Nha Trang

Nha Trang is Vietnam’s most famous seaside resort-town. It's more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. It's also the scuba diving center of Vietnam.

I quickly jumped off the bus and asked a local for the directions to my hotel on
Tran Phu street. This street is the backbone of the city, accompanied by a pleasant waterfront promenade, palm trees, nearly 6km of beach, and various hotels range from 6-1600 USD a night. I paid 8 USD for my single AC room with a beach view.

Unfortunately, it was rainy when I arrived via an overnight bus due to a typhoon. All water sports and tours were cancelled, and tourists were sitting in cafes or spas to kill time. I had a different plan. Rather than signing up a city tour or renting a motorbike the next day, I walked in the rain to cover the three major attractions in town as well as tasting food and shopping for grocery.

On my way to the supermarket in the morning, I come by the Trang Cathedral that is located on a hill overlooking the city, and It was a Quaint, free and quick sight to see.

In the afternoon, i went to check oit the Long Son Pagoda and saw a 79 ft. tall white Buddha. The pagoda was established in 1963 to honour the monks and nuns who died demonstrating against the Diem government.

I then walked along the beaches to see the Po Nagar Cham Towers. These four brick towers were built by the Cham civilization between the 7th and 12th century to honor Yang Ino Po Ngar, mother of the kingdom. The longevity of these last vestiges of a once-dominant South East Asian civilisation was impressive regardless of the insensitive restoration. The small complex sits on a hill which enjoys views across Nha Trang's fishing village.

The Fishing village between the old and the new bridge has a lot of fishing boats forming a beautiful sight. I tried some seafood in the village which was fresh and priced reasonably. On my way back to hotel, I stopped by a night market and picked up a pair of new sports sandals. I also saw to local women selling seafood and cooked for customers right on the street. Both of them sold a big crab at 2.5 USD; however, a lobster at 15 vs. 7.5 USD. I asked my hotel keeper why there was such a big price difference for lobster. He told me both sold dead lobster.and the lower price one may died for a long time. He suggested me to go to the fish market to get a fresh one at 35 USD.