Nha Trang, Vietnam

 

Good Morning Vietnam.

Nha Trang is one of Vietnams more popular beach getaways, it boasts white sandy beaches lined with coco palm trees.  The town is located within the beautiful Nha Trang Bay, which has been voted one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world.  Unfortunately, during my visit the weather was cloudy and the seas grey, so I can’t comment on it’s beauty.

Not as pretty as promised!

Beach loungers.

It is due to these beaches and mild all year round temperatures that Nha Trang is fast becoming a favourite destination for international tourists, attracting large numbers of backpackers on the Southeast Asia circuit.

Hotel lobby area.

A scattering of French-colonial beachfront hotels and open-air cafes make up the heart of Nha Trang's tourist district.  The town itself is small with fishing as it's primary industry.
 

Fishing fleet.

Fishing junk.

New build hotels and smart western style beach resorts are evident all along the long beachfront.  Some with their own microbrewery, which seems to attract both local and westerner visitors!

Beachfront resort.

Resort.

The local cuisine is mostly fresh seafoods and barbecued pork rolled in rice paper.  The bird’s nest soup is supposedly the best in Vietnam, the nests are collected from bird farms on islands off the coast.

Fresh seafood.

Snack time.

Fresh veggies.

Lunch break for trike driver.

Nha Trang was a favourite R&R location for US servicemen during the Vietnam conflict.  Today it is a convenient location for visits to old Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and tours around the hundreds of miles of underground tunnels excavated by the Viet Cong during the war.

Although it appears fairly safe to wonder around during the day, I was taken aback to see some swift summarily justice being handed out.  Government troops pounced on and roughly manhandled an individual off the street into a waiting van for a seemingly trivial traffic offence.  Thank heavens for zoom lenses!

Your nicked!

I may have also accidentally stumbled upon a secret police training exercise in one of the parks.  A group of shifty looking individuals were unloading armalite rifles from inside parkas, again the zoom lens comes in handy.

Secret police??

During a brief visit to a local café for much needed refreshment, I was accosted by a young oriental type chappy, who enquired whether I wished to avail myself of certain sexual activities with his female friend for $10.  Just goes to show that inflation has not affected the market since the days of the GI on R&R!

Days work done.