Amazing Place #2
Nha Trang

A city located on the coast of South Vietnam, Nha Trang is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. Most of the hotels are located along the coastline so you will always have breathtaking views outside your window. I grabbed a hotel for $35 USD per night – an amazing price. Although the beaches along Nha Trang are gorgeous, the beaches and waters off the Islands of Nha Trang are even more amazing.

These are the amazing islands of Nha Trang in South Vietnam:

• Đảo Khỉ (Monkey Island)
• Hòn Mun Island (Ebony island)
• Đảo Yến Island (Swiftlet island)
• Hòn Tre Island (Bamboo island)
• Hòn Tằm Island (Silkworm island)

I didn’t get a chance to visit every island, but I wish I could have and recommend them all because lots of tourists and visitors talk about how beautiful they are. You can take daily tours of the islands by talking directly to the people working in your hotel lobby and soon enough a tour guide will literally pick you up from the hotel and take you out there – you don’t have to worry about planning or any dining accommodations during the tour at all!

I took a tour to see 2 or 3 islands for only $120 USD~!! This was for a 6-8 hours which included a taxi ride to and from the boat from my hotel, the boat ride out to the islands, dining accommodations, snacks, bottled water, and even equipment rental for things like snorkeling – an absolutely amazing deal!

I recommend snorkeling or scuba diving off the beaches of the islands in the crystal clear water. The islands are the important things to see in Nha Trang. There are also plenty of other things you can do such as going for a walk down the coastal road to check out local businesses, restaurants, and the nightlife. However, in my opinion, the islands are what makes Nha Trang special.

Amazing Place #3
Dalat

This city is located among the clouds and amazing high mountains of South Central Vietnam. You will climb up an incredible 1500-1600 meters in altitude, all while going along gorgeous, curvy, scenic mountain roads before ending up in this breathtaking city.

The weather in Dalat is always cool due to its high location. It was such a relief to visit Dalat and get away from the hot humid temperatures of, practically, everywhere else in South Vietnam. In fact, it can get pretty chilly during the nights so you may need a sweater here if you want to enjoy the night life.

The city is also known as a “Little Paris” since it was colonized and occupied by the French decades ago. Dalat has kept the Paris atmosphere by continuing with the gorgeous French architecture of its buildings.

Some of the amazing tourist attractions to visit in Dalat include:

• Emperor Bao Dai’s Summer Palace (The Last Emperor of Vietnam)
• The Valley of Love
• The Hang Nga Guesthouse & Art Gallery (also known as CrazyHouse)
• Old French Quarter
• Churches & Temples within the city
• Many gorgeous waterfalls in and around the city

This city has many flower gardens with the most famous being The Valley of Love. It is an amazing place to visit (with a special someone) filled with lots of flowers, amazing statues, scenic views of the mountains, and a huge pond to pedal boat away in…the boat is in the shape of a swan I might add. A very peaceful and lovely place.

The night life here consists of mainly shopping and karaoke. I was fortunate to have a karaoke bar next to my hotel to put me sound to sleep – I wouldn’t know how to tell you to avoid a karaoke bar next to a hotel, but be on the lookout! Anyways, you can shop through the local street vendors who sell everything from handcrafted jewelry to fresh soy milk. In the center of Dalat is where you will find the prime shopping and restaurant locations. It can get very crowded here so be careful!

I would also like to add that during my visit to Dalat, unfortunately, the main lake near the center of the city, known as Xuan Huong Lake, was completely dry and a road was built in the middle of it. I’m not sure if they wanted to fix, renovate, or make room for other things, but it was an unfortunate site to see. I believe it would have been much more beautiful had the lake remained there. Also, the surrounding restaurants and boat businesses around the lake were shut down.

Dalat is still an amazing place to visit in South Vietnam regardless. I would say my expenses were approximately $60 a day during my visit including hotel accommodations and dining. Relax here and enjoy the fresh mountain air!

Amazing Place #4
Phu Quoc Island

This is the biggest island of Vietnam. Located at the southernmost tip of Vietnam in the Gulf of Siam, this island is a hidden treasure. I paid an amazing price for a 2 day-1 night visit that included the boat fare (ferry) to the island, hotel, dining, tour, taxi, and tour guide accommodations! It was only $100. For an extra $20, you could stay an extra day and night to see more, but I was limited on time and did not choose this option.

Here are some of the amazing attractions I visited on Phu Quoc Island of South Vietnam:

• Pepper fields
• Buddhist temples
• Vietnam’s most popular Fish Sauce Manufacturer
• Waterfalls
• Pearls from the local oysters
• A Prisoner of War camp from the Vietnam War turned into a tourist attraction

What I loved most about this island were the beaches and warm ocean water. The waves next to the hotel I stayed in were huge! I went for a swim when the sun was slowly going down and also in the early morning (FYI – the majority of Vietnamese natives do not swim in direct sunlight, they believe being tan isn’t as attractive as being white and pale – this also explains why they wear jackets and cover up when riding around town in the middle of the afternoon).  The waves off Phu Quoc Island made it more fun to be out there and, surprisingly, the water was not very salty.

Towards the end of my trip on this amazing island, we had lunch at a remote beach location that was more beautiful that I can put into words; it was paradise. I can’t remember what the name of the location was, but I remember going through dirt roads and jungle to get there. I went for another swim, rode jet ski’s across clear warm waters in between fishing boats, flew a couple kites, and ate as much as I could before leaving on the ferry.

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The great thing about all these locations is that you will always get the freshest food. Fresh food is always the norm in Vietnam. Fresh vegetables, meat, fruit, bread, you name it – its all organic and tastes fantastic! Personally, I had no favorite dish in Vietnam, but I did enjoy them all to the point where my stomach was exploding. The Vietnamese food is inexpensive and I recommend to give everything a try, even all the different types of meats!

Also, one of the things you should know about Vietnam is that when you are planning to purchase anything, you have the power to ask for a discount. Don’t be afraid to do this for food, clothing, even hotel stay! I would say the usual discount price you could ask for is 10-30% off what they ask for. Also, make sure vendors charge what their advertised prices indicate. Many businesses will mark up prices on, for example, a bowl of noodle soup because they know you’re a tourist. Every little bit counts!

Personally, I would definitely like to go back someday and visit all the amazing places in South Vietnam again.