Nha Trang has two mall clusters worth a visit: Nha Trang Center and Vincom Plaza on Tran Phu street by the beach, and Lotte Mart or GO! further out for groceries at fixed prices. Dam Market covers souvenirs and tailoring, and the VAT refund at Cam Ranh airport returns about 6% of a qualifying receipt, if the counter works under the new rules.
I have been running tours in Vietnam since 2023. Below are addresses, hours, prices and the refund steps.
Which Malls Sit Closest to the Beach?
Four malls stand within a short walk of the sea, and each has a different reason to go. Nha Trang Center at 20 Tran Phu opened in 2011 and runs from 09:00 to 22:00 across four floors of brands, a supermarket, restaurants and a bowling alley. Gold Coast Mall at 1 Tran Hung Dao carries over 100 brands including Nike, Adidas and Pandora. AB Central Square at 44 Tran Phu is the one to pick when you want a supermarket, restaurants and a spa under one roof.
Vincom Plaza at 78-80 Tran Phu faces the beach and has four floors above ground and two below, with fashion, restaurants and a cinema. Vincom runs three malls in the city. The other two are on Le Thanh Ton at 44-46 and Thai Nguyen at 60, and the Thai Nguyen one mostly serves locals. Prices in every mall are fixed, so there is nothing to haggle over. Hours differ by 30 to 90 minutes between sources, so check the map before you go; plan on roughly 10:00 to 21:00.
Where Do You Buy Groceries and Gifts at Fixed Prices?
The main Lotte Mart is a hypermarket of about 13,000 square meters at 58 Street 23 Thang 10, open from around 7:30 to 22:00 with a food court inside. GO! Nha Trang, formerly Big C, is the choice when you want a familiar supermarket with a food court and do not mind the ride. It sits on Street 19/5 in Vinh Diem Trung, 10 to 20 minutes from the seafront. Mega Market at 10 Street 23 Thang 10 sells in wholesale packs.
Price tags are printed on the shelf, nobody negotiates, and the receipt is ready at the till. That receipt matters for the VAT refund below. A taxi from the seafront to the main Lotte Mart takes a short ride, so bundle it with the airport run or an evening out rather than a separate trip.
Is Dam Market Still Worth the Trip After Its Move?
The old round Dam Market building has been closed since 2021 because its structure was rated unsafe. Trading now happens in a new three-floor building next to it, and some stallholders work outside. The address is Phan Boi Chau street, and the market is open from about 5:00 to 18:30, with mornings the calmer time.
The ground floor sells souvenirs, dried seafood, coffee, tea, spices and nuts. Fabric, silk and clothes sit on the second floor along with tailors. Reviews quote a dress from 400,000 VND and a shirt from 250,000 VND, ready in one to two days. Fruit and fresh seafood are in the outer rows.
Tourists are usually quoted a first price two to three times the going rate. I compare three stalls with small cash notes in hand before I agree to anything, since the first quote sets an anchor that the third stall breaks. If bargaining is the part of the trip you dread, ask me which hour and which stalls to start with, and I will tell you what a fair price looks like. The other markets of the city have their own guide: Nha Trang markets, what to buy and what to skip .
What Should You Bring Home, and What Does It Cost?
Coffee and cashews travel best. Ground Trung Nguyen coffee in 500 gram bags costs roughly 75,000 to 160,000 VND at Lotte Mart. At Dam Market the same weight goes for 70,000 to 120,000 VND after haggling, and a box of 18 G7 instant sticks is about 73,500 VND. Cashews run 80,000 to 150,000 VND per 500 grams at the market, while a 150 gram salted pack from Tuan Dat is about 63,900 VND at Lotte Mart. For plain Trung Nguyen coffee I take the Lotte Mart shelf, because a printed tag and a receipt are worth more to me than a few thousand dong saved, and I keep the haggling for the cashews.
Swallow nest products, called yen sao, are the signature gift of Khanh Hoa province. Souvenir stalls sell many fakes, and a nest that costs about as much as a trinket is one of them. Buy from Khanh Hoa Yen Sao stores, which carry the Sanest line. Pearls, shell crafts, silk scarves and mango rice paper are other typical gifts. For a wider comparison see Vietnam souvenir shopping, market vs airport prices .
How Do Payment and Bargaining Work in Nha Trang?
Visa and Mastercard work in big malls and supermarkets, and every mall has an ATM. QR payments and card terminals are common across the city. Markets and street food stalls run on cash, so carry notes of 10,000 to 50,000 VND. At markets, ask for 20 to 30 percent off, or offer 40 to 50 percent of the first price and settle near 60 to 70 percent.
How Do You Claim the VAT Refund at Cam Ranh Airport?
Only registered shops issue refund receipts, and markets and street stalls are not in the system. Circular 84/2026 of Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance, signed on 30 June 2026 and described in Vietnam News , gives these guideposts.
The guideposts are a purchase of at least 2,000,000 VND in one shop on one day, export within 60 days, and a refund of about 85 percent of the tax. At the 8 percent rate that is roughly 6 percent of the receipt. Confirm details, and whether the Cam Ranh counter is already working under the new rules, with customs and the bank agent at the airport, because sources differ on the launch date of the electronic system.
- Ask the shop for a VAT refund receipt and show your passport.
- Keep one shop and one day per receipt, because receipts cannot be added together.
- Keep the goods in your hand luggage until customs has seen them with the receipt.
- Show goods and receipt to customs at least 30 minutes before departure.
- Collect the refund from the bank agent and ask at the desk whether it is paid in cash or to a card.
Coral, tortoise shell, reptile skin, ivory, rare wood and antiques need an export permit. Ordinary souvenirs, coffee, silk, spices, tea and pearls leave the country freely.
So Where Should You Go First?
Start with Nha Trang Center or Vincom Plaza for brands and air conditioning, Lotte Mart or GO! for coffee and cashews, and Dam Market in the morning for souvenirs and tailoring. Bring small cash notes and ask for the VAT receipt in the shop.
| Goal | Where | Address | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brands by the beach | Nha Trang Center | 20 Tran Phu | 09:00-22:00 |
| Cinema and fashion | Vincom Plaza | 78-80 Tran Phu | around 10:00-21:00 |
| Coffee and groceries | Lotte Mart | 58 Street 23 Thang 10 | about 7:30-22:00 |
| Souvenirs and tailoring | Dam Market | Phan Boi Chau | 05:00-18:30 |
Hours on the map can drift from reality, the first price at a market runs high, and only a shop receipt counts for VAT. One evening, small notes and a passport are enough to cover the list above. I can also plan the days around it, with transfers and free dates, so tell me when you fly to Vietnam and how long you stay.
