Nha Trang

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I would have to vote Nha Trang as my favourite city in Vietnam, purely because there was so much to do here! I could easily have stayed for so much longer, but sadly I was on a strict time scale and had to leave after 2 days, boo hoo! Unlike Hanoi or Saigon, Nha Trang felt like a much calmer and relaxed place to be. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the hectic buzz of Vietnam’s two largest cities, but it was nice to be able to stay somewhere that had all you needed from a city with an added chilled vibe. There are numerous things in Nha Trang that have ended up in some of my Top 5 posts, but I thought I'd dedicate a whole post to the city as I fell a little in love with the place and need to blab on endlessly about it!

 

The fact Nha Trang has a huge beach is a massive selling point for the city! The beach was only a 5/10 minute walk from our hostel and was the perfect place to spend the day chilling. There were loads of things to do on and around the beach as well, for those who get itchy feet and can’t sit still for more that two seconds! You could have a go on an inflatable obstacle course that was floating just off shore, or even get harnessed up and fly through the sky behind a speed boat! Sadly, I didn’t try either of these activities, as I felt a tad delicate from the night before, so spent the majority of my day asleep on the sand, or swimming in the sea. There are also loads of shops, cafes and restaurants lining the streets that lead up to the beach, if you fancy a wander or bite to eat! I sampled a few cheeky ice creams, all of which were delicious and went down a treat in the sun!

 

 About 15 minutes outside of Nha Trang is Thap Ba Spa, and as I’d never been to a spa before (shock horror, poor me #firstworldproblems) I thought it would be a great idea to treat myself! Even though I have nothing to compare it to, I had a cracking day at this spa! First off we went and sat in a huge tub that slowly filled up with mud. After a good 15 minute soak, we then sat in the sun to bake the mud to our skin, (sexxxy, I know) and finally washed it off under some out door showers! The next stop was a dip in a mineral pool and a walk through different water jets to cleanse your skin. All of this was super relaxing and afterwards my skin felt as smooth as a babies botty!

 

If I wasn’t relaxed enough already, I then headed off to have my first ever massage and it was amazing, if a little painful at times! After the initial shock of having to get nakey I was then told to wear some oh-so-flattering white football-style shorts and lie face down on the massage bed. I was slightly confused when I had to plonk my face in a hole in the table, but c'est la vie, apparently that’s what one does when one has a massage, darrrrling (even if it was a tad uncomfortable/ I thought I was going to choke). During the massage I was constantly torn between two sensations; awkward pain and blissful relaxation. One minute my back was being gently rubbed and massaged, then suddenly the masseur jumped up on the bed and walked on my back. No I am not joking. I was then lulled into a false sense of security while receiving the most amazing head massage, then whack bang my head is being yanked from side to side to crick my neck. I genuinely thought for a second I'd broken my neck from the hideous cracking sound it made! Apparently this is all part and parcel of the whole Asian massage experience, and I have to admit I felt amazing afterwards!

One of my favourite things about Nha Trang was a tourist attraction I would never have thought to associate with Vietnam: a huge waterpark and theme park on its own private island! And the only way to get to said island is via a cable car over the sea! I know, what the hell?! Hello Vinpearl! This place was actually amazing and I spent a full day here acting like a massive kid. Aside from the waterpark (that had some awesome slides) and the theme park, there was also an aquarium (where I totally got to stroke a turtle), beech, shopping area, arcade and 3D cinema! The water park was fo' sho my favourite part of Vinpearl. The slides were great, (one constantly gave me the biggest wedggie known to man) however the lazy river was completely pants and we pretty much walked/ pushed our way round it. Snore. My biggest achievement of the day was going down a vertical slide, with a large crowd at the bottom, who gave a round of applause when you came down. It made me feel oh so daring and special haa!

So, the moral of this post is: go to Nha Trang when in Vietnam. Trust me, you won't be disappointed or find a lack of things to do! Take me baaaackkkk!

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