National Oceanographic Museum

Located about 5km from Nha Trang City Center, The National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam was one of the first centre for scientific oceanographic research in Viet Nam. Currently storing and preserving specimens of tens of thousands of marine species, it is an interesting place where visitors can gain the exact image

A stunning fish in the National Oceanographic Museum

What to see

Established in 1923, the Museum is located onshore but close to the deep-sea area and a meeting place of the hot-cold sea currents with several layers from the water surface to the sea bed, hence it provides favorable conditions for sea creatures to settle and live. All kinds of fish you would find in the sea area of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province are presented there: reef sharks, turtles, living coral, anemones, puffers, lionfish, clownfish, sea horses, and a whole array of colorful reef species, some of which can be found in no other place in the world.

A whale skeleton in the National Oceanographic Museum

The collection of this museum spreads out over two floors. The ground floor is home to fish tanks of varying sizes that house all manner of marine life. The upstairs floor is for exhibiting specimens, local boats and fishing artifacts, plus an 18 metre long whale skeleton. Apart from the real fishes, there are also rare species’ skeletons or bodies preserved in formaldehyde solution. There are even finds of endemic species from Kampuchean Vietnamese seas and from other nearby countries, some of which are extremely rare, like the dugong or sea cow.

Oceanographic Museum is currently being upgraded to become a heritage center - beach culture as well as scientific institutions, education of the community to protect the marine environment and marine life.