The cable car running from Cau Da pier to Hon Tre island stretches about 3,320 metres. It opened in 2007, at which point it was the longest over-sea cable car in the world.
Its nine towers, built as scaled-down Eiffel Towers, rise straight out of the bay and light up at night, long since absorbed into the Nha Trang skyline. The crossing takes ten to twelve minutes, suspended high enough to look down on fishing boats and floating farms with the whole city at your back.
The departure station is at Cau Da at the southern end of the city, the same quarter as the Institute of Oceanography — a few minutes apart on foot and sensibly done together.
Late afternoon is the hour: the light has softened, and coming back after dark you get the city lighting up beneath you. At midday the cabin is hot and every photograph is into the sun.
The cable car is the main way into the island’s entertainment complex, and tickets are normally bundled with park admission. If you only want the ride and not the park, ask at the counter whether a standalone ticket exists before joining the queue — that policy has changed over time.
