Nha Trang Bay reintroduces visitor fee of up to $1.52 per entry after 16-year hiatus

Authorities in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam have issued new rules to collect sightseeing fees ranging from VND6,000 (US$0.23) to VND40,000 ($1.52) at Nha Trang Bay, after halting the charges in 2009, allowing fees to be levied directly at piers and ports or collected on the government’s behalf by tourism businesses, officials said.

One of the country’s key marine tourism destinations, Nha Trang Bay is a scenic coastal bay known for its clear waters, islands, and coral reefs.

The regulations governing the collection, remittance, management, and use of sightseeing fees at Nha Trang Bay were issued by the Khanh Hoa administration, marking the resumption of the charges after the province halted such fee collection in 2009.

Fee levels and the scope of collection are defined under the provincial People’s Council’s current resolution, authorities said. 

The charges apply to marine and island areas within the boundaries of Nha Trang Bay, stretching from Ke Ga Cape to Cu Hin Cape, an area delineated nearly 21 years ago under a provincial decision dated March 21, 2005, excluding strictly protected zones of the Nha Trang Bay Marine Protected Area.

Nguyen Duy Quang, director of Khanh Hoa’s Department of Agriculture and Environment, said the Nha Trang Bay Management Board began collecting the fees under the new rules on September 25, 2025.

So far, only Vinpearl’s Nha Trang unit has agreed to collect the sightseeing fee on the authorities’ behalf, applying it to visitors traveling to tourism sites operated by the company, officials said.

Other tourism operators have yet to participate due to organizational constraints; however, all visitors subject to the fee when traveling on their routes are instead charged directly by the Nha Trang Bay Management Board in accordance with regulations, with no objections from the businesses.

Under the new rules, fees range from VND6,000 per person for trips to Hon Mieu (Tri Nguyen) Island, VND8,000 for routes to Hon Tam, Hon Tre, and Hon Mot Islands, to VND10,000 for Hon Mun Island. A combined ticket covering multiple routes costs VND40,000.

Khanh Hoa exempts local residents, Vietnamese citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities, and children under six from the fee.

Vietnam ends visitor fees at Hon Mun Marine Protected Area

Khanh Hoa first introduced sightseeing fees at Nha Trang Bay in 2004, initially applying the charges to tourists visiting and staying in the bay’s marine and island areas, including the core zone of the bay’s marine protected area.

From December 15, 2009, the fee was limited to visitors to Hon Mun Marine Protected Area, a core marine conservation zone within Nha Trang Bay, covering waters within 300 meters from the island’s shoreline. 

In December 2016, the scope was expanded to include all visitors to the Hon Mun Marine Protected Area, rather than Hon Mun Island alone.

However, Dam Hai Van, director of the Nha Trang Bay Management Board, said the collection of visitor fees at Hon Mun ended on August 25, 2025, under a new resolution adopted by the Khanh Hoa People’s Council governing sightseeing fees at Nha Trang Bay.

By Van Giang & Phan Song Ngan – Tuoi Tre News – January 11, 2026