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| April 2 Square, Nha Trang, Vietnam |
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| Thap Tram Huong Nha Trang |
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| Mountain Church, Nha Trang, Vietnam |
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| Long Son Pagoda, Nha Trang, Vietnam |
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| Nha Trang City by Night, Vietnam |
Day 17 Tuesday Feb 3 2026 (Phan Rang & Nha Trang, Vietnam) - my 3 days 2 nights stay in Nha Trang, took a pre-booked train ride from Phan Rang Thap Cham > Nha Trang departing mid-day. After our hotel check-in at around 15.00 & despite a drizzling, I started to explore the waterfront, April 2 Square, Night Market area & visited the Mountain Church & Long Son Pagoda. In the evening, I made a solo evening walk to catch a glimpse of the Nha Trang by Night ! A great start on my 1st day in Nha Trang & a long day indeed !
Travel Itinerary: (Phan Rang Thap Cham > Nha Trang, approx 98km)
1) My morning breakfast in a nearby noodle stall located nearby our hotel in Phan Rang Thap Cham, savoured a bowl of pork & fish paste noodle (45K VND = Rm7 = US$1.75)
2) After the breakfast, each of us bought a pack of mixed sweet potato / yam dessert (28K VND = Rm4.40) & a cheese bread (36K VN Rm5.60) from a local bakery shop.
3) Ga Thap Cham (Phan Rang Thap Cham Railway Station) - hotel check-out & e-hailed a Grab car to Thap Cham Railway station for our train ride to Nah Trang, the last city of our 19 days free & easy Vietnam trip.
4) Thap Cham town area - a "cowboy" town, opposite the Thap Cham Railway station & a short walk.
5) Train ride (125K VND = Rm19.60, soft seat) from Thap Cham Railway Station (departing 12.52) > Nha Trang Railway Station (approx 98km, train journey 2hr 20 mins)
6) Countryside scenery as viewed from the moving train from Phan Rang Thap Cham > Nha Trang.
7) Arriving in Nha Trang Railway Station, Vietnam (a historical site, built in 1930s !)
8) Grab car ride (52K VND = Rm8.10) from Nha Trang Railway Station to Smile Hotel, Nha Trang, Vietnam
9) Hotel Accommodation - my final 2 nights stay in Smile Hotel, Nha Trang, Vietnam - room tariff Rm83 (US$20.50) per night, 2 single beds, well located & within walking distance to the April 2 Square & Nha Trang Night Market
10) Walkabout & familiarisation visit from our hotel to waterfront & public beach area in downtown & near April 2 Square Nha Trang - drizzling & intermittent light rain hence my travel buddy decided to "retreat" back to the hotel but I decided to move on despite a wet afternoon !
11) April 2 Square, Nha Trang, Vietnam - a spacious square located centrally on Tran Phu Street offering a magnificent view of Nha Trang Bay, an ideal place for gatherings, rest & relax, enjoying the cool sea breeze & listening to the soothing sounds of the waves ! April 2 1975 is the day to commemorate the liberation of Khah Hoa province hence they chose this day to name the 2/4 Square.
12) Thap Tram Huong (Tower), Nha Trang, Vietnam - unique architecture, an iconic landmark & a tourist attraction, also known as Agarwood Tower, a multi-venue performing arts centre in Nha Trang close to the beach & facing the South China Sea !
13) Premier hotels operating along the busy Tran Phu Street, Nha Trang
14) Nha Trang Night Market & the surrounding - a tourist shopping haven & eating place ! This area is flooded with local visitors & overseas tourists notably from European countries, Central Asia & Russia !
15) Bac Thanh Church, Nha Trang, Vietnam - a Catholic church in city center, built in 1928 by French missionaries.
16) Mountain Church, Nha Trang, Vietnam - built in 1933 by French missionaries, located on the top of Hoang Lan hill, a beautiful classic European style church in Nha Trang, the stunning architecture work stands stall as a historical witness to Christianity in Nha Trang, the stone church attracts thousands of tourists, both local & overseas every year !
17) Continuing my walking from Mountain Church > Long Son Pagoda, Nha Trang, Vietnam passing the Nha Trang Railway Station - heavy traffic along the main roads, very challenging especially crossing over a main road on the opposite side ! So be brave & no retreat when you cross the roads before a busy traffic junction / circle ! Just pin your eyes on the coming bikers & manoeuvre your way, treat it as a fun walk (naturally your adrenaline will shoot up each time you do a road crossing & you are asking for the risk !) when you land yourself in big cities eg Ho Chi Minh & Hanoi .... yours is not to reason why (yours is to tag along) such a driving behaviour in urban cities of Vietnam !
18) Long Son Pagoda, Nha Trang, Vietnam - my solo visit in the late afternoon, the oldest temple in Nha Trang, home to the world's biggest Buddha statute according to the Guinness Book of World Records of Vietnam !
19) A panoramic view of Nha Trang city from the Long Son Pagoda hilltop.
20) Sleeping Buddha, Long Son Pagoda, Nha Trang
21) A starry starry night in downtown commercial district, waterfront & night market of Nha Trang, Vietnam
