 |
Institute of Oceanography
Nha Trang, Vietnam |
 |
Vinpearl Cable Station
Nha Trang, Vietnam |
 |
| Po Nagar Temples, Nga Trang, Vietnam |
 |
| Cho Dam Market, Nha Trang, Vietnam |
 |
| Nha Trang by Night, Vietnam |
Day 18, Wednesday Feb 4 2026 (Nha Trang, Vietnam) - after an early morning breakfast (Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich), we hailed a Grab car from our hotel & made our first visit to Institute of Oceanography / Museum / Aquarium, followed by a short walk to Vinpearl cable car station / Reception Hall & a shuttle green bus ride back to our hotel for a rest. In the late afternoon, we e-hailed a Grab car from our hotel to Po Nagar Cham Towers / Temples & Cho Dam (Dam Market) & ended our visit in Long Son Pagoda, my 2nd visit. From Long Son Pagoda, we took a Grab car to April 2 Square & walked towards The Night Market & the surrounding before returning to our hotel.
1) My simple Vietnamese breakfast, Banh Mi (Rm35k - Rm6.10 = US$1.50) in a popular Banh Mi stall (dine-in) within walking distance from my hotel; Banh Mi is a popular Vietnamese savoury sandwich; a hearty, satisfying & nutritionally balance meal !
2) The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Trang, Vietnam - located 4-5 km from the city center, founded in 1922 during the French colonial period, one of the oldest scientific research institutions in Vietnam & serves as a leading center for tropical oceanography research in South East Asia, renown for its collections of over 24,000 specimens representing more than 5,000 marine & freshwater species, including an 18 meter whale skeleton; admission fee for adult 40KVND (Rm6.30 = US$1.40), enjoyed my time here, very educational & informative, took a e-hailing Grab (70k VND = Rm11) from our hotel to this destination in suburban Nha Trang.
3) Humpback whale skeleton, The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Trang, Vietnam - a surprise discovery by farmers from Hai Cuong village, Nam Ha province while digging an irrigation canal, this humpback whale skeleton was buried approx 1.2 meters underground, 4 kilometres from the sea, 18 meters in length & weighing a staggering 10 tons.
4) Chinese Sturgeon (Gray, 1834), The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Thrang, Vietnam
5) Spotted Seals (1811), The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Thrang, Vietnam
6) Mangrove Ecosystem Saltwater Crocodiles Spratly Marine Park, Nha Trang, Vietnam
7) Mangrove Forest in Vietnam, The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Trang, Vietnam
8) A waterfront view of Vin Pearl / Vin Wonders Theme Park, Hon Tre Island from the Institute of Oceanography Museum - after the aquarium / museum visit, we walked a short distance to Vin Cable Car Station !
9) Live ocean fish on an attractive display in the Aquarium, The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Thrang, Vietnam; aquatic creatures & fish on display in the aquarium for visitors to enjoy seeing & admiring at the time of our visit were:
- Black Spotted Puffer Fish
- Blue Streak Cleaner Wrasse
- Camel Shrimp
- Copperband Butterfly Fish
- Echino Derms
- Horn Nose Box Fish
- Humpack Grouper
- Live Shark Sucker
- Purple Fin Fish
- Red Coat
- Red Lion Fish
- Red Toothed Trigger Fish
- Slipper Lobster
- Soft Coral
- Spotted Coral Grouper
- Tomato Clown Fish
- Yellow Tail Clown Fish
10) Names & descriptions of various species of live ocean fish, soft corals labelled on display in the Aquarium, The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Thrang, Vietnam
11) Live sea turtles on display in an open, above the ground pool, Institute of Oceanography, Nha Thrang, Vietnam
12) Ocean life in the tunnel, The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Trang, Vietnam - pretty interesting as we viewed & pass the tunnel !
13) Marine Biodiversity Exhibition, The Institute of Oceanography, Nha Thrang, Vietnam -
14) A short walk along the waterfront from Institute of Oceanography > Vinpearl Cable Car Station / Vinpearl Reception Hall, Nha Trang.
15) Vinpearl Cable Car Station, Nha Trang, Vietnam - VinWonders Theme Park admission ticket for Senior above 60+ 710K VND = Rm111.50 = US$27.50 includes 2 way cable car rides. Due to time constraints, we opted out visiting the theme park & focussed our visits on other touristy places in & around downtown Nha Trang.
16) Vinpearl Reception Hall, Nha Trang, Vietnam - indicative room tariff for a deluxe double room in Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang (5 star) in Feb 2026 offering Rm470 (US$116 inclusive of cable car rides).
