Beach Towns
Quy Nhơn
Life’s A Beach, at least in Quy Nhơn that is. This was also the name of our oceanfront hostel we relaxed at while visiting a small fishing village in Quy Nhơn. We stayed at on Bai Xep beach, a secluded beach haven outside of city-like Quy Nhơn.
A self-guided “tour” of the village took us about all of 5 minutes to meander the 2 alleyway”streets” of the town.
Our stay was short & sweet since we were ultimately en route to Nha Trang, but we had an enjoyable time at our resort-esque hostel.
We arrived stomachs growling and ordered a snack of hummus & rice chips with a carrot and papaya salad, a refreshing and flavor-full appetizer.
Our one night stay turned out to be a beachy rendezvous with other hostel-goers.
After savoring every last bite of BBQ and droplets of beer, we played a few rounds of card games (a popular backpack activity), such as Shithead and Speed. A dorm-mate then whipped out his acoustic guitar and serenaded us all into a food-coma, lullaby induced sleepy trance.
Next thing I knew we were waking up to the smell of salty air and waves crashing on the shore of our private beach. Unfortunately today was our day of departure, but not before a refreshing dip in the sea and short workout on the sandy shore.
Nha Trang
We tend to treat our tastebuds no matter what city we’re exploring. Nha Trang was no exception.
Since the main attraction of Nha Trang was overpriced ($45 over-crowded, child and tourist infested amusement park), we took to the streets and a few rooftops to see what else the city had to offer.
We saw our first movie in a theater since leaving the US – Doctor Strange! The hostel staff gave us a peculiar look and stifled a laugh when we asked if it would be in English, to which they replied, “of course!”
We brought our own dinner to the movie. Tickets only cost $3 USD – wouldn’t that be nice at home?!
We dined in-style at a popular Vietnamese restaurant, Lanterns.
An escapade to find Nha Trang’s best rooftop pool with an ocean view took us to a hotel across the street from our hostel, with a much different view than what we had expected!
Mũi Né
Known for beautiful beach resorts and acres of sand dunes, Mui Ne delivered the beauty that preceded it’s reputation.
Sadly, Mui Ne is also known for rotten cops hell-bent on fining Western motorcyclists, and therefore we did not ride the girls much while in town. Since we took guided tours though, we were able to discover a few attractions we would otherwise have not known about. Including the Fairy Stream and accompanying “zoo” and the local fresh fish market, literally on the shore’s edge.
The majority of our Mui Ne stay consisted of relaxing by the pool, with a $4 beer tower close by and swinging in hammocks beneath the shade of tropical palm trees.
Our guided sand dune tour allowed us to avoid the po-po and were able to enjoy the gorgeous sunrise at 5 am as the Super Moon was simultaneously setting below the horizon behind us.
Phú Quốc
Beach, eat, sleep, coconut repeat seemed to be the theme of our time on Phu Quoc Island. Phu Quoc is a short boat ride away from the southernmost point of the Vietnam coastline. We chose Phu Quoc as a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Saigon and enjoy a relaxing Thanksgiving Day, dining on Vietnam’s best seafood.
For the first time in our 23 and 25 years on this planet, we are spending the holidays away from our loved ones. This is bittersweet for us but the memories we are creating, we wouldn’t trade for anything! In-between the budget hostels and the $1 street food dinners, we splurge for special occasions, including Thanksgiving Dinner.
Our evening started off with buy-one-get-one drinks at the beachfront Xin Chao restaurant.
The two owners were a couple of Vietnamese men who attended college at Notre Dame University and moved back to Vietnam to open this highly successful, and delicious I might add, seafood restaurant. The service was above and beyond any we had experienced in Asia yet and the fresh seafood BBQ was mouthwatering — take a look for yourself.
An evening out on the town wouldn’t be complete without our two yellow pals and of course, a night cap drink with our Dutch friends, Roger & Wendy, who were graciously happy to help us celebrate our American Thanksgiving!
The main attraction of Phú Quốc was the “local” night market, busy with tourists trying mysterious, yet delicious street food snacks and seafood dishes.
We tried out a few we had never seen before such as these spicy rice flour cake somethings and this delicious sweet coconut sandwich for dessert. A wonderful rule of thumb is, if you haven’t tried it, better order it. When it comes to Southeast Asia (and especially Vietnam), don’t leave any dish or street food delicacy untouched. This type of cuisine, especially authentic, exists nowhere else in the world. #NoRagrets
Also, trying out the street food gives us the opportunity to engage with the locals. We attempt to converse with the few Vietnamese words we know, and they respond in a conjecture of Vietna-English. If there is a communication barrier, just resort to universal hand signals and laugh with them.
When not eating everything in sight on Phu Quoc, we biked through small villages and non-touristy terrain to explore the oasis of hidden beaches. One day we set out for what we assumed would be a short 30-minute cruise to a beach we had researched on the interweb and ended up biking 2 hours out of town.
The heat was brutal but we were able to experience village life beyond established cities. Unfortunately, sometimes this means biking past villages that are built among the town’s dump site. In this particular instance, we saw children climbing on 20-foot mounds of garbage, scrawny and mangy dogs salvaging what food scraps they could get their paws on, and observing shanty lean-tos, under which mothers clung tightly to blanket bundles that held their newborn children.
While we didn’t feel it was appropriate to photograph this sad scene, we feel it is important to be transparent that at times our travels are not all rainbows and butterflies. These are the moments that open our eyes to the reality of life for millions of people around the world, beyond our home country’s borders.
We are fortunate to be able to explore villages, cities, and countries that show us in the rawest form how other people on the globe live. We feel beyond blessed with the ability to travel with a relatively comfortable budget and indulge in the adrenaline-inducing activities we do.
And just like that, the chronicles of our two months in Vietnam come to a close. We leave this country with happy hearts, full stomachs and a few scars on our bodies – the memories of adventure.
In hindsight exploring the country via motorcycle is, without doubt, the best decision we’ve made yet. We’ll be sure to explain why in a later blog post. Until then, it’s off to Cambodia we go!
“Be thankful for the beautiful moment.
Be thankful for the gift of today.
Be thankful for how far you have reached.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita
