| Page Views: 701 Last Visit to Nha Trang: April, 2008 | Nha Trang Day by bpwarne - last update: Feb 8, 2009 |
We took a 1/2 day tour while in Nha Trang with nhatrangrivertour. We arranged this ahead of time via the internet. Originally it was for a group of 6-8 of us but word got out and the group kept growing. We called a halt to it at 18 as it was becoming too large and unwieldy. Mr Dung met us at the dock as arranged and we proceeded to an embroidery factory where we could watch them work with no pressure to buy, a very old home where they made some of the most beautiful woodwork where we had a very light snack, a Hindu temple, a walk through small back streets of Nha Trang, a river tour/trip up river in small boats, a motorcycle and/or cart ride Someone (Patty) refused the pre-arranged cart and requested a motorbike, babbling something about inhumane donkey or horse treatment. Dung got out his cell phone in the middle of nowhere, and within minutes a few motorbikes appeared and off we went through the countryside (never mind the inhumane treatment of overloading those poor Russian made Minsk motorbikes with three people on each! What can I say, I love motorcycles.) to a sedge mat operation run out of a family's home. We then returned to the river for lunch at a restaurant alongside the river (no one wanted the snakes in a jar) and then a tour of an island with fresh picked coconut drinks. It was a fantastic time and everyone in our group (18 of us) thought it the best excursion of the entire cruise. All for $20/person. In fact many in the group said they would never again take a cruise line excursion. |
|  | You call this Communism? After the tour we went to the market and Patty had a pedicure and manicure plus a great cup of Vietnamese iced coffee all for $4.00 USD at a small stall. Vietnamese women came out of the woodwork as soon as she sat down, and soon there were at least half a dozen of them, just standing around pointing, laughing and trying to talk with her. I left and wandered around the market area fielding various solicitations to buy T-shirts, carvings, brass items, tiger balm for the skin, an elixer of some concoction for general good health, dried, heavily salted fish for a healthy diet, Viagra for "happy times", a motorcyle taxi tour to see any sights I may have missed, a massage, again for "happy time" and last, but not least, a woman, also for "happy time". Free Enterprise is alive and well in the marketplace of Nha Trang. |
| We spot tourists on the river... |
| | Second Visit to Nha Trang We returned to Nha Trang in Late May of 2007, enroute from Danang Dalat. We arrived at Cam Ranh Bay by way of Vietnam Airlines and took the Vietnam Airlines shuttle into Nha Trang. We enjoyed walking on the beach, a great massage, probably the best we had in vietnam and some really good Indian food. We stayed at the Phu Quy 2 Hotel, review to follow soon.
We took a Sinhcafe Open Tour bus from Nha Trang to Dalat for about $4/ea. It left at 8AM and took nearly 6 hours.
Third Visit to Nha Trang
I returned to Nha Trang for a few days in April, 2008, enroute to Sapa and Dien Bien Phu. Nha Trang has become one of our favorite haunts in Vietnam. Warm beaches, wide variety of great food, friendly people, reasonably uncrowded considering it is perhaps Vietnam's best known beach destination. I spent about four days here this visit, arriving by overnight train from Saigon and departing from Cam Ranh Bay by plane to Hanoi. I had a pedicure on the beach for $2 USD, rented a motorbike for about $5/day, traveled up and down Highway 1 a bit, went to Monkey Island, visited the Mud baths one day and just lolled around on the beach at times. Cant wait to return. |
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| Pros: | "Beautiful area for an adventure" | | Cons: | "None, one of the finest port excursions we have ever had." | | In A Nutshell: | "Just Fantastic fun!" |
bpwarne's Nha Trang Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 5 - Photos: 13 | | | Restaurants
Tips: 4 - Photos: 3 | Hotels & Accommodations
Tips: 4 - Photos: 10 | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 bpwarne's Nha Trang Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for bpwarne about Nha Trang | | | | |
haugrd Sun Sep 27, 2009 20:47 UTC
Thanks for the Excellent Tips and Photos. We plan to arrange the Nha Trang River tour with Dung Pham for about 40 from the Diamond Princess Cruise Critic group in April 2010. | Le0nieM Sat May 2, 2009 05:04 UTC
Apr 09 Dung took us on a great day out combining his river & countryside tours. He listed attractions & we chose where we went. We got a great dose of behind the scenes culture. We really enjoyed it & would recommend this company to other tourists. | sayedaburas Sun Feb 18, 2007 07:16 UTC
Lucky Dung ! (~_~) |
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