Introduction
Nha Trang is the usual stop for most travellers on their way from the South to the center or vice versa.
We liked the place, just to relax for 2 days on the beach, and go diving or take a boattrip.
Getting there
By plane
Nha Trang airport gets about 10 flights a week from Saigon (650.000 VND) and 1 daily flight from Danang (550.000 VND).
The airport is very near to the town, a taxi won't cost much, bigger hotels will come and pick you up for free.
By train
It is possible to take a night train, but I have no info on this.
By bus
The night bus from Saigon is reasonable if you're lucky that it's not full.
The buses coming from Hoi An and Dalat on the contrary are horribly uncomfortable due to the bad roads.
Accommodation
We stayed at the Nha Trang Lodge.
This is a big block on the other side of the road from the beach.
Normal price is 50 US$ for a double, but they give promotions till 40
US$ including breakfast. Rooms are good with AC, TV, etc..., and most
of them have a great view over the beach. However, as in most hotels is
Vietnam, the isolation is not so good, so we had some noise at night
from the Karaoke bar at 250 m from the hotel. The have a swimming pool,
but they share it with another hotel, so you'll have to walk for 150
metres. However, the beach is just a 30 metres walk over the road.
Restaurants/Cafés
Louisiana is a new place right on the beach, but they
also have a swimming pool. It's kept by French people. Food is
excellent, but understandibly a bit more expensive.
The Sailing club is the place to be at night with good atmosphere.
Omar's restaurant is a good Indian restaurant with 2 branches:
- Nguyen Thien Thuat St. 24c
- Tran Phu St. 96A/7
What to do
Diving
Which shops ?
As
soon as you set a foot in Nha Trang airport, you'll get leaflets from
dive shops. In fact, business (and competition) has exploded in 2000.
Before, only 2 shops where there, in 2000 4 new shops have opened, so
in total there are now 6 shops. You can expect fierce competition,
since they're not really friends. Consequently, prices have dropped, 2
dives now cost 40 to 45 US$.
One of the 2 original clubs is
Blue Diving club, in front of the Nha Trang Lodge Hotel. It's run by a
French guy, Joel, who's married to a Vietnamese dive instructor. I did
2 dives with them, and their equipment and expertise were certainly
good. We were only 3 divers on the boat. A "try-a-dive"trip is possible
for 50 US$.
Rainbow divers are certainly the most
aggressive, as the have publicity almost everywhere, as well as 3
booking points. They also have a website at www.rainbowdivers.com. They charge 40 US$ for 2 dives. Their boat was full of people.
Other clubs are Coco Divers, Orca Divers and Louisiana Divers.
Where to dive?
A friend of mine had done 2 dives and said it was nothing special.
My first dive was
at Madonna's Rock. This is apparently a classical dive spot, as the
other boats where there also. I wasn't impressed at all with this spot.
Depth is about 15 metres, but there's only few coral and fish. The
reason they go there is that they have some rock formations with some
small caves and passages as well. The second dive was much better. It
was at Moray Beach where corals are absolutely beautiful. It is a
shallow dive (between 3 and 7 metres), so it's also possible to go
snorkeling). We didn't see too much fish, except for 1 giant eal.
When to dive
The
diving season starts mid-January or beginning of February and ends
mid-October. After that, rainy season sets in, and visiblity becomes
too poor so they stop diving.
Boat trips
Boat trips have become very popular mainly thanks to Mama Hanh. For 7
US$, you get a boattrips with great food, booze and joints. If you're
not into joints, it's better to go on other trips like Mama Linh. Don't
expect too much of the snorkeling, as these slow boats usually cannot
go to Moray Beach.
In
the beginning of 2000, Mama Hanh spent some time in prison because of
the hasjies found on he boat, but I couldn't figure out what has
happened since. Some say she's free again, others say she's not.
The beach
We absolutely loved the beach in Nha Trang, though some people didn't
agree. When you sit there, you'll be approached by people willing to
sell anything. At noon, some old ladies pass by to sell marvellous
cooked seafood, but they know the prices! It is true that sometimes the
water can become very dirty. This has to do with the nearby river which
sometimes puts a lot of mud into the see, at other times the water is
very clear.
A good place to sit at the beach is the Louisiana. There are less hasslers there.
Cham towers
These towers are nothing special. You can find them in the North of Nha Trang on the left side right behind the second bridge.
Interesting new trips
Most people go to Hoi An from Nha Trang by bus
However,
if you have more time, it is worthwhile to go inland, as you can see
some interesting minorities, as well as marvellous waterfalls (100 m
wide !!). Some people in Nha Trang will offer you to guide you around
for 5 days on their motorbikes, visit all these places and villages,
and then drop you in Hoi An. Price is about 25 US$ pp. You can have 1
passenger on 1 motorbike, but they can have several motorbikes if you
want to.
1) One guide we met was Nguyen Vinh Hung. You can reach
him at tel. 813620 between 8 and 11 pm.He speaks French and also
English.
2) Another guide is Bao Le Duy. He speaks better
English. His address is 52/16 Tran Phu, Vinh Nguyen, Nha Trang, Tel.
(058) 590.369. This is the trip he offered for 125 US$
- The Ho Chi Minh Trail tour takes you to Hoi An in 5 days via Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, Kontum and the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
- Another trip without the Ho Chi Minh trail takes you to Hoi An via My Lai (4 days).
-
You can also make a loop to Buon Ma Thuot and visit the minorities
there, ride elephants and see the waterfalls and return to Nha Trang (2
to 3 days).
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