Almost a couple of weeks ago we had a break from the cold British winter by going on a mini break to the city of Nha Trang in Vietnam.
We've always been curious about tourism in Vietnam so decided to have a little taste of this country by spending some time in one of their more curious and fast urbanising cities.
Lonely Planet describes Nha Trang as 'loud and proud' and loud and proud it certainly is. The main attraction of the city is a stretch of fine golden sand beach that is 6 kilometers long that is mostly flanked to one side with rows and rows of tall buildings and sky scrapers. As far as we are aware of, they are trying to model the development of the city with that of Gold Coast in Australia and Miami (although the Spanish coastal city of Benidorm also crossed our minds). So in short, Nha Trang city is a bustling, fast growing metropolis with a beautiful beach.
The city beach of course is divided into sections and the one that is right in the center of all the city action is called Tran Phu Beach. In this area you will find all the high rise buildings consisting of hotels, apartments, and various businesses, as well as a myriad of restaurants, bars, and nightlife...all the trappings of a tourist area. If you like to be in amongst the hustle and bustle of things the moment you step out of your hotel then this is the area to stay.
But there is so much more to this city than its 'loud and proud' city center. Scratch the surface and what you will find is a city (and a country) that is geared for tourism and yet still raw and very exotic.
We opted to stay in a much quieter area twenty minutes drive from the city center called Turtle Bay. Far enough to be away from the maddening crowd and yet near enough for when you crave to be in amongst the action whenever you want to. From there you can even see a vista of the city center. It was the perfect base for both relaxing and exploring the city.
From there we made frequent trips to Tran Phu Beach and explored the depths of the city center and the bedlam of the metropolis. We also visited Po Nagar Cham towers which is perhaps their top attraction (apart from the beach of course) and rolled around in mud in the oddly named I Resort spa.
Po Nagar Cham Towers
Now speaking of spa, it is almost inevitable you will visit one if you go to this city. It seems to play a huge part on their tourism trade and we suggest on embracing it which is what we did. We are not usually the spa going kind but everywhere you turn there will be an enticement of going into one and feels like it is a part of their cultural experience. And this includes taking a dip into one of their numerous hot mud baths (of which I Resort is the most famous) followed by mud massages, tea baths, scrubs, you name it. Have to say, it was bliss so was all too happy not to have resisted!
Vegetable plots on the entrance of I Resort
It's hard to take pics if you're covered in mud so not many pics were taken whilst in I Resort...
And to top it all of is the experience of interacting with the warm and gracious local people and getting to eat glorious Vietnamese food.
So it was a great little taste of Vietnam and we will certainly be back for a bigger bite of it soon!
Mark :-)
