Brick Cham towers rise behind trees and a red-flowering shrub.

03Culture

Old rituals on a modern coast

Cham goddesses and Buddhist bells, round bamboo boats, offerings for the whale that fishermen believe protects them at sea. The traditions that still shape daily life here.

Po Nagar Cham towers, Nha Trang. Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0

5 storysCraft & livelihood, Festivals, Heritage, Seasons

A round woven basket boat with a painted registration number rests on the sand by the sea.

Craft & livelihood

The round boats of the bay

Woven from bamboo and sealed with resin, the thúng chai basket boat is still a working tool on the Nha Trang coast. A look at how it is made, used and spun.

The carved brick façade and doorway of a Cham tower against a blue sky.

Festivals

The festival of the mother goddess

A long whale skeleton displayed inside a temple hall.

Heritage

Offerings for the whale

A sandy island beach with thatched parasols, clear water and a rocky hillside.

Craft & livelihood

Treasure from the island cliffs

Khánh Hòa is known across Vietnam for edible swiftlet nests gathered from caves on its offshore islands. The story of a delicacy built from bird saliva and very careful work.

A yellow apricot blossom tree in full flower in front of a temple.

Seasons

Tết by the sea

Lunar New Year is the most important holiday of the Vietnamese calendar. In Nha Trang it means flower markets, family visits, quiet streets and a seafront full of people in their best clothes.