Ha Van Hotel Nha Trang

While we were planning for the trip, one issue we had was how to get from Hoi An to Nha Trang; based on what we've read, the only way is by overnight bus, a 12-hour affair that has been described as "the trip from hell", "a horrendous experience" and "never again, i'd rather give a kidney away".

So after we got to Hue and asked around, we decided the best way to do this was to backtrack from Hoi An to Danang (45 minutes by bus) then take an 8- to 12-hour train ride from Danang to Nha T...

A short entry today, as we're still in Nha Trang which is a beach town so not much to visit to speak of. We're taking it really easy, walking on the beach, resting, reading, munching and planning for our next leg of the trip. Destination: Dalat in the Central Highlands of VN.

Since our source of information from overseas is not only ill with a cold, he's also out of town to give a conference, in a phlegmy if not sexy voice, and did not have full access to his panoply of in-depth resear...

Christmas Day. Not only in there no snow, there is no shirt. It is almost too hot. Christmas is really not Christmas to me. I can't quite grasp the time of year while I am typing away at 7PM Christmas Day in shorts and a T-shirt on a roof deck, drinking Biere Larue in a Coozie. I am spending my time in Nha Trang, near the middle of Vietnam on the coast. I woke up around 10:30 after what could only be described as a Christmas Eve Rave that lasted until the sun almost came up. More on that late...

Finally, a train! I prefer trains to buses because it is easier to meet people, there are toilets and a restaurant/bar car, I can walk around, and I get to see parts of the country other than the roadside. In S.E. Asia, however, the train systems are generally slower and rattier than modern long-haul buses. So, when I figured out that the train was quicker than the bus to get from Saigon to Nha Trang, I went for it. It was interesting. It was almost entirely Vietnamese, since most of the tour...

This is our last night in the city of Nha Trang - a bustling tourist spot in southern Vietnam. 70% of the "tourists" are Vietnamese. The bus ride from Mui Ne was an interesting experience. After being picked up at our hotel in Mui Ne, we proceed to travel about 1/2 mile down the street where we stopped for lunch. While waiting for others to finish eating, we noticed my bag outside of the bus. After noticing the bag, a man suddenly drove up to us on a scooter with Katie's bag. He explained tha...

Took the overnight bus from Hoi An to Nha Trang. Arrived in Nha Trang about 6am on Thursday, April 9, 2009, and we drove in along the beach... it was full of locals doing their morning exercises... walking, swimming, Thai Chi, etc. So many of the them and not a tourist in sight. Had a hotel picked out (the Ha Van) but didn't book in advance so I was glad they had room... TripAdvisor has been a lifesaver on this trip! Room was my cheapest yet... $16 and all the amenities... air con., tv, minib...

We boarded an overnight sleeper bus in Hoi An on an evening when the thunderclouds threatened overhead and the sky turned black at around 4 PM. We said goodbye to our nice and wonderful guesthouse owners in Hoi An (Hoang Trinh Guesthouse) and hit the road to Nha Trang. The bus ride was supposed to be from around 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM, so we settled in to our little beds for the night, thinking we’d get to read and listen to iPods and just relax before catching a few hours of sleep. The bed...