Got the train at 8am from Saigon to Nha Trang, a beach town 8 hours away by train. Decided to take the daytime train as the journey didn’t seem quite long enough to warrant a sleeper train… 2nd class aircon train, sat next to quite a large American chap which was a bit annoying but hey ho. He got up frequently so we swapped seats so I could have the window seat and stare outside. My first glimpses at the Vietnamese countryside! Journey did drag a bit, but I had brought enough food and water with me to keep me comfortable until I arrived 😊 Arriving into Nha Trang and walked from the station to my hostel, as it was only a half hour walk!

First thing I noticed walking through was how the restaurant signs were in Vietnamese and Russian, which was quite surreal to see being as everything had been in English until this point. The menus all had goulash and other Russian dishes on them, no fish and chips in sight here! The hostel had an hour of free beer a day on the rooftop so drank a couple of cups of bia hoi (fresh unpasteurised beer from a keg) before venturing out to find somewhere to eat that had an English menu. Tried for about 15 minutes on the main street near my hostel before giving up and having Indian! In my defence, the train had taken it out of me! While eating, chatted with some Londoners who were also on holiday, and then engaged in people watching. Nha Trang has a lot of awful older men with really young looking women. Still not as bad as Saigon though!

Next day, and it was up to the rooftop for the complementary breakfast (crepe with lemon and sugar) and then off out to the beach! As it was off season, it wasn’t too overrun with tourists, so was able to lie in the shade for a bit before heading off for a quick dip in the sea. A delicious iced coffee in lieu of lunch later, and time for a bit more city exploration.

Found the French Cathedral at the top of the hill overlooking the train station, with a plaque outside commemorating the French priest who founded the bishopric there. Lots of Chinese tourists doing v sign selfies in front of the crucifix at the altar which is just a bit odd I guess? Reminded me of tourists doing the same at the 9/11 memorial in New York – I just don’t understand when people do that. Walked down the seafront to the southern end of the town and then headed inland to see if there were any markets. It’s a very sleepy town, with not much going on, so went to a bar restaurant on the beach called Louisiane Brewhouse. It sold a craft beer taster menu! Had some delicious Vietnamese seafood to accompany it 😊 Then went back towards the hostel and popped into one of the backpacker bars, Booze Cruise, for some more beer. Was accosted on the way by several sleazy looking Russian bar owners who presumed I was Russian; used my best “nyet, spasibo” on them 😁

Next day was also my last in Nha Trang – I think two days would have been enough but I booked my train ticket incorrectly, so ended up having to stay another day. On the plus side, was able to find a properly local place to eat called Cuon Papa’s, which was amazing! Two dishes of different types of spring rolls and a beer for £1.60 – lush. The flavours of the coriander, lime and fish sauce were so fresh 😊 Watched some old men playing mah-jong at the side of the road, and saw another old man having his inner ear picked with a long thin metal instrument – ugh I shuddered at the idea! My train to leave Nha Trang was at 5am so I headed back to my private hostel room to watch some TV (was feeling a bit under the weather)  and to get some sleep before having to get up at 3am.

Nha Trang was alright but I probably wouldn’t recommend other backpackers to go here unless they were dying for some Russian food or wanted a Russian beach resort. I think everything you can get here, you can get elsewhere for cheaper.