What a beautiful place. The water here is clean, blue and warm. The scenery is visually stunning.
Being a beach town Nha Trang offers all that you would expect. Since we decided to go cheap we ended up at the La Suisse. It only has a two star rating but it's clean and comfortable. If you stay here be sure to get a room with a balcony. The Wi-Fi on the upper floors is somewhat spotty but hey, you're here for the beach anyway.
Martha's comments: We actually splurged at the La Suisse. While it had $20 rooms available, we went big and got the VIP Room with an ocean view, which cost us $50 a night with taxes. That included breakfast. The ocean view was kind of a stretch, but we had a balcony that faced where the ocean was, and we could have seen it if there weren't all those tall buildings in the way. It was only a 2 block walk, so we saw plenty of the ocean, anyway. Our VIP room did have a separate bedroom and "living area." The hotel had a free pickup service from the train, which was nice. We had to pay the $2 taxi fare to get back when we left, though. It was also conveniently located, with liquor stores right next door and a great restaurant and bar two doors down.
We walked to the general market today and found it to be huge. Most people here have little or no refrigeration so daily shopping is a must. Meat, and fish is butchered while you wait. If you can't find that fruit or vegetable you need, well, you're just not looking.
Martha's Comments: They also had clothes, and a very enthusiastic young lady who grabbed us off the street and sold us a shirt for Chuck (which, unfortunately, was too small). She would have sold us several more if given the chance. FYI, Asian sizing is about 2 sizes smaller than in the US.
On the way to the market, we ran across a man roasting a pig on the sidewalk. Not something you see every day in Northwest Arkansas.
As usual, it was colorful and crazy at the market.
On the way back to the hotel, we wanted a water, and had no cash left, so we had to figure out how to use the ATM in Vietnam for the first time. The first ATM we tried rejected the transaction...momentary panic ensued, as we had made arrangements with our bank for the cards to work in Vietnam. Luckily, an ATM from a different bank let us get some cash, whew!
Chuck pulled a calf muscle walking, which slowed him down for the rest of the trip.
Lunch was at the Local Restaurant. It's biggest draw was the 30 cent beers. Stir fry chicken, pineapple and cashews...and a pina colada for Martha.
On to the beach, we watched people! They were mostly tourists, and seemed to be either from Russia or Australia, with a rare Asian face thrown in. We rented chairs on the cheap end of the beach, so no cabana boy to bring drinks. However, the beer stand was only a few yards away, so we could walk and get one. Being the beach, the beer that was 30 cents at the restaurant was now $2. Oh well. If you wanted food, you didn't have to leave your chair. There were women walking the beach with pots of corn on the cob, people with rice cakes, and lots of fruit vendors. A guy even came up and offered to sell us some silk artwork.
We headed back to the hotel when it looked like a storm was rolling in. The clouds came, but not the rain. It did cool it off enough, though, that we could have a siesta on the balcony.
We had happy hour at the Fifth Floor Bar at the Ha Ven Hotel, just down the block from our hotel. The bartender was a young man who was from Canada, and had lived in Nha Trang for two years working with his cousin at the bar. Chuck asked him about cultural differences. He told us that hiring help was interesting because working for a westerner was different than what people were used to. The Vietnamese employers apparently are very rules-oriented, while the westerners wanted their employees to use creativity and initiative. He said some liked it and some couldn't take the pressure of possibly doing something wrong because there weren't enough rules.
Dinner was at Yen's Restaurant, downstairs from the bar. We ate there every night in Nha Trang, and it was always good.
My journal tells me that I got very little sleep...and was starting to feel it a little, although I wasn't tired because we were so busy.
Our second day started off in great fashion with breakfast (of course) and then foot massages!! We got side-by-side 1-hour foot massages for a grand total of $15...for both. At that price, I felt generous and tipped the therapists $5 each. Which seemed like a deal, still...and they were happy!!
Another walk around town, looking for something we couldn't find, and then back to the beach for a few hours. We paid an extra $20 to keep the room until 6, so we didn't have to check out and could go back and shower before our train to Hue.
Restaurants here are unique if you're an American. Most are serving Russian food as well as Vietnamese food. However, like the Central Market, if you are hungry for a particular style of food you'll find it.
Martha's comments: We actually splurged at the La Suisse. While it had $20 rooms available, we went big and got the VIP Room with an ocean view, which cost us $50 a night with taxes. That included breakfast. The ocean view was kind of a stretch, but we had a balcony that faced where the ocean was, and we could have seen it if there weren't all those tall buildings in the way. It was only a 2 block walk, so we saw plenty of the ocean, anyway. Our VIP room did have a separate bedroom and "living area." The hotel had a free pickup service from the train, which was nice. We had to pay the $2 taxi fare to get back when we left, though. It was also conveniently located, with liquor stores right next door and a great restaurant and bar two doors down.
