Nha Trang, Vietnam

We ended up in Nha Trang, Vietnam entirely on a ‘that looks nice’ decision looking at the Luxury Escapes website*. We have had several holidays to Vietnam but this was a new area for us to explore.

Poolside at The Anan.

The coastal resort area of Nha Trang is known as the

Riviera of the South China Sea.

It’s a part of South Vietnam that is about to explode as a destination judging by the mass of property development. Nha Trang has a very pretty six-kilometre stretch of white sandy beaches, with abundant marine life. It’s in a huge bay with nineteen islands to explore and a mountainous backdrop.

Think hiking, snorkelling and diving. There is pretty much something for everyone from the lazying on the beach to the energetic, sporty types.

It is well discovered among Russians and Chinese holidaymakers, but our circle of friends were less impressed with our choice of destination. It seems they prefer Da Nang or the more historic Hanoi.

So it was with slight trepidation that we arrive at Nha Trang, a one-hour flight from Ho Chi Ming City. We needn’t have worried it was a perfect choice for a relaxing break.

The Anam Hotel

The Anam is about 20kms out of Nha Trang, on the aptly named Long Beach. This part of the northern Cam Ranh Peninsula is idyllic and picturesque as you can see from the photos. It is just 20 minutes from Cam Ranh International Airport, yet the beaches are pretty deserted.

Not only that, it was the first Vietnam holiday that I truly enjoyed. I have previously always found it hard to get beyond the Vietnam War which isn’t exactly relaxing. Lest we forget has my name written all over it. You can read my thoughts on this here at:

Moving on in Vietnam

The Charm of Vietnam

People love Vietnam because of the charm of its cities, the food and cheap beer and the ease of travel. For a country that established itself as a must for backpackers, it has really grown up. Or perhaps it’s us packers that have grown up and want a bit more style these days…

The Anan, Garden view room well, If you are after a stylish holiday, you couldn’t do any better than one of the 77 villas at the Anan resort. There is no such thing as a bad room here, we stayed in a Garden View villa. That’s quite some view, we even got to see the sea.

I remember this resort for its wow upon arrival and I especially loved its choice of decor and the huge bathrooms that opened into the room. They claim ‘an atmosphere of old-world elegance and they have certainly achieved this well.

Garden View Villa room

You can read my full Trip Advisor report here: Luxury Escapes nails it again.

Wandering Nha Trang city

If you can tear yourself away from relaxing by the pool(s) or on the beach, then you can also explore Nha Trang town. We found one day in the city was enough. We enjoyed our walk around the city’s main sights:

Long Son Pagoda
Vietnamese meal – We ate at Lanterns Vietnamese Restaurant, which is well rated. You can read my report here I think we choose badly…
Mud bath/ massage: we chose The little gem of a place called Sen Spa. Which is the Number 1 spa and wellness centre in Nha Trang and easy to see why.

Long Son Pagoda

LONG BEACH:

It was pouring with rain when we arrived and was pleasantly cool after Bangkok’s oppressive humidity. The whole region was recovering from two tropical cyclones and so we were lucky not to have been a week earlier to feel the full force of the typhoon’s force. However, it did mean that we did not get to see the beach area in all its glory. There was a fair amount of debris and if you were not concerned about plastic pollution you should see was the ocean washes up after a big storm!

I won’t show you the photos but out of the hotel and a long way to the left was a village settlement with what looked like raw sewage going directly into the sea. It was an in-your-face reminder that as new areas of the world develop, the infrastructure of the locals needs to keep up.

PLASTIC POLLUTION:
Hotels like The Anan and the other luxury resorts can’t sit in wonderous isolation knowing that their bit of the beach is swept daily. This challenge or even local tension is one that needs addressing here in Vietnam if they want to develop this area as a true world-renowned beach haven.

Here endeth Wren’s first lesson!

THE EXCITEMENT OF BEING WITH A FILM CREW!

Despite the storm’s rubbish, this area is marketed as paradise. So it comes as no real surprise to learn that not only are we staying in a beautiful resort, with beautiful people, but we are also sharing the resort with a TV film crew and no, they are not filming Survivor.

It was all terribly hush-hush at the time, but happily, the series has now aired if I show you more of the resort perhaps you can guess?

You can find out more about this in my previous post:

Seeking Mr Right in Nha Trang, Vietnam

What do you reckon? This resort is just picture perfect and yes they were filming The Batchelor here. Wouldn’t this just be an idyllic location for those looking for love?!

Regular readers of this blog will know I love a good dawn yoga class. So my final picture will be of my yoga class at dawn – it was well worth getting up for, and my favourite activity at The Anan.

So there we have it. What do you think? Would you be tempted by a holiday in Nha Trang?

*Outside of Australia, you may not know about Luxury Escapes. It’s an Australian company offering affordable luxury in high-end hotels usually in destinations which need their profile building. Little Wandering Wren does not receive any compensation for any of the mentions in this post, I love their special deals!

Na trang

10 comments

Eileen Wise -

Wow, what a beautiful resort. A lovely place for a holiday or vacation. Your photos are beautiful.

Enjoy your day and I wish you a happy Easter weekend!

Liz A. -

It seems no matter where you go, there is a Long Beach…

The location looks stunning.

Lady Fi -

Wow – so beautiful!

lowcarbdiabeticJan -

It looks so beautiful 🙂

All the best Jan

Lavender Dreamer -

It is beautiful. I have family members that have spent time in that country and enjoyed it very much!

Angie -

Wren – you had me sold, especially with the diving and snorkeling, until you mentioned the raw sewage flowing directly into the sea … It does look gorgeous, and perhaps as people start to “flock” to the area, these things will be addressed. I am glad you enjoyed it, and I am also grateful that you shared these lovely views with everyone at Mosaic Monday.

Linda Walcroft -

Wow, beautiful place! Thanks for sharing.

riitta k -

Fabulous photos!

Sallie -

It is peaceful looking Wren and I’d love to do a Yoga class on a lovely beach.

Su-sieee! Mac -

It’s beautiful. I do find my head kind of spinning because war and Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. come to my mind. I don’t know if I could vacation there. It certainly would be a place I’d want to be.