Island · Nha Trang
Hon Tre
Hòn Tre
Hòn Tre is the largest island in Nha Trang Bay, on the coast of Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam. The Vietnamese Wikipedia article on the island gives its area as over 32.50 km²[1], the Vietnamese article on the bay lists it as the largest of the bay's 19 islands at 3,250 ha[2], and the French Wikipedia article gives 30 km²[3]. It lies about 5 km east of the city of Nha Trang and 3.5 km from the Cầu Đá port[1]. Wikidata places it at 12.2097° N, 109.2847° E and records an elevation of 400 m[4].
Two fishing villages, Bích Đầm and Vũng Ngán, hold a resident population of about 1,500 people[1][3]. Since 2003 part of the island has been developed by Vinpearl, the hospitality arm of the Vingroup conglomerate: a five-star resort opened in 2003, the Vinpearl Land amusement park in 2006 and, in 2007, a 3,320 m cable car across the bay[5]. Wikidata describes the island as lying in Nha Trang ward[4], the ward created by Resolution 1667/NQ-UBTVQH15 of 16 June 2025[6].
Geography
Hon Tre closes the eastern side of Nha Trang Bay. The Vietnamese article on the bay gives it a total area of 24,965 ha, of which 21,185 ha is water and 3,780 ha is island, and counts 19 islands, from Hon Tre at 3,250 ha (32.5 km²) down to Hòn Nọc at 4 ha[2]. On those figures Hon Tre holds about 86% of the island land in the bay[2].
The island article describes small undeveloped beaches, small stands of forest and sparse vegetation cover[1]. The French article's coordinates, 12°12′35″ N, 109°17′05″ E[3], agree with the Wikidata coordinates of 12.209722, 109.284722, and Wikidata records an elevation of 400 m and the GeoNames identifier 1563920[4]. No published figure for the island's length or the name of its highest peak was found.
Settlements
Bích Đầm and Vũng Ngán are the island's two villages, with a population the Vietnamese article puts at roughly over 1,500[1]; the French article gives 1,500 inhabitants and an economy based on tourism and fishing[3].
Báo Khánh Hòa's reporters reached Bích Đầm after a boat trip of over two hours from Cầu Đá[9]. Above the village stands the Hòn Lớn lighthouse (Hòn Lớn is the light station's own name, not that of the separate island of Hòn Lớn in Vân Phong Bay), built in 1890 and described by the paper as one of the oldest lighthouses in Vietnam: its tower is 16 m tall, it stands 102 m above sea level, its building covers over 750 m², and its light reaches 26 nautical miles, over 47 km[9]. In August 2026 VnExpress reported that Bích Đầm is about 30 minutes from the mainland by speedboat, that Cầu Đá port is about 10 km from the city centre, that electricity on the island is intermittent and that there is no Wi-Fi although the 5G signal is strong[10].
Vinpearl development
The Vietnamese Wikipedia article on Vinpearl dates the opening of the five-star Vinpearl Nha Trang Resort to 2003, the opening of the Vinpearl Land amusement park on Hon Tre to 2006 and the start of cable car operation, over a length of 3,320 m, to 2007[5]. The English article on the company adds that Vinpearl Land was rebranded VinWonders in February 2020[12].
The island article describes two development zones: a first zone covering Vũng Me, Bãi Trũ, Đầm Già and Bãi Rạn, with the resort and spa, ecological tourism areas, a water park, cultural parks and golf courses, and a second zone at Đầm Bấy intended for a marine world attraction and an ecological village project[1].
The cross-bay cable car
The cable car from the mainland to Hon Tre was inaugurated on 10 March 2007[7]. It is 3,320 m long[5][7][8]. The Vietnamese article counts nine towers, seven standing in the sea and two at the stations, the tallest 54.65 m and the shortest 7.96 m, and gives 65 cabins of 8 seats, a capacity of 1,500 passengers per direction per hour and a crossing of close to 9 minutes 20 seconds[7]. The English article gives seven offshore towers, the tallest 115 m of which 40 m is below the water, standing on steel pipe piles 74 to 94 m deep in water averaging 25 m, built by POMA in 12 months at a cost of 240 billion VND, with a one-way run of about 15 minutes depending on the wind[8]. The two articles disagree on tower height and crossing time.
At its opening the line was recorded as the longest sea-crossing cable car in the world; the Vietnamese article states that the record passed in 2018 to the Hòn Thơm cable car at Phú Quốc, nearly 8 km long[7]. The Vietnamese article lists operating hours of 09:00 to 22:00 for 2025[7], while the English article states, without a citation, that the line is currently out of service with its main cable and gondolas removed[8]. The two disagree, and no dated report of a closure was found.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 3,320 m[7][8] |
| Inauguration | 10 March 2007[7] |
| Towers | 9, of which 7 in the sea[7] |
| Tallest tower | 54.65 m[7]; 115 m including 40 m below water[8] |
| Cabins | 65 cabins of 8 seats[7] |
| Capacity | 1,500 passengers per direction per hour[7] |
| Crossing time | about 9 minutes 20 seconds[7]; about 15 minutes[8] |
| Cost | 240 billion VND[8] |
Administration
Resolution 1667/NQ-UBTVQH15 of 16 June 2025 merged the wards of Vạn Thạnh, Lộc Thọ, Vĩnh Nguyên, Tân Tiến and Phước Hòa into a new ward named Nha Trang, which began operating on 1 July 2025[6][11]. The new ward covers 47.12 km² and had 136,118 people on 31 December 2024[6]. Wikidata describes Hon Tre as an island in Nha Trang ward[4]. The same resolution left Khanh Hoa with 65 commune-level units: 48 communes, 16 wards and one special zone[11].
Nha Trang Bay was recognised as a national scenic site on 25 March 2005 by Decision 14/2005/QĐ-BVHTT of the Ministry of Culture and Information, and in 2003 it was admitted as the 29th member of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World[2]. The bay's marine protected area, renamed from the Hòn Mun marine protected area on 12 March 2004, covers over 16,000 ha and nine islands[2].
Questions and answers
How big is Hon Tre?
How long is the cable car to Hon Tre?
3,320 m. It was inaugurated on 10 March 2007 and was then the longest sea-crossing cable car in the world[7].
Sources
Every figure in this article is cited to one of these pages, listed in order of first use, with the date it was read.
- Hòn Tre (Khánh Hòa)
- Vịnh Nha Trang
- Hòn Tre
- Hòn Tre (Q32200450)
- Vinpearl
- Nha Trang (phường)
- Cáp treo Vinpearl Land
- Vinpearl Cable Car
- Khám phá hải đăng Hòn Lớn
- Sống chậm trên đảo Bích Đầm, nơi có nghìn tảng đá tròn như trứng
- Toàn văn Nghị quyết số 1667/NQ-UBTVQH15 sắp xếp các ĐVHC cấp xã của tỉnh Khánh Hòa năm 2025
- Vinpearl
See also
- Nha Trang BayBay
- Hon MunIsland
- Hon TamIsland
- Hon MieuIsland
- Nha TrangFormer city
- Binh Ba IslandIsland