Khánh Hòa is a
province of
Vietnam located in the
South Central Coast. It has a population of 1,066,300 and spans an area of 5,197 km². Its capital is
Nha Trang. Khánh Hòa is the site of
Bảo Đại's summer home, the
Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang, the Institute of Oceanography, the Institute of Vaccines and Biological Substances, and was headquarters of the US Army's
Special Forces ("the Green Berets") during the
Vietnam War in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Cam Ranh Bay port is on land closest to a deep sea drop in Vietnam - the best site for
submarine bases in Vietnam. An ancient temple of
Champa is on the north side of Nha Trang.