The pretty girls who perform as mermaids at an international-standard aquarium in Nha Trang City in the central province of Khanh Hoa offer visitors, both children and adults alike, wondrous surprises.

The young women work part time as mermaids at the luxury Vinpearl Land Aquarium- one of the major tourist attractions in Nha Trang.

“A mermaid performer needs exceptional swimming and diving skills, looks and passion,” revealed Le Thi Na, who has performed the job for two years at the aquarium.

Though the aquatic performances last only 10 minutes, diving to the 6m depth of the aquarium on a daily basis is quite a challenge.

Na added it takes her and her fellow performers months of daily practice on land and in the swimming pool to perform such sexy, harmonious maneuvers.

As constant exposure to seawater takes its toll on the girls’ complexion, they can only do the job for three years at most.

All of them have other day jobs to earn stable incomes.

Na also works as a guide at the aquarium, while her colleague Nguyen Thi My Hanh joins dance performances at restaurants on weekends for supplementary earnings.

Tran Thi Ngoc Tuyet, a newcomer mermaid, shares she takes the job to provide for her small family.

While most visitors are held in awe by various species of fish and marine creatures at the aquarium, the sudden appearance of the mermaids who swim and frolic among the fish give them gorgeous surprises.

The girls always wear beaming smiles on their faces and also make gestures to “converse” with visitors, particularly kids.

“The 'mermaids’ friendly appearance and stunning performance really impress and delight us and our children,” commented Huy Hung, a tourist from Hanoi.