Marina in Vietnam

[UPDATE: Ana Marina is open ONLY for Vietnamese at this time. Application to allow foreigners has been made to the Vietnamese Government. A decision is expected by 2023. Please consult official sources.]

The first marina in Vietnam has opened but only for Vietnamese. It is the Ana Marina in Nha Trang (“White House”) halfway between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Da Nang. Their website describes their service as “full service marina and yacht club with great food and great fun.” It sets the benchmark for marinas nationwide by meeting the strictest international marina standards.

Vietnam Marina

Ana Marina, is the name of a statue of a beautiful lady at the main gate. One side faces the main gate of the marina, welcoming guests. The other side facing the sea. She protects Nha Trang and brings peace to the visitors. Her name is Ana Marina.

Ana Marina is the first completed marina project in Vietnam, providing sheltered berthing for up to 220 yachts. Developed, designed and built by a team of local developers and international experts. The berth application (in English) is here: http://anamarina.com/berth. Their phone is +84 094 783 60 06. Ana Marina offers the possibility of simpler and cheaper entrance paperwork.

Da Nang Marina

There was a marina proposed for Da Nang, however, only the website and some buildings are complete. As of this writing, there hasn’t been any progress in several years. There are no docking facilities for boats. There is also a restaurant named “Da Nang Marina” in the Han River.

Nha Trang Marina

Nha Trang is a location some sailors may remember. The Hong Kong to Nha Trang Race was first run in 1996 and then regularly since 2004. Nha Trang has also been a supply point for boats continuing on to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia.

Ana Marina

Ana Marina houses some of the most prominent boat dealers in the world who specialize in boating needs. Up until very recently, Vietnam has treated pleasure craft in the same category as commercial vessels, and as a result, there was endless paperwork and the process was very complicated. This is changing.

Sailing in Vietnam

Vietnam has historically been one of the most difficult countries to visit in South East Asia. This was mostly due to extensive bureaucracy that treated sailing yachts under the same regulations as international cargo vessels which meant extensive paperwork, overly long processing and expensive fees.

There used to be a Sunsail base in Nha Trang but it closed in 2009. Up until now, the closest you got to sailing in Vietnam was hiring a Hobie Cat off the beach at Nha Trang.

Danang Marina

While the government is still cautious about foreign vessels within their territorial waters, there is significant progress.

Some sources have said that yachts are limited to ports that have been approved for foreign commercial vessels, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Da Nang and Ha Long. According to other sources, cruising is allowed freely between ports, but dropping anchor is discouraged unless special permission is granted and fees are paid.

Sailing in Vietnam

High on many people’s lists is one of Vietnam’s most iconic sites, Ha Long Bay, with its thousands of limestone cliffs. Official reports state that that private yachts are not allowed to freely cruise the bay. Some (unconfirmed) sources have said that private yachts can berth at Quang Ninh maritime port and Hon Gai anchorage, near Ha Long, and charming traditional yachts can be chartered for a day.

Do you need permission to sail to Vietnam?

Previously there were severe restrictions on all foreign ships in Vietnam ports. “Whenever we were moving around a port – anchoring or leaving – we had to get a pilot on board,” says Barry De Kock, captain of 67 metre Vertigo. In principle, every yacht with a GT greater than 100 must call for a pilot, and Ho Chi Minh City requires every yacht to have one.

It’s still a good idea to make arrangements prior to your trip. “Over the past years, there have been some yachts who went there and tried to arrange things themselves, and one owner was jailed,” said Sytske Kimman, of Northrop & Johnson Asia. If weapons are on board, they must be declared before arrival, and they must be locked during your stay in Vietnam.

Vietnam Sailing

The best time to visit Vietnam is from February to April or August to October, when the temperatures are more moderate and the rainfall is low. September, October and November have the most typhoons. Typhoon season can start as early as May and June in the north and moves south through to the end of December.

Vietnam Charts

Beware of the mouth of the Mekong Delta as the this River carries a lot of silt down river, which changes the depth considerably (up to 800m per year). However, the navigation buoys are generally quite accurate.

The USA charting agencies may have paper charts of the Vietnam coast including inland waterways. These are likely very old. Electronic charts such as C-MAP may cover the coast of Vietnam but the accuracy is doubtful in areas.

The Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea probably should be considered off limits to visitors due to the territorial disputes involving Vietnam, China and the Philippines.

Vietnam Visas

Visas for arrival into Vietnam by water should be obtained in advance. Visas on arrival are only official when arriving at one of the country’s international airports. Further, some Visas on arrival have recently been called into question.

It’s wise to contact your local Vietnam embassy or consulate for official details. For example Vietnam Embassy in the USA. Vietnam visas online are not recognized by the government when traveling into Vietnam by sea.

It may be also possible to obtain a visa for Vietnam from a nearby country. Thailand, Cambodia or Malaysia have Vietnam embassies. Visas for visitors are available for 30 or 90 day stays are not expensive and involve a small handling fee.

Vietnam Berthing

With a coastline stretching from the Gulf of Tonkin in the north, the East Sea / South China Sea in the center and the Gulf of Thailand in the south west, Vietnam has a large number of potential cruising locations. However to this date cruisers have been successful in entering only three ports — Da Nang, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Attempts to enter at Hai Phong in the north or other ports have been unsuccessful when tried.

There are rumors of a marina to be developed on Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Thailand.

Conclusions

Official information is sometimes difficult to obtain or confirm. However, it appears that the Ana Marina in Nha Trang has officially opened and is welcoming visitors by sea. Like most businesses in Vietnam, Ana Marina is on Facebook and responds faster by Messenger than through email, phone or other means. They also have a website, Instagram and a YouTube channel. Links are below.