Diving in Nha Trang (and other relaxing things)

Our summer holidays for 2020 were something we had been looking forward to for ages.  For the last 2 years we have been planning a trip that had been on our 'to do' list for a very long time:  A safari trip through Namibia and Botswana.  And the best part was that we were going to share the experience with very good friends Everett and Frances.  Justin has known Ev since they were 6 years old.  But 2020 had other plans and so we ended up having to make other plans as well.

The Covid19 pandemic has had a major impact all around the world, but some countries have been fortunate and have been hardly impacted.  Vietnam is one such country.  At the same time that America is dealing with over 1.5 million cases of the virus, Vietnam has had less than 400 cases. And there has been no community transmission for at least the last 3 months.  Domestic travel has opened up again, and essentially it is life as normal for most people living in Vietnam.  This was therefore the perfect opportunity to explore more of this beautiful country.  

Over the last few months I have also been working on my Open Water Diver course through PADI.  The online theory was complete.  The confined pool dives had been completed in Saigon. The only part remaining was the open water dives to complete the course.  I found a great dive company, Rainbow Divers, that run dives out of Nha Trang and signed up.  

As the first 6 months of the year had been quite hectic, we decided that we would take the opportunity to have a proper break; at least 2 weeks.  Week 1 would be spent in Nha Trang and week 2 in what must be considered one of Vietnam's most beautiful areas:  Tam Coc. This blog covers Nha Trang.  Next time, Tam Coc.  

There were 4 open water dives spread over 2 days.  The dives focus on practicing skills learnt, and diving to depths of up to 18m.

Vietnam is not renowned for diving, and I wasn't expecting much.  But, to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised.  The coral was in a good state, we saw a large range of different types of fish, and the visibility was great.  

Ben, my instructor, demonstrating how to create a ring of air.

Vietnam has seen a significant increase in the number of international tourists over the last few years; 10 million in 2016, 13 million in 2017, 15.5 million in 2018 and 18 million in 2019.  But with borders closed and unlikely to open any time soon, the tourism sector has had to find other ways to keep the tourism industry alive.  And so, to encourage domestic tourism, there are specials being offered on flights, accommodation and tours.  With so many great specials on offer, we decided to snatch up a few in Nha Trang.  We therefore booked stay at two of the fancier resorts in Nha Trang; places we would not normally even consider.  First up was the Amiana Resort on the mainland for 4 nights, and then we moved on to the MerPerle Resort on Hon Tam Island for 3 nights. 

Amiana resort was fairly busy when we were there.  Partially due to our stay being over a weekend.  MerPerle however was very quiet; probably less than 20% occupancy.  Whilst it was nice to have the beach and swimming pool largely to ourselves, there was a distinct lack of atmosphere and we were left wondering how these resorts manage to stay open.  

Enjoying a sunset walk on the beach at MerPerle Resort

Most of the time it felt like we were the only ones on the island

We also enjoyed some sightseeing whilst in Nha Trang.  We explored Ponagar Tower, Long Son Pagoda, and also visited the Museum of Oceanography.  

Some photos from our visit to Ponagar Tower...

A Lotus flower about to open, above, and after losing all its petals, below.
The Lotus seeds are then extracted and used to make tea, and in cooking and baking.

And from our visit to Long Son Pagoda...

Before arriving in Nha Trang we had already identified Ponagar Tower and Long Son Pagoda as two places we wanted to visit.  But we were not sure what to expect from our visit to the Museum of Oceanography.  Is it a museum?  Or is it an aquarium?  How big is it?  And would it be worth visiting?

The answer is that it is mostly an aquarium, but also has sections that are distinctly museum like - like the large room that is filled with thousands of specimens stored in bottles.   It is surprisingly big and sort of unravels as you explore.  More than once we thought we had reached the end only to find the next section to be explored around the corner.  And on the question of is it worth visiting: yes.  We paid 20,000 Vietnamese Dong each to enter (less than U$ 1), and for that price did not expect much.  But considering the wide variety of displays and that you can easily spend an hour exploring here, it is worth visiting. 

And our final tip for if you are considering visiting Nha Trang:  Find the Rainforest Cafes (there are two of them).  A great selection of food and drinks, a relaxing atmosphere, and the staff were extremely welcoming.  

Next time:  Beautiful Tam Coc

Trekking, flowers and coffee in Dalat

After a few months since the last public holiday in Vietnam - it was back in May - September arrived with a gift.  Independence day is celebrated on 2nd September, and Monday 3rd September was a public holiday.  Although we were a bit slow to make plans, we decided that this was the perfect opportunity to get out the city for a long weekend.  After considering a few options, including the Imperial City of Hue which we will still visit at some point, we decided on Dalat. 

Dalat is located at about 1,500m above sea level, and the average temperature is about 10 degrees C cooler than down in Ho Chi Minh City.  This makes it a popular destination for anybody looking to escape the heat.  And the French also thought so when they were here.  So with it's French influence and cooler temperatures, it is locally referred to as the European city of Vietnam.  

Although we were sceptical about how European it would really feel, we did like the idea of enjoy some cooler weather and had also heard that there are a number of trekking options in this area.  So we packed in our hiking shoes and headed for the 'City of thousands of pine trees' - another name it has adopted.  

I had also asked a Ho Chi Minh City local what are some of the best things to do in Dalat, and was told 'drinking coffee at the coffee shops'.  And so we also did a fair amount of that.  

Below are some photos from our long weekend in Dalat.  Enjoy, and we hope you feel inspired to visit. 

Selfie with our guide, Dom

After considering a few options for trekking in this area, we ended up deciding to go with a local guide through a company called Viet Challenge.  They offer a number of trekking options and the one that we decided on was 'Trek to Heaven Gate'.  This trip is also referred to as 'Trek to Tiger Waterfall', but this doesn't really give a fair idea of what the trek involves.  A better name would be 'Trek in the mountains through beautiful scenery that includes pine trees, coffee plantations, and a walk along a river'.  

One of the local houses that we passed

View of one of the coffee plantations that we trekked through

Our lunch time view

Dom preparing lunch.  Banh mi, fresh fruit and biscuits - yum!

The challenging part of the trek:  A suspension bridge that hangs at an angle.  

That is Bronwen in the background making her way across.  Our advice: Keep left!

This suspension bridge was far more user friendly.

After the trek, and on the way back into Dalat city, we stopped at Linh Phuoc Pagoda.

One of the attraction is the 8,500kg bell, which is thought to be the heaviest in Vietnam.  

The bell is covered with yellow pieces of paper that contain wishes and prayers.  After sticking the note to the bell, the visitor chimes the bell three times to send the wish to Buddha. 

Another attraction at the pagoda is the 18m tall statue of Bodhisattva that is covered with thousands of flowers.  Estimates range from 10,000 (what a local had told us) to over 600,000 (according to a Vietnam tourism website). 

Back in Dalat, we also had time to visit the flower gardens.  Although peak flower season had already passed, the gardens were still in good condition and we enjoyed the walk around.  

We also managed to buy some orchid bulbs, and now looking forward to growing our own.

Linh Son Pagoda

A find that we really enjoyed was Truong Cong Dinh street, and specifically the DeLYcious cafe.  The Very Berry cake is a must :) 

Views along Truong Cong Dinh street

Dalat is about 300km north-east of Ho Chi Minh City, or an almost 7 hour drive according to Google Maps.  Although it is possible to get there by overnight bus, we decided to go for the flying option instead.  There are a few operators that fly between HCMC and Dalat, and even with a last minute booking on a long weekend we were able to get a relatively good deal. 

Our 3 days in Dalat included 40km of walking, and we thoroughly enjoyed our countryside getaway.  

Saying it feels like a European city is a stretch, but it does feel different to any of the other Vietnam cities that we have visited.  It is also probably one of the few places where you will see Vietnamese locals wearing jackets, beanies, scarves and gloves.