Hon Chong Promontory

North of the Cai River, where the city starts to thin out, a mound of rounded granite boulders spills into the sea. Some are the size of a car, some the size of a house, stacked on top of one another as if they had been dropped from a height. This is Hon Chong, and on a calm morning it is one of the most peaceful places in Nha Trang.

The giant and the fairy

Every rock formation in Vietnam seems to have a story, and Hon Chong has a good one. Local legend tells of a giant who came to watch a fairy bathing in the sea. Leaning on the rocks to look, he slipped, and left the print of his huge hand pressed into a boulder. The two fell in love, the story goes, but were separated, and the rocks remained as a memory of their meeting.

The name itself means “husband rock”. A smaller formation a little way out, Hon Vo, is the “wife rock”. Look for the large dent in the stone that people call the handprint, and decide for yourself.

Climbing the rocks

You can scramble over much of the formation, finding your own seat looking out to sea. Paths and steps help on the main section, but beyond them the going is uneven, so take your time. From the top you see the curve of the northern beaches, the fishing boats coming in and Hon Tre island across the bay.

Sunrise is the time to come. The sun rises over the water directly in front of you, the rocks turn gold and the fishermen’s boats leave dark lines on the bright sea. By mid-morning it gets hot on the stone, and busier.

Around Hon Chong

The streets behind the promontory are quieter than the centre, with small seafood places and cafés facing the water. It is an easy area to spend an extra hour in after your visit, watching the beach life of the north side of the city.