000,000
Revenue Growth (%)
56
2025
Total Visitors
16,400,000
Total Growth (%)
14.4
International Visitors
5,500,000
International Growth (%)
13.4
Domestic Visitors
10,900,000
Revenue (VND)
66,700,000,000,000
Revenue (USD)
2,560,000,000
Reported Date
2025-12-25
Note
Full-year 2025 figures. Caution: 2025 totals cover the enlarged post-merger province, so they are not strictly comparable with 2024.
Top Source Countries
Period
First 5 months of 2025 (January-May 2025)
Total International In Period
2,230,000
Total International Growth (%)
11.4
Key Finding
South Korea has overtaken China as Khanh Hoa's largest international source market, supplying roughly 45% of international arrivals on its own.
Other Markets
Uzbekistan, Thailand, plus Western Europe, North America, Australia and Southeast Asia. Japan, Malaysia and India are named as emerging target markets.
Russia Fuller Data
About 279,000-280,000 Russian visitors in the first 8 months of 2025, up about 295% year on year, following the resumption of direct Russia-Cam Ranh flights.
Caveat
Official percentage shares by nationality were NOT published on any page fetched. The shares above are computed from the published visitor counts against the 2.23 million period total. No nationality breakdown for full-year 2025 was found.
Ranking
Rank
1
Country
South Korea
Visitors
1,000,000
Visitors Label
more than 1 million
Share Of International (%)
44.8
Share Note
share calculated from 1.0 million of 2.23 million; derived, not quoted by the source
SeaStar Nha Trang Bay 2026 international open-water swimming championship (June 2026)
Sea Festival
Name
Nha Trang Sea Festival / Khanh Hoa Sea Festival
Vietnamese name
Festival Bien Nha Trang
Biennial
Yes
First Held
2003
History
The 9th edition ran 10-13 May 2019 under the theme 'Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa in My Heart'. The 2021 edition was cancelled. The 2023 edition ran 3-6 June under the theme 'Khanh Hoa - Aspiration for Development'. Ten editions in 22 years as of 2025. In 2025 the province instead ran a new 'Nha Trang say Hi!' sea culture and tourism festival from 7 June to 9 July.
Typical Month
Historically April to June; the 2026 edition moved to July
Latest Edition
Name
Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2026 (11th edition)
Main Days
17-19 July 2026
Theme
Colours of the Ocean - Reaching International Heights
Satellite Events
10 July to 10 August 2026
Venue
2/4 Square, Nha Trang
Expected Visitors
600,000-800,000
Activities
About 30 activities
Tet
Official Holiday Period 2027
Reported by secondary travel sources as 3-11 February 2027
Travel Note
Tet is the busiest domestic travel week of the year; transport and accommodation book out and many small businesses close for several days.
Tet 2027
Gregorian Date
2027-02-06
Day Of Week
Saturday
Zodiac
Mui (Goat), Dinh Mui
Verified Via
English Wikipedia Tet date table
Tet 2026
Gregorian Date
2026-02-17
Zodiac
Ngo (Horse)
Po Nagar Festival
Name
Le hoi Thap Ba Po Nagar (Po Nagar Cham Tower Festival)
Location
Po Nagar Tower national special monument, Bac Nha Trang ward, on the hill at the mouth of the Cai River north of Nha Trang
Frequency
Annual
Lunar Dates
20th to 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month (core ritual days); the official 2026 programme ran wider, 19th to 25th of the 3rd lunar month
Gregorian 2026
5-11 May 2026, with the opening ceremony on the evening of 6 May (the 20th of the 3rd lunar month)
Status
Designated national intangible cultural heritage in 2012
Activities
Water procession, ceremony of changing the Mother Goddess's robes, palanquin procession, prayers for the deceased with a floating-lantern release, prayers for national peace and prosperity, and incense offering. Twelve activities in the 2026 programme.
Cam Ranh Specific Events
Finding
No festival exclusively based in Cam Ranh was found on any fetched page.
Related
Cam Ranh features as part of the province-wide Khanh Hoa summer event series rather than hosting its own named festival. Province-wide satellite events within the 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival include a salanganes' nest (yen sao) culture and food festival, a sailing race, a giant kite festival, and heritage practice spaces for Bau Truc pottery, My Nghiep weaving and Khanh Hoa agarwood.
Caveat
The 2025 administrative reform merged and redrew Khanh Hoa's wards, so older 'Cam Ranh city' event listings may no longer map to current administrative units.
Sources
20
Every figure on this page was checked against these pages.