Dai Lanh lies in northern Khanh Hoa at the foot of Ca Pass, about 80 km from Nha Trang. The beach curves around a small bay with steep mountains behind it and the coracles of a fishing village drawn up in front.
The water is clear and the shelf gentle, but Dai Lanh is not a developed resort beach — this is still working fishing coast, which is much of its appeal.
The drive from Nha Trang runs about two hours along the coastal highway. This is a full-day outing, not a stop on the way to something else. Driving yourself, allow for pauses — the pass has more places worth stopping than the beach at the end of it.
Nearby is Mui Doi on the Hon Gom peninsula, one of the easternmost points of mainland Vietnam. Reaching it means walking over sand and rock with a guide and half a day to spare, so treat it as its own trip rather than an add-on to a beach day.
Since nothing has been built up here, expect no showers, no lockers and no lifeguard. Carry water and food, and don’t go into the sea late in the day once the fishing village has knocked off and the beach has emptied.
