To the Beach and Back, Nha Trang and Vung Tau

Hello, beautiful friends! Clocking in from the humble fields of Cu Chi, a 45 minute motorbike ride from Saigon. My grandfather owned a couple plots of land here and my parents built a house 9 years ago. I'm looking forward to sharing a couple snaps from around the compound, but first let me catch you up on the journey here from Phong Nha. After the beautiful caves and serene mountains, we were ready for some tropical beach fun! It took us 18 hours by car to get to Nha Trang, Vietnam's premier beach town. Quite the drive, but it was worth it!

Nha Trang is one of the most developed cities in Vietnam. Not developed in the horizon-littered-with-skyscrapers way, but the city carries a unique sophistication due to a long history of foreign influence by developed nations. It used to be a naval & air force base back in the day and was strategic to the south in the Vietnam War. Since then, Nha Trang has been enjoyed by many for it's crystal clear water, fine sand beaches and well run tourist attractions. Walking the streets, it's seems as if Nha Trang is populated by almost as many visiting foreigners as locals on any given day.

Make sure to put Nha Trang on your itinerary if you visit Vietnam. You can easily hop a flight from Ha Noi or Saigon, or you can take an overnight bus from Saigon for super cheap! We only had a day and a half in Nha Trang before we needed to send the boys off to Saigon to catch a tour to Angkor Wat, but here are my top three must-do's for Nha Trang!

1. No. 4 Boat Tour: There are a bajillion tour companies that run this tour, but my favorite is this one. A tour like this usually includes visits to neighboring islands, snorkeling, beach time with options for parasailing or banana boating, lunch and on the No. 4 Boat Tour, a boy band! Adventurous Kate does a lovely review. I love this tour especially because it's a great way to meet other backpackers.

2. Mud Baths: I'm not really a spa person in the states. Not because I don't like being pampered, but because I don't want to drop the money. Lol. Well, thank goodness for the mighty strength of the American dollar because for $25 you can enjoy your own private mud bath spa experience. Give yourself at least 3-4 hours, if not the whole day to fully enjoy the experience. On my last trip to Nha Trang, we met an amazing Australian couple (shoutout to Rob + Briana!) on the No. 4 boat tour. We all decided to hit up the mad baths together and had a grand time! Check out Trip advisor for a couple of recommendations.

3. Vinpearl Land: Ah yes, the pride and joy of Vietnam. This island-turned-theme-park was created by a Russian megamillionaire and it is fucking amazeballs. For $30 USD, you can enjoy a water park, amusement park, aquarium, disqoteche, arcade, and who knows what else! There's a giant shopping village and restaurants at every turn. Each time I return, they've added something awesome and I've never really had enough time to explore the entire park. It's better that way, leave something new to be discovered each time I come back :)

With our limited time, we only had time for 1 of my top 3, so I opted to take Ethan and Kellen to Vinpearl land. The journey starts with a cable car ride across the ocean!

We spent most of our time in the water park, riding death defying slides and and enjoying the private beach with imported white sand. I know water parks typically fall into the sounds-fun-totally-sucks category but this water park is A+! There are A TON of slides to choose from and you never have to wait too long for your turn. If slides aren't your thing, there's a lazy river, a wave pool, and a beautiful beach where you can float in the salty water or enjoy an ice cream or a fresh fruit smoothie.

I also get a kick out of the blatant copy right infringement littered throughout the park. I'm not even offended, just completely impressed by all the fucks they completely don't give. See evidence of me and my favorite agents below. This time, I also noticed that they were basically blasting a Disneyland playlist throughout the park, complete with songs from main street. Who can blame them for taking the lead from the happiest place on earth?

We enjoyed the night market, the yummy food and the super fun evening vibes of Nha Trang. And then, it was onto the next! We set the boys on an overnight bus to Saigon and continued at our own pace down south, stopping at another beach town, Vung Tau, along the way. We passed by some gorgeous coastal scenery and fields upon fields of dragon fruit trees. Lucky for me, they're currently in season! OM NOM NOM!

We spent one night in Vung Tau before heading home to Cu Chi. My dad attended military school here from the ages of 12 - 17. I mentioned in my previous post how much it means to me to get stories from my dad first hand while traveling. He took me on a motorbike ride along the beaches he used to frequent on his days off from school and took me to the top of beacon hill, a lighthouse built by the French that now features sweeping views of the city. I wish we had more time to spend in these beautiful beach towns, but I'm happy to be relaxing at the farm house. Can't wait to share a couple snaps from around the the compound in my next post! Thank you for reading!