THE COAST LINE
Central and the coast line of Vietnam ( includes Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, Phan
Rang, My Lai, central highland...) is featured by lots of lovely beaches. With 3,260km-long
coastline, Vietnam has numerous pristine plages, of which those in the Centre are highly
recommended for their amazingly crystal water, rich of sunlight, less of river mouths, and flat
shore dotted by fishing villages; few of them have been developed as comfortable resorts
like China Beach, Nha Trang or Phan Thiet. Yet, should you turn West, you will meet an
absolute different topography near the Lao border – the fertile plateaus cultivated for
industry trees plantation and cattle farming. It's Tay Nguyen – "the Plateau in the West".
There are also lots of minority groups inhabit this area with those customs and conducts
that are very unlike their brothers in Northern Vietnam. Their festive days and exciting daily
life, the highland scenery and the sea and mountain resorts – all make a voyage to the
Centre of Vietnam so diversified and memorable.

Dai Lanh Beach
Located at around 80 km North of Nha Trang, Dai Lanh is a picturesque fishing village with
red-tile roofs. There's a high vantage point in the area known as Cap Varella, with sweeping
views. Dai Lanh Beach extends along Highway 1, at the southern end it
becomes a sand dune area that connects with the 30-km-long Hon Gom Peninsula, another
scenic area. Sheltered in here is Vung Co, one of the nicest beaches on the coast. Any bus
heading between Qui Nhon and Nha Trang will pass through there.

Cana Beach
35 km South of Phan Rang, and 123 km North of Phan Thiet lies Cana Beach, a great
stretch of white sand strewn with boulders. The water is a beautiful turquoise. Onshore, the
area has been colonized by prickly pear cacti.

Phan Thiet
Phan Thiet is an old Cham outpost of 75,000 people that supports a large fishing fleet and
is famous for "nuoc mam", or fish sauce, the traditional and most popular dipping sauce of
the Vietnamese. The special smell of fish and fish sauce permeates the downtown area as
Phan Thiet river cutting through the centre of town is packed with
boats. Phan Thiet has a beachfront a few km to the east of town, but a bigger draw is Mui
Ne Beach, 22km east of town. The road to Mui Ne travels is stunning with sand dunes
edging one side while the other is bordered by a relatively unspoiled beach, and both sides
are littered with pregnant coconut trees. The fishing village at Mui Ne is very picturesque
dotted with hundreds of multicolored boats.

Nha Trang
Established as a port town in the 1920s, Nha Trang now has a population of 280,000, and
serves as the capital of Khanh Hoa province. Fishing is the major industry. It is one of the
nicest cities in southern Vietnam, blessed with lovely beaches, 19 beautiful surrounding
islands and great ice cream! To meet the increasing number of local and foreign tourists,
different kinds of hotels and guests houses have been built along the beachfront,
intermingled with old French villas. It's pleasant to  cycling in Nha Trang and the
surroundings, since the city has wide boulevards and little traffic. On days where it is too
warm to cycle, you should take a boat out to the islands for a day of snorkeling in turquoise
water and coral reefs, have a fantastic seafood banquet for lunch, and return to town just in
time to wander down to the beach for a late afternoon beer of fruit shake. A number of
remarkable sights is in the suburb, of which we would recommend:

Po Nagar Cham Tower
On the north side of Nha Trang, across Xom Bong Bridge excited with red-blue fishing boats
are the best-preserved Cham Towers in Central Vietnam, a sanctuary of Po Nagar, a
mythical goddess. Among the 8 towers constructed between the 7th and 12th centuries,
only 4 left and they are still used as places of worship. There is a group of nuns that may
show you around with their best sign language and smiles and there is a small interesting
museum to the right of the north tower displaying photographs and ancient statues. The
hillock upon which the Cham Towers sit offers a great panorama of the surrounds and a
view over the entrance to the river with Nha Trang as a background. The entrance to the
site is at street level followed by a staircase uphill to the top. You will notice on the right of
you way up the remains of the meditation hall, which was the original entrance for Cham
worshippers. The north tower is the largest and main one situated on a higher level directly
in front of the meditation hall. The other smaller towers are only metres away from this and
all of them are facing due east. Remember to take off your shoes before entering any of the
temples.

