Nha Phu is a wide brackish lagoon between Nha Trang and Ninh Hoa, sheltered by spits and islands so that its surface stays almost flat year-round.
Inside it lie Hon Lao, Hon Thi and several smaller islands, along with fishing hamlets and aquaculture rafts. It is a transitional ecosystem between river and sea, fringed with mangrove — a landscape entirely unlike Nha Trang Bay a few dozen kilometres away.
The lagoon is about 15 km north of the centre, roughly thirty minutes on the coastal highway.
Most visitors see Nha Phu on a boat tour taking in its islands, usually Hon Lao with its monkeys and Hon Thi. Driving yourself, the highway running north along the lagoon gives a fine view, particularly early in the morning while the fishing boats are still out and mist hangs on the water.
Being shallow brackish water crowded with aquaculture rafts, this is not a place to swim. Nha Phu earns its visit through the landscape and through what it shows you of the working water life of this coast — if you are after a beach, Doc Let lies the same way, about half an hour further on.
