It Ain't Nhathing But a Good Trang

Trip Start Apr 27, 2006
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Trip End Apr 01, 2008


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Flag of Vietnam  ,
Saturday, March 8, 2008

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 tourists default to buses without exploring the option.  I got a "soft" sleeper, since it was only $4 more than a "hard" sleeper or a seat, but then I went and spent most of the time in the restaurant/bar car because it was so interesting.

Nha Trang is on the southeast coast of Vietnam and is - surprise - being developed as a beach resort.  There is not much else to say about it.  It is not very developed right now and has a long, pretty nice, and almost deserted (put it might have been the weather and it is not the highest season) beach Chris, Me, Ertta (sp?), and the Puker
Chris, Me, Ertta (sp?), and the Puker
 .  Unfortunately, as hinted at, it was overcast and drizzly for the two days I was here, so I opted not to do the four island tour and snorkeling either day.  In a recurring theme, I basically just ate, drank, read, traded books with the kid street vendors, and hung out with people.

In a small world way, I met a guy from San Francisco on the train who had moved here 7 years ago with his Vietnamese wife.  They exported furniture and helpfully told me where to go, although I would have found them anyway given that they were the most obvious places to go.  The first night (Tuesday, March 4), I satisfied a craving and went to a recommended French bistro and had local fois gras and real cheese, where I ran into Chris, a guy from the Mekong boat and Luang Prabang.  He had hung with some of the other people for a little longer and got me caughtup as we played some pool at the "Why Not Bar?"  Why Not indeed.  I then checked out The Sailing Club" -  the beach bar at which everyone ends their evening, unless they go bck to the Why Not until 4:00 a.m.

I wandered the town and the beach the next day before ending up at the Louisanne Brewpub, which is exactly what it sounds like.  They brew their own beer and make some Creole style dishes.  It is right on the water and has a pool customers can use Deserted Beach
Deserted Beach
 .  I had some oysters and ran into Meredith, a really interesting (and decidedly non-PC, non-socialist NGO type who had just finished a frustrating time working for the U.N. Development Programme in Cambodia), who I had met briefly the previous night at our hotel's rooftop bar.  We grabbed a phenomenal seafood dinner together, and then met Chris at - why not? - the Why Not and two girls he had met at his guesthouse.  That led, of course, to the Sailing Club for all but Meredith (who had booked the 8:00 a.m. boat tour).  It was fun until the girl from Minnesota started puking.  Oh well.

On Thursday the 6th it rained the worst and I spent the entire day at the brewhouse eating mussels and shrimp, reading, playing a couple games of pool with random people, and sampling their 5 brews.  It was mellow and relaxing, and I would reccommend Nha Trang as a beach if the weather was better.  Everything is cheap and everyone is really friendly, although the motobike drivers are of the same annoying tout/pimp/dealer breed as everywhere else.  That evening I caught the overnight train to:

Hoi An, Vietnam
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