Nha Trang, Vietnam - Tips, Tricks and Things To Do

Whilst I absolutely sing the sleeper buses praises, the worst thing about them is the time that you arrive in the new city. They leave between 7 and 9pm and hence arrive at various destinations at 4/5/6am. Whilst the latter isn't too bad, the former is a bit of a hassle when the hostels etc don't allow check-in until late morning. Now, the bus stop in Nha Trang was very near the beach so we decided to head down there to see the sunrise, backpacks in tow, and were surprised by how many other people were already at the beach. Lots of the locals head there really early to exercise whilst it's not too hot, and there were all sorts of activities going on.

We headed to our hostel and just sat around until a more reasonable hour of the morning playing on our phones.  We got talking to a big group of boys and ended up spending the day with them. They were heading to the nearby waterfall, so we decided to go with them and all ordered a minibus. This worked out at a really decent price, so it's definitely worth sharing transport with other people at your hostel!

Now, climbing the waterfall was not a walk in the park. I, being me, wore my sturdy 90p Primark flip-flops blissfully unaware of the climbing and scrambling ahead of me. The waterfall had three main pools, and arrows showing you the route to each one. I got to the second pool and gave up - I'm not sure how a broken neck would've gone down with my travel insurance provider. Quit while you're ahead people, quit while you're ahead. The rest of the group continued to the top so I just sat chilling in the sun, watching a Vietnamese family have a BBQ. The pools were really refreshing to swim in and the views were incredible - the waterfalls are definitely worth visiting!

That evening we all went for dinner and cocktails together and then ended up at a beach club until the early hours.

When we finally made it out of bed the following day we headed to the ticket office to book our next sleeper bus. Unfortunately, the bus was fully booked for that day so we ended up staying in Nha Trang an extra night. After some lunch, we headed to the beach, despite the dark grey clouds, and lasted all of about half an hour before it started to rain. For dinner that night we wandered out of the tourist hotspot and down some sideroads into a more residential area. We got a few funny looks - I don't think tourists frequent that part of town very often. The food was delicious and well worth wandering to find. Once we'd paid the bill we walked down to the beach and on the way stumbled across a huge shopping mall full of an eclectic mixture of shops. It's fair to say it would be easy to kill an afternoon or two in there.

The following day we went on a snorkeling trip that we'd booked through our hostel. The trip included three different snorkeling stops and lunch on the boat, and it was fab. We saw loads of different fish and coral, even if the latter was a bit dead and discoloured. Once back at the hostel we showered and napped, and then had dinner on the hostel roof, followed by a few Saigon beers on the beach.

We were a bit stuck as to what to do with our extra day, after not being able to take the bus the day we'd planned, so ended up at the cinema of all places. Mamma Mia 2 was at the top of my to be watched list, and after finding a cinema online that was showing it that day in English, it felt only right. After the film we had some dinner and then got ready for our second sleeper bus experience.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A not too busy city with lovely beaches

THINGS TO DO 
- Climb the waterfall (not in 90p flip-flops)
- Go snorkelling
- The beach

TIPS AND ADVICE 
- Choose a hostel with breakfast included as it makes life so much easier
- Book sleeper bus tickets asap to avoid being disappointed if they're fully booked
- Take a fair amount of money with you if you're going on a night out, drinks aren't quite as cheap as you expect

WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW
Mojzo Dorm
Again, this hostel was in a fairly good location, was very clean, and the beds were really comfy. Each bed came with a lockable drawer for your belongings too. Breakfast was included - and was delicious - and the staff were really friendly. Can you tell I loved this place? I'd highly recommend.

HOW LONG TO STAY?
3 days would have been perfect for us, our fourth day felt a bit of a waste