Good Morning, Vietnam!
We left Thailand behind on a sunny February 10th and jumped on a plane for Vietnam – our first flight since arriving in SE Asia 3+ months earlier. We were sad to leave Thailand, but excited for Vietnam. Living in Seattle, we have friends and colleagues who are Vietnamese, and we are somewhat in-touch with VN culture… especially the food. Also, the unique geography of this narrow S-shaped country serves up mountains to the west and a tropical coast to the east – often separated by less than 100 miles.
Alex plotted out a 3-month VN tour that would take us into the South, then Central VN before finally arriving north in Hanoi. Our southern itenary included, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat and then Nha Trang. Three very different cities that would give us a good feel for this part of the country. As can be the case with travel plans, weather and illness undermined our time in these 3 cities a bit, but you won’t hear complaints from us.
Taking on the Big City of Ho Chi Minh
As our plane soared over the mountains and river basins of SE Thailand and south central Cambodia, we saw mainly rural lands dotted with small villages and towns. Then we got to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) and everything changed. At roughly 10M people – the most populous city in VN – HCMC is a rambling city sprawled out across hills and waterways with a jaw dropping level of human density. Modern skyscrapers huddle together to form giant hubs surrounded by every type of housing possible, but mostly humble homes highlighting the fact that VN is still a relatively poor country. HMC is a busy, noisy, blur of humanity. While there are hot spots for tourists and some great attractions, it’s hard to really get your arms around this massive place. With less than a week in HCMC, we barely made a dent. We also underestimated the challenge of dealing with the Vietnamese language. We bunked down in District 1 – a decidedly non-tourist section. Ordering a simple cup of coffee proved challenging at times. It was a bit of a Vietnamese language boot camp. Highlights of our visit included long treks through a few of the 12 districts and exploring “downtown” (District 1) with its historic areas, French architecture, and many, many street food vendors.
Da Lat - "Little Paris" is a Big Surprise
For 3+ months, most of our travels have taken us into large city scapes, coastal beaches or jungle mountains. The climate generally ranged from hot to very hot – and often very humid. For two folks from the Pacific NW, this has taken some adjustments. With that in mind, we boarded our modern “sleeper bus” in HCMC and began the daylight trip to Da Lat and somewhere along with way we began to go up…and up. Soon, we were staring at long needle pine forests, blue lakes and mountain ridges. We drove through the streets of Da Lat and it felt like we were in a mountain village in central Europe. (Note: Da Lat was a favorite vacation spot for the French during colonization.) We stepped out of the bus into 60F air and realized that the long-sleeved shirts we had been lugging around for 3 months would finally be put to use.
Da Lat is a tree and plant-filled city wrapped around a lovely lake and surrounded by forested hills and speckled with French architecture. We could have spent several weeks trekking the trails surrounding the city, but Mother Nature had other plans, and the rain and cool temps limited our visit to just 4 days. We would definitely recommend visiting this city when in VN – especially if you need a respite from noisy mega-cities and/or scorching hot climes. The annual Flower Festival brings people from all over in the spring, which would be a great time to visit.
Nha Trang VN -
Beach Life on the Southern Coast
We boarded our luxury van in Da Lat and began a very crazy, descent down winding mountain roads heading NE to the coastal city of Nha Trang. Nha Trang is well known for its beaches and clear waters. Its a popular destination for international tourists (pariculary Russians and Chinese), as well as more affluent travelers on the south-east Asia circuit. We checked into our 31-story Panama Hotel located 1 block off the main beach (Bãi biển Nha Trang) and in the heart of the busy down town tourist area. Similar to other cities in SE Asia, we were surrounded by restaurants, street cafes, massage parlors, coffee shops and a fair number of places to get craft beers (meant to keep the tourists happy). Nha Trang city has long, clean beaches bordering the South China Sea, as well as 19 islands within striking distance each offering their own beaches, mountains and unique eco systems.
Our visions of recreating our experiences in Thailand – beautiful water, blue sky sunny days, etc. were dashed when the rain began and the wind roared. Suddenly massages, food and beer became our primary adventure options. The weather finally broke on day 9 and we used our remaining 3 days in Nha Trang to hit the islands and a few beaches. The water is warm (78F) and clear and there is a lot of marine life with a great diversity of fish. Sadly, the advertised coral reefs in many areas have been ravaged by hordes of tourists (most lacking skills to lessen their impact) and climate change. Seasonal tidal action also tends to create red-flag conditions on most beaches, which limits access and swimming. To be clear, this is a beautiful place with lots to offer, but if you’re considering a visit then you need to understand the details to avoid any disappointments. We certainly enjoyed our time in Nha Trang and would return as more savvy travelers.
Discover more from Two for the Road
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Love your trip and documentation! You guys are seeing so much. Thanks for all the pics and videos. We do miss you! Keep having fun!
Wow! Thanks so much for sharing. HCM city was truly overwhelming. So much activity! We were directed to a small coffee shop/cafe run by the deaf who have very limited employment opportunities in the city. Vietnamese coffee is definitely not for the faint of heart! I’m truly enjoying your posts remembering places visited and enjoying new experiences!
Excellent report, fab pics! We are flying to Hanoi this morning. It would be awesome if we could meet up. Any chance you will be visiting Hue? We are there 4/7-4/10.