My Land Journey from Singapore to Hanoi in 25 days. Pt 5 : Nha Trang, Hoi An and Danang
Part 5: Nha Trang, Hoi An and Danang (Viatnam)
Day 16
We arrived at Nha Trang about 5.30am, once alight from the bus there were so many motorcycles asking us if we needed a ride to our hostel. Of course! we need to pay them.
Anyway our hostel is within walking distance, with the guide of MapsMe we slowly walk to our hostel Mojzo Dorm Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Road, great location cost SDG9 per night/ person in 6 beded room with breakfast. Its also 5 minutes walk to the beach and night market.
Along the walk to our hostel, we saw lots of local morning activities eg. vendors selling vegetables and live chickens on bicycles, meat butchers selling pork and beef on motorcycles along the busy streets.There were fruits sellers too and packed cook foods.
Once registered and checked in, we could only get our beds later in the afternoon. We signed up for a half day Spa at the I-Resort Mud-Spa at 9am. at about SGD18.00 per person with transport provided.
We went for breakfast while waiting for 9am, somewhere near the hostel.
Our Hostel: Mojzo Dorm Our breakfast Pho with pork! SGD1.50
I-Resort Mud Spa:
I-Resort Nha Trang, located 4 km from Nha Trang, build along the side of mountains and water falls, forms the multi layers complex of the spa. My first impression of the resort is its Vietnamese traditional-style design with Attap roofed buildings, ponds of water-lilies, stone walls and herbal gardens. The resort, covering about 6 ha, was built with a lounge, a family mineral mud bath area, an outdoor mineral mud bath area, a spa, two swimming pools and a restaurant plus a few warm-water falls.
The resort is well known for its mineral mud bath services which claim to have many advantages for health care, health treatment and beauty. Well i think its true, course my skin felt very smooth for a whole week! After the mud bath which is about half hour, we checked out other facilities, then relax in the beautiful swimming pool with shade created by attap leafed eave
at about 3pm we decided to go back to our hostel to collect our beds.
Rested for a while, by 4.30pm we are out of our hostel for early dinner, we are trying; Vietnamese pancake! Bánh xèo: literally "sizzling cake", named for the loud sizzling sound it makes when the rice batter is poured into the hot skillet is a Vietnamese savory fried pancake made of rice flour, water, turmeric powder, stuffed with slivers of fatty pork, shrimp, diced green onion, and bean sprouts. We ate them wrapped with assorted vegetables. It's yummy! yummy Total meal about SGD6
After the pancake we went in search for COFFEE!!
This coffee shop was commandeered by our friendly receptionist at our hostel. Cong Cafe
I had a frappucino: it was out of this world good!, As usual Emily had some fruit milkshake.
my coffee!! SGD3 Emily's milk!!! SGD3
Yet to convert her to enjoy Vietnam coffee!!
After coffee we walk to the famous Nha Trang beach!
Forming a magnificent sweeping arc, Nha Trang's 6km-long golden-sand beach is the city's trump card. Some said the most beautiful beach in Vietnam.
The turquoise water is fabulously inviting, and the promenade a delight to stroll during the evening after a sumptuous dinner. I must say; its really really beautiful, strolling along this beach with so many beach front restaurants along our walk feels carefree and light-hearted.
On our way back to our hostel, we passes by the Night Market; no biggy, samo samo!! we were only mistaken for PRC. The Vendors can even sell their wares in Renminbi!! . Oh yes did I mention? there are full of PRC and Russian here, even some of its menu were written in Russian!!
Day 17
After buffer breakfast at the hostel rooftop
We headed out to do some sight seeing, took the local bus to Long Sơn Pagoda. A Buddhist temple in the city on South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is regarded as one of the main sites in the city, along with Hai Duc Temple.
We took the local bus no 2, fare is only 7,000 VTD.
We took the same bus back to the city, than we stroll along the beach and check out the shop near the beach.
Its started to rain in the evening, so we stayed back in our hostel and enjoyed free BEERS on the rooftop! Yes you got it Free Beers! @ 5pm daily. This is the first time i stayed in a Hostel giving away Free Beers. It's local Beer.
Tonight we are taking the overnight bus continuing our journey to Hoi An.
Remember we bought our tickets in Ho Chi Minh for all the way to Hanoi with multiples stop with no extra changes? Yes this is working very well for us @ about SGD 50+ only with Hann Cafe.
Day 18 : Hoi An
Taking the overnight bus is as convenience as taking our Singapore SBS buses. Its so efficient and clean, they do make multiples toilet stop even-though there is toilet at the back of the bus.
We reached Hoi An about 6.30am at the Hann Cafe office which is just outside the Ancient City and about 15 mins walk to our Hotel in the Ancient City along side the river.
Remember we bought our tickets in Ho Chi Minh for all the way to Hanoi with multiples stop with no extra changes? Yes this is working very well for us @ about SGD 50+ only with Hann Cafe.
Day 18 : Hoi An
Hội An is a city on Vietnam’s central coast known for its well-preserved Ancient Town, cut through with canals. The former port city’s melting-pot history is reflected in its architecture, a mix of eras and styles from wooden Chinese shop-houses and temples to colorful French colonial buildings. OMG! It's a Photographers' paradise!
Taking the overnight bus is as convenience as taking our Singapore SBS buses. Its so efficient and clean, they do make multiples toilet stop even-though there is toilet at the back of the bus.
We reached Hoi An about 6.30am at the Hann Cafe office which is just outside the Ancient City and about 15 mins walk to our Hotel in the Ancient City along side the river.
Background: our bus Hann Cafe this bowl of rice noodle costed me SGD5.00!!
While waiting to confirm out seats for tomorrow bus to Danang, course the bus office open at 8am. We went around the corner to have breakfast. Saw many locals were sitting on low stools eating dry noodles and drinking coffee. Never did i know we are going to get rip-off for the breakfast we took in this open air road side stalls. Yes its was so very double standard, those hawkers really charged us at least 3 times of its original price. I honestly saw a person giving the dry noodle seller 15,000VNT equivalent to SGD0.90cts. Emily had the same thing she was charged 50,000VNT! my noodle soup made by the person selling coffee charged me 80,000VNT and coffee 50,000VNT each.
OMG did I mentioned, Emily had her 1st glass of ice coffee!!!! Yeah she is enjoying it too!!!
Mission Accomplished!!
This is the first time I felt so pissed-off, is like DAY-LIGHT ROBBERY, in fact the whole town is infested with money hunger local inhabitant.
to pay her 20,000VNT!! 20,000VNT for taking pic of her lanterns!
The city is so beautiful! but dampen its appeal with their locals ripping-off tourists.
Be Aware we need to bargain the hell out of it!
Its so bad until i just did not bother going to the market to buy fruits, we just order from the restaurant course i am so tired of bargaining.
That very morning I passed by a group of PRC tourist buying lotus fruit near the wet market, the vendor was charging them like one stalk for 20,000VNT. Uh....about SGD1.20 per stalk???? But those Chinese were grappling them like is a bargain!! I really don't not understand.
This is our Hotel came with breakfast is SGD31.00 per room/night. Huy Hoang River Hotel
Very clean and quite, staff are friendly and helpful too.
After checking in we went out to explore the Ancient Town, Hoi An. I must say this City is beautiful despite its inhabitants. I was charmed and enthralled by the architecture and its vibrancy.
Of course was full of tourist especially PRC in group tours.
Nothing is free here!!! I literally meant it; we need to pay an entrance fees for every where we wanted to visit. Crossing the Japanese Bridge & entrance to any temple must pay entrance fees. I really don't understand; Place of worship, must pay to get in. They are like punishing all foreigners who came to this city!!
We just refused to pay, so we did not visit any temples there or crossing the Japanese Bridge. We only take photographs from outside.
We sampled some local foods too!! Menus with prices indicated!!!
Some sort of dumplings, its really delicious for lunch
Colorful lanterns is the city trade mark!!
Came night fall, the city became a fairyland of lights and lanterns! All the bars along the river are lighted up with their lanterns and music pumping loud.
We hung around those bars with a few round beers then we went back to our hotel course tomorrow we have an early start to Danang to meet up with my BFF Millicent from back home in Singapore at her hotel for Brunch.
Day 19 : Danang
Woke up at 6am, prepared, packed and checked out by 7am. This hotel provide breakfast too.
They served a good breakfast with a varieties of choice, we had Omelette and fruits plus coffee.
By 7.30am we are making our way to the Hann Cafe bus office for our departure to Danang. The journey took about 2 hours.
By 10am we are walking from Hann Cafe Danang to Millicent's Hotel Novotel Danang Premier Han River Hotel took about 20 mins
Millicent's treated both of us, buffer Brunch at the Executive lounge! With a breath-taking view to go with it.
It was wonderful to see Milli here, coincidentally she was on vacation too. She and partner was on vacation in Korea and on way back to Singapore, they detoured to Danang for business meet.
At the same time, we were in Danang on the same day!!
We hung out at the lounge till 2pm. then we have to make our way back to Hann Cafe office to take our bus @ 3pm to Hanoi.
Check out our Journey to Hanoi and Halong Bay SOON!!
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