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Nha Trang,
which now has a population of 280,000 was constructed as a
seaport in the 1920s. It is the capital of Khanh Hoa province.
Fishing is the major industry. It is one of the most beautiful
cities in southern Vietnam. It has with lovely beaches, 19
beautiful surrounding islands and is renown for its great ice
cream! As the influx of tourists from Vietnam and abroad is ever
increasing, a diversity of hotels and guests houses have been
built along the beautiful beachfront. Intermingled with these
new hotels are some very quaint and sometimes majestic old
French villas.
It's pleasant
to cycle in Nha Trang and the surrounding areas. The city has
wide boulevards and very little traffic. On days where it is too
warm to cycle, take advantage of your surroundings and take a
boat ride out to the islands for a day of snorkeling in
turquoise water and coral reefs. It will be a day that you will
treasure forever. You can also have a fantastic seafood banquet
for lunch while on these islands, and later return to town just
in time to walk on the beach for a late afternoon beer or fruit
shake. There are a number of wonderful sites in the surrounding
area which you should visit and which we recommend::
Po Nagar Cham Tower
Situated on the
north side of Nha Trang, you will need to cross the Xom Bong
Bridge where you will see red and blue fishing boats and the
best-preserved Cham Towers in Vietnam, a sanctuary to Po Nagar,
a mythical goddess. Among the 8 towers constructed between the
7th and 12th centuries, only 4 are remain. They are still used
as places of worship. There is a congregation of nuns who live
there who will guide you around the site with their best sign
language and smiles. There is a small but interesting museum to
the right of the North Tower with photographs and ancient
statues. The hill upon which the Cham Towers sit offers a great
panoramic view of the surrounding beauty as well as a view of
the entrance of the river with Nha Trang.
The entrance to
the site is from street level. Then you will need to follow a
staircase to the top. As you escalate the staircase, you will be
able to see the remains of the mediation hall which was the
original entrance ro the site for Cham worshipers. It will be to
your right. The North Tower is the largest and the main one. It
is situated on a higher level directly in front of the
meditation hall. The other smaller towers are only meters away
from the North Tower. You will note that all of them are facing
due East. Please remember to take off your shoes before entering
any of the temples.
Hon Chong Headland
Due east of the
Cham Towers are a series of fishing villages. You will observe
that there are many boats that continually come in or go out
from the local harbours over a surreal-looking bay next to the
Xom Bong Bridge. There is a local fish market that opens early
in the morning. West of the Cham Towers is the Hai Dao Island
resort. It is composed of a series of cabins connected to the
mainland by footbridges. Cockfights are sometimes staged here.
To the northeast of the towers is Hon Chong Promontory where
hundreds of boulders are balanced on top of one another. The
massive boulder at the tip of the Promontory is call Chong Rock.
Various legends are associated with this boulder which is said
to bear the imprint of a large hand. Naturally, there are a
number of beautiful look-outs with refreshment stands available.
Pagodas and churches
On the
northwest side of Nha Trang is Long Son Pagoda. It is an active
Buddhist temple featuring an unusual red brass Buddha sitting on
a wooden lotus pedestal. On top of a hill behind the pagoda is a
massive 9-m high white Buddha on a lotus throne. Embedded in the
octagonal base of the Bhudda are 7 stucco likenesses of Buddhist
martyrs, monks and nuns who died protesting the repressive Ngo
Dinh Diem regime in southern Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
Some of them immolated themselves and the white Buddha was built
to their memory in 1963.
On the other
side of the tracks, east of the railway station is Nha Trang
Cathedral complete with its stained glass windows and French
Gothic lines. It was built in the 1930s and the daily masses are
still held here in the early morning and late afternoon.
Pasteur Institute
At the north
end of Tran Phu Blvd. is the Pasteur Institute, with a small but
fascinating Museum dedicated to the French Dr. Alexander Yersin
(1863-1943). The Pasteur Institute was founded by Yersin in
1895, and he is probably one of the most respected historical
Frenchmen in Vietnam. Being a Renaissance man, Yersin was not
only famous for pioneering medical research but was an explorer,
botanist, biologist and an entomologist He was also interested
in photography and astronomy. He explored the Da Lat area and
recommended building a hill station there. He was also
responsible for the introduction of rubber and quinine producing
trees and discovered the microbe that caused the bubonic plague.
This institute now performs research and produces vaccines.
Should you have an occasion to visit this Institute, you will be
pleased to see that the office and library of Dr. Yersin are now
open to the public and contain a small yet interesting
collection of his equipment. It was on Yersin's recommendations
that his laboratory in Nha Trang and Dr. Albert Calmette's
laboratory in Saigon were upgraded to the level of Indochina
Pasteur Institute. It was the first established outside Paris.
Indochinese Pasteur Institutes later appeared in Hanoi and Da
Lat, and microbiology labs opened in Hue, Vientiane and
Phnompenh.
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