Nha Trang pronunciation (help·info) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is well known for its pristine beaches and excellent scuba diving and is fast becoming a popular destination for international tourists, attracting large numbers of backpackers as well as more affluent travelers on the Southeast Asia circuit. It is already very popular with Vietnamese tourists. Nha Trang Bay is amongst the world's most beautiful bays. Tourists can participate in Sea Festival and August- Nha Trang Rendezvous Festival every 2 years. Nha Trang is the site of the Miss Universe 2008 Pageant to be held on July 14, 2008. It will be broadcast live on NBC Television on that date (which will be on the evening of July 13 back in the US.)
The city has about 300,000 inhabitants and is projected to increase to 500,000 to 600,000 inhabitants in the year 2020[citation needed] according to estimation of Nha Trang Administrative Board Statistics.
Historically, the city was known as Kauthara under the Champa. There's still Po Nagar Tower of Champa in Nha Trang now.
Nha Trang city has a metropolitan area of 251 km² and population of about 500,000 (as of 2007). It borders Ninh Hòa town by the north, Cam Ranh city by the south, Diên Khánh town by the west and the South China Sea to the east. The city is located on a beautiful bay, the Nha Trang Bay, which was chosen by Travel and Leisure in two succeeding years as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world. Nha Trang is surrounded on all three sides by mountains and a large island on the fourth side (in the ocean directly in front of the city's main area) that blocks major storms from potentially damaging the city.