\
18) Vin Bus ride (15k = Rm2.40) from Vinpearl Reception Hall > waterfront area, Nha Thrang City Centre followed by a short walk to Smile Hotel, every 15 minutes, the green bus shuttles people from the Vinpearl Reception Hall to downtown Nha Trang along the waterfront area & vice versa, so you could easily get to the Vinpearl theme resort island via the Vinpearl cable car station.
19) Po Nagar Cham Towers / Temples, Nha Trang, Vietnam - built between the 7th & 12th centuries, these impressive Cham towers are still actively used by Cham, Chinese & Vietnamese Buddhists, located 4.5km from Nha Trang city center, there is a small museum exhibiting Cham cultural & historical artifacts, admission fee 40K VND = Rm6.30 = US$1.55), dress modestly & respectfully, wear clothes that cover your shoulders & knees, ideally long pants, shorts & mini skirts not allowed !
20) Panoramic view of Nha Trang city from the upper section of the Nha Trang Cham Towers
21) Cho Dem Market, Nha Trang, Vietnam - a 3 storey building / central market in Nha Trang, a must visit for tourists, numerous stalls selling clothing, household wares, food, snacks, dried seafood & souvenirs etc, prices here are generally lower than other retail stores in downtown Nha Trang !
22) For dinner, each of us bought a takeaway pack of glutinous (sticky) rice with shredded pork & sausages (30k VND = Rm4.70)
23) Long Son Pagoda, Nha Trang, Vietnam - my 2nd visit, having done a solo visit to the Pagoda on the preceding day !
24) Walkabout in April 2 Square & Thap Tram Tower in the late afternoon / evening after our touristy places visit in suburban Nha Trang, also visited a nearby busy street selling primarily agarwood / sandalwood / woodcraft items & red Chinese Tet lanterns & a window shopping in modern mall, Vincom Plaza Nha Trang.
Day 19 (Final Day) Thursday Feb 5 2026 (Nha Thrang, Vietnam & Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - time to say bye bye to Vietnam after 19 days of free & easy exciting visit (some places are slightly off the beaten track) thus ending my 4th visit to a vibrant & low cost travelling country identified as Vietnam in South East Asia by a travel blogger in YouTube ! I hope to make another trip to north Vietnam, this time via a border crossing from Lao Cai to southern China, so keep your dream alive, KM ! It was comforting to note that I had left behind my footprints in a number of Vietnamese cities / towns / touristy places (total 18) in my past travels to Vietnam :
- May 2007 (Hanoi, Halong Bay & Catba island)
- Jan 2014 (Ho Chih Minh, Hue, Danang & Hoi Ann)
- Feb 2023 (Hanoi, Lao Cai, Haiphong, Sapa, Tam Coc, Ninh Binh, Hue, Danang & Hoi Ann)
- Jan 2025 (Phu Quoc Island, Rach Gia, Ho Chi Minh, Cu Chi, Phan Thiet / Mui Ne, Bao Loc, Dalat, Phang Rang Thap Cham & Nha Trang)
For every travel, you leave behind a great memory ! There is always a reason to smile when you complete the journey & return home sweet home & looking forward for another travel challenge in the near future !
1) Cam Ranh International Airport, Nha Thrang, Vietnam - arriving by e-hailing Grab (280K VND = Rm44 = US$10.80) from Smile Hotel, Nha Thrang City Centre; issuing of boarding pass & luggage check-in, immigration, security screening, waiting lounge etc, Air Asia flight (Rm292.08 = US$72 inclusive of checked luggage of 20kg for twin sharing) departure from Nha Thrang 12.05 > Kuala Lumpur KLIA2 arriving 15.25 (flight time 2hr 20mins)
2) Airport shuttle bus ferrying passengers to board the Air Asia flight.
3) Arriving in my home country, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (recently upgraded & refurbished), Malaysia KLIA2 - rows & rows of oil palm tress greeting you as viewed from the air, immigration clearance, luggage collection etc.
4) The sight of two official mascots (Malaysian sun bears) for Visit Malaysia 2026 greeting you at the KLIA2 airport, designed to promote biodiversity & conservation, they are dressed in traditional batik attire to represent Malaysia' vibrant culture ! To all arriving foreign tourists, Selamat Datang (A warm Welcome) & to all fellow Malaysians, welcome home sweet home ! Enjoy your stay & holiday in Malaysia & you will soon realise Malaysia is truly Asia !
4) Luggage collection & a short walk from the main arrival wall to the Transport Hub Level 2 to board a airport shuttle bus ride (Rm11 for Senior, approx. 1hr 10 mins) to KL Sentral for a connecting Rapid KL LRT ride (Rm2.10) to SS15 LRT Station, Subang Jaya (my home place, approx. 35 mins)
\
No comments:
Post a Comment