We left Hue and the Forbidden Purple City yesterday to  arrive in Nha Trang.  This city is known as Thành Phố Biển (Beach City) by the Vietnamese locals.  It’s a city in Central Vietnam known for its white sandy beaches, dotted islands nearby, and of course, fresh seafood.

Before it is known as Beach City, it was swampy land that belonged to the Kingdom of Champa, an ancient civilization dated back in the 7th century.  It was annexed and conquered by the VietNamese second emperor (Emperor Minh Mang) in 1832.  There are still remnants of this former kingdom around this area of Vietnam and Cambodia.

We checked into our hotel (pic above is a view from our hotel) and did a quick tour of the Po Nagar Tower (one of the historic Cham’s towers still standing), and Long Son Temple where we climbed 150 steps to view the awestruck giant lying Buddha and the sitting Buddha at the top of the mountain; we also visited the Stone Cathedral.  It’s a good contrast between the Eastern and Western cultures.

We ended the tour with a relaxing cyclo ride going down Trần Phú Boulevard quietly taking in the bustling city life of Nha Trang.  What tour would be completed without a little shopping here and there?  We stopped by the nearby night market to get some souvenirs.  Crossing items off my gift list one by one.