As we continue our exploration of Vietnam we find ourselves heading to the lovely beach area of Nha Trang, a perfect place for a little respite from all the big cities we have visited, or so we think. Not the quiet little beach town I expect but a big beach town that I suspect will get much bigger, a new airport has now opened a fair distance from town with lots of new development in between. The major thing that makes this place feel more like a city than a beach town is the excessive use of horns, much like Saigon.

The beach is a long stretch of soft sand with the occasional oasis of beach chairs and umbrellas. Swimmers are teased between gentle waves and big pops of surf that catch them off guard. There is a lovely park and paved path which separate the road from the beach. We take long walks along here stopping occasionally for refreshments at one of the inviting beach front restaurants.

Our first night here as we search for a place for our supper we are greeted by many smiling faces waving us into their establishment. The difficulty is deciding as each one is so welcoming, the menu is on display at most places, proudly boasting their meals. We see a lot of crocodile, ostriche, and frog, none of which I find appealing.

We finally come across an Italian restaurant with a non smoking upstairs, look at each other and head in, we do try to eat local but sometimes you just need pizza.  Good choice, great salad, pizza and pasta, soon we become loyal customers with samples and drinks on the house!

Hearing there is a great reef for snorkelling at Mun Island we sign up and take a boat out. There are a few divers aboard but its not crowded which is nice. The snorkelling is fantastic, the water a little cold and in hindsight we should have put on the offered wetsuits but what a great assortment of sea life.

It’s been nice and the temptation to extend our stay is strong but we decide to press on.  Since our hotel here has been quite inexpensive we opt for a beach front resort for our next stop, Hoi An.