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| Balcony |
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| Living area |
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| Hotels.com said Ocean view, really? Well at least the room was comfortable. Click on the photo below to be taken to our Nha Trang Beach Video (click full screen lower right of video window) Ahhhhhhhh, the real ocean view  Breakfast menu at the La Suisse |
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| Chuck's breakfast |
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| Breakfast |
Martha's Comments: They also had clothes, and a very enthusiastic young lady who grabbed us off the street and sold us a shirt for Chuck (which, unfortunately, was too small). She would have sold us several more if given the chance. FYI, Asian sizing is about 2 sizes smaller than in the US.
On the way to the market, we ran across a man roasting a pig on the sidewalk. Not something you see every day in Northwest Arkansas.
As usual, it was colorful and crazy at the market.
On the way back to the hotel, we wanted a water, and had no cash left, so we had to figure out how to use the ATM in Vietnam for the first time. The first ATM we tried rejected the transaction...momentary panic ensued, as we had made arrangements with our bank for the cards to work in Vietnam. Luckily, an ATM from a different bank let us get some cash, whew!
Chuck pulled a calf muscle walking, which slowed him down for the rest of the trip.
Lunch was at the Local Restaurant. It's biggest draw was the 30 cent beers. Stir fry chicken, pineapple and cashews...and a pina colada for Martha.
On to the beach, we watched people! They were mostly tourists, and seemed to be either from Russia or Australia, with a rare Asian face thrown in. We rented chairs on the cheap end of the beach, so no cabana boy to bring drinks. However, the beer stand was only a few yards away, so we could walk and get one. Being the beach, the beer that was 30 cents at the restaurant was now $2. Oh well. If you wanted food, you didn't have to leave your chair. There were women walking the beach with pots of corn on the cob, people with rice cakes, and lots of fruit vendors. A guy even came up and offered to sell us some silk artwork.
We headed back to the hotel when it looked like a storm was rolling in. The clouds came, but not the rain. It did cool it off enough, though, that we could have a siesta on the balcony.
We had happy hour at the Fifth Floor Bar at the Ha Ven Hotel, just down the block from our hotel. The bartender was a young man who was from Canada, and had lived in Nha Trang for two years working with his cousin at the bar. Chuck asked him about cultural differences. He told us that hiring help was interesting because working for a westerner was different than what people were used to. The Vietnamese employers apparently are very rules-oriented, while the westerners wanted their employees to use creativity and initiative. He said some liked it and some couldn't take the pressure of possibly doing something wrong because there weren't enough rules.
Dinner was at Yen's Restaurant, downstairs from the bar. We ate there every night in Nha Trang, and it was always good.
My journal tells me that I got very little sleep...and was starting to feel it a little, although I wasn't tired because we were so busy.
Our second day started off in great fashion with breakfast (of course) and then foot massages!! We got side-by-side 1-hour foot massages for a grand total of $15...for both. At that price, I felt generous and tipped the therapists $5 each. Which seemed like a deal, still...and they were happy!!
Another walk around town, looking for something we couldn't find, and then back to the beach for a few hours. We paid an extra $20 to keep the room until 6, so we didn't have to check out and could go back and shower before our train to Hue.
Restaurants here are unique if you're an American. Most are serving Russian food as well as Vietnamese food. However, like the Central Market, if you are hungry for a particular style of food you'll find it.
Nha Trang offers good restaurants. In fact, they are plentiful. However, bad restaurants are in abundance. Yelp and Trip Advisor Ratings for bars and restaraunt seem to be predicated on the number of Russians per sq meter. The higher the concentration the lower the rating. Many reviews note their loudness and willingness to be rude. We aren't here long enough to prove or disprove these allegations.
Overall, my personal rating of Nha Trang is 7/10. This place is beautiful but, it caters to tourism. If you are into typical beach towns with exceptional views. This is your place in VN. If it's reality you want, you'll get it but you'll have to go in search for it. Would I come back? In a heartbeat.
Tonight we take the night train to Hue.
Vital Statistics
Dates: Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24
High Temperatures: 96 degrees (both days), Heat Index: 107 degrees (23rd), 109 degrees (24th)
Miles Walked: 5.6 miles on the 23rd, about 4 miles on the 24th
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