Hon Chong Headland
Due east of the Cham Towers are fishing villages, with a lot of boats move in and out of the
surreal-looking bay by Xom Bong Bridge. A slippery fish market opens early in the morning.
West of the Cham Towers is Hai Dao Island resort, a collection 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 various (beautiful) look-outs with refreshment stalls are set around by
the local people.

Pagodas and churches
On the northwest side of Nha Trang is Long Son Pagoda, and active Buddhist temple
featuring and unusual red brass Buddha on a wooden lotus pedestal. On top of a hill
behind the pagoda is the massive 9-m high white Buddha on a lotus throne. Embedded in
the octagonal base are 7 stucco likeness of Buddhist martyr, monks, and nuns who died
protesting the repressive Ngo Dinh Diem regime in southern Vietnam during the Vietnam
War. Some of them have immolated themselves and the white Buddha was built in their
memory in 1963.On the other side of the tracks, east of the railway station is Nha Trang
Cathedral, complete with 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 French man
in Vietnam. Being a Renaissance man, Yersin was not only famous for the pioneering
medical research but was an explorer, botanist, biologist, and entomologist, and also
interested in photography and astronomy. He explored the Da Lat area and recommended
sitting 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. Within the Nha Trang
institute, 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, the 1st established outside Paris. Indochinese
Pasteur Institutes later appeared in Hanoi and Da Lat, and microbiology labs opened in
Hue, Vientiane and Phnompenh.  

Further south - Phan Rang and Thap Cham
Phan Rang is actually a twin town, that is known as Phan Rang and Thap Cham. It is a small
town on the coast with its main attraction being the Cham history and towers in the
surrounding area. The Cham Empire thrived around Phan Rang from around the 8th
century until it fell in the 17th century. The Phan Rang region is very dry, as it manages to
avoid the summer and winter monsoons, and receives and average rainfall of only 60cm per
year. The immediate area around Phan Rang is very beautiful and is spotted with grape
gardens, and the best dragon fruit in Vietnam is meant to be grown in this area. Phan Rang
marks the intersection of Highway 1 and the best road to Dalat from the coast.

Pklong Garai Cham Tower
The main attraction in Phan Rang is a small group of Cham towers which sit by the roadside
7 km towards Dalat. These towers were built in the early 14 century as Hindu temples during
the Cham Empire and they are beautifully preserved. The towers were
named after the King who invented a system of irrigation used in local villages. As the
tourist buses from Nha Trang to Dalat pass through Phan Rang, the Cham towers are seen
as a convenient place to break the journey. The result is that the towers are
periodically swarmed by travelers heading north and south. You can enter the largest
temple, in the center of which there is an ancient linga (phallic symbol) with a human face
painted on it. The other towers still retain their shape and some of the carved details are
clearly visible.

My Lai
One of the war vestiges left after the Vietnam War. The destruction of an entire village by
Lieutenant Calley’s men is probably the best documented military atrocity on record. The
massacre occurred on 16 April 1968, and 504 women, old men, children and babies were
mindlessly slaughtered by Company C with almost no resistance. There is a museum here,
with photos depicting the series of events on this horrific day. The atrocities occurred over
different sites within a two or three square kilometers area. Walking among the fields, you
occasionally come across a memorial plaque indicating the number of people that died on
that spot. Lieutenant Calley was later court martialled and sentenced to life, but only served
three of those years. Following the US Supreme Court’s refusal to hear his case, Calley was
paroled. My Lai is about 15 km North of Quang Ngai.

Hill tribe villages
If you have some spare time it is worthwhile visiting the hill tribes. To get to the villages, take
the road heading to Dalat and the Cham Towers. Before you reach the Cham Towers there
is a gas station on the right hand side, turn right onