Nha Trang is the Surfer's Paradise of Vietnam. It has a beautiful beach, tall buildings overlooking the coast, and is frequented by many tourists.
We arrived on the overnight train from Da Nang, and shared the cabin with a family of Swedes. At first sight, we were dismayed at the sight of two small children, as we had experienced a sleepless night in China when sharing with a small baby. However, these kids fell asleep straight away and did not stir once during the night. We were greatly impressed with the dedication of this couple to international travel.
Despite the fact Vietnam is nearing the depths of winter, it was scorchingly hot, and we needed the relief of the ocean. As well as swimming, it was very pleasant to read under the palms, and walk along in the shaded esplanade.
Besides the beach though, there was not too much to see or do, save a mud-bath spa and an overpriced water park, so we decided to escape the heat and see the new Bond film - Skyfall. It had been 4 months since our last cinema experience and as always, the big theatres in developing countries are at least as good as those in the west. We laughed at the Vietnamese translation of the new Twilight film, which is perhaps more apt than the English title.
When walking home from the cinema I was able to capture one of the absurd examples of loads carried on the back of motorbikes that has become iconic in Vietnam. I especially like the delivery instructions on the side of the refrigerator (you can click to enlarge the image).
Our other main source of entertainment in Nha Trang was the excellent and varied street food. We realised that our main specification for a place to eat stipulated that it must have tiny plastic children's chairs, like this baguette stall that served the most delicious and piquant mixture of fried egg, coriander, salad and chilli sauce.
In the evening we twice visited this impressive outdoor kitchen, which was immensely popular with locals because of the price and quality.
We had a mouth-watering spicy papaya salad, and a fried potato omelette we will certainly try to emulate at home, as always served with generous amounts of herbs.
I was also able to continue my love affair with Vietnamese iced coffee, the best examples of which I have always found on the street. They prepare it by drizzling an exceptionally thick amount of sweetened condensed milk in the bottom, then mixing it with a pre-prepared cold espresso, filling the glass with ice, and pouring more espresso over the top. At the best places, it was served with a cold jasmine tea to quench the thirst before savouring the iced coffee.
We arrived on the overnight train from Da Nang, and shared the cabin with a family of Swedes. At first sight, we were dismayed at the sight of two small children, as we had experienced a sleepless night in China when sharing with a small baby. However, these kids fell asleep straight away and did not stir once during the night. We were greatly impressed with the dedication of this couple to international travel.
Despite the fact Vietnam is nearing the depths of winter, it was scorchingly hot, and we needed the relief of the ocean. As well as swimming, it was very pleasant to read under the palms, and walk along in the shaded esplanade.
Besides the beach though, there was not too much to see or do, save a mud-bath spa and an overpriced water park, so we decided to escape the heat and see the new Bond film - Skyfall. It had been 4 months since our last cinema experience and as always, the big theatres in developing countries are at least as good as those in the west. We laughed at the Vietnamese translation of the new Twilight film, which is perhaps more apt than the English title.
When walking home from the cinema I was able to capture one of the absurd examples of loads carried on the back of motorbikes that has become iconic in Vietnam. I especially like the delivery instructions on the side of the refrigerator (you can click to enlarge the image).
Our other main source of entertainment in Nha Trang was the excellent and varied street food. We realised that our main specification for a place to eat stipulated that it must have tiny plastic children's chairs, like this baguette stall that served the most delicious and piquant mixture of fried egg, coriander, salad and chilli sauce.
In the evening we twice visited this impressive outdoor kitchen, which was immensely popular with locals because of the price and quality.
We had a mouth-watering spicy papaya salad, and a fried potato omelette we will certainly try to emulate at home, as always served with generous amounts of herbs.
I was also able to continue my love affair with Vietnamese iced coffee, the best examples of which I have always found on the street. They prepare it by drizzling an exceptionally thick amount of sweetened condensed milk in the bottom, then mixing it with a pre-prepared cold espresso, filling the glass with ice, and pouring more espresso over the top. At the best places, it was served with a cold jasmine tea to quench the thirst before savouring the iced coffee.
