After a quick stopover at Mui Ne, we traveled on to Nha Trang where we stayed at the VinPearl resort for 4 nights. On the way there we stopped by Ca Na in search of the clear blue water but did not find it, I did jump in the water there briefly enough to get my feet wet. The water was very clear and refreshingly cool but there was no real sandy beach per se, just rocks. Asking the locals about the elusive blue water, we were pointed to…Cam Ranh. We drove to Cam Ranh passing by the airport and the former US naval base but did not see the beach. Cam Ranh airport is now an international airport with only a short drive to Nha Trang ( 30 minutes). The road connecting them has just been built and it was a beauty ( for VN standard) with smooth, wide lanes and neatly landscaped. We still saw the big billboard advertising the 2008 Miss Universe Pageant which took place 3-4 weeks ago at Diamond Bay Resort ( part of the competition was also held at the VinPearl resort).
We arrived at the reception building for VinPearl, our luggages were loaded into a boat and off we went zipping across the water to reach the island of Hon Tre where VinPearl resort was built. It was an impressive facility with several large buildings looking out to the ocean. This is the view from our room at the pool ( supposedly the biggest one in SE Asia, and it was truly enormous) and the ocean. Just drop dead gorgeous, the picture here did not do it justice !
This is the view in front of our building. Somewhere on top of that hill is a golf course being built.
The beach, obviously, with warm, clear water and very tranquil.
As a disclaimer, I did not use any photoshop or adding any blue dye to these pictures, the water just came out bluer than it was in reality but it came pretty close to this in the bright sunshine. You have to sit on the beach to truly appreciate the incredible view with mountains on either side of the beach with silhouettes of other islands in the distance. I have been to many Caribbean islands but this one was just simply stunning. It reminded us of St. Johns island’s Trunk Bay.
Lunch time at the beachside restaurant with a nice cool breeze. Nha Trang actually was a lot breezier and cooler than most Caribbean islands, other than Aruba.
T., at the restaurant, while waiting for food to arrive.
The inclusive breakfast was quite nice with a wide selection of Vietnamese and continental dishes. It served pho ( beef and chicken), banh cuon, congee, fried rice, fresh fruits ( ahh, the rambutans..) along with your usual eggs, toasts, pastries, etc. Pho was surprisingly good for a hotel , better than all restaurants I have had in Virginia.
For dinner, we ventured out to different restaurants each night. Since the Nha Trang’s specialty is seafood, we ate mostly that. Seafoods were not that cheap, a lobster could eat your wallet out of 30 USD. We did have prawns, fried fish, squids ( very tender) and were happy overall. A dinner for 8 adults with mostly seafoods was about 80 USD which is still cheap for USA standard.
These were fresh lobsters and fish on the grill outside of Truc Linh 2 restaurant. Surprisingly, the best dish we had there was kidney stir-fried with garlic, it was so delicious with a strong smoky aroma that I remembered my aunt P. used to make with stir-fried beef.
Of course, we could not resist the temptation of street foods. Here was T. at a bun rieu stand at the market ( cho Dda^\m, I had to make sure no one could misinterpret the name of this market if I did not put in the extra d ^ and \). It was delicious and a bargain at 12000 VND or 75 cents USD.
My sister C. and T. at a sugarcane juice stand. The juice was so sweet and mighty refreshing with ice. It was only 4000 VND or 25 cents USD. T. was buying rambutans and trying to convince that lady to let her try carrying the don ganh ( English translation, anyone?). Good thing she did not succeed, that thing weighed 100 lbs.
They went shopping inside the market for kitchen knick-knacks and souvenirs.
Most of the hotels were located on Tran Phu boulevard, a main road lined with shops, hotels on one side and a park on the other. The beach there was not as clean as Hon Tre island since it was at the receiving end of the main river with lots of sediment and most likely some trash. The water was deep and could be dangerous with undertow currents causing many drowning accidents every year. I was so glad we were staying at VinPearl.
Sheraton hotel under construction on Tran Phu blvd.
It rained almost every late afternoon there after the kids were back in the room sleeping. This was the approaching rain cloud that just looked so omnious. But like any good thing that must come to an end, we said good-bye to VinPearl with a promise that we would be back here next time ( maybe next year). Consider the nice facility with incredible views, courteous service, delicious breakfasts, and the countless boat rides to-and-fro the resort, VinPearl is a bargain at 133 USD a night.
One last pose before getting on the shuttle to the boat launch area. See you next year, VP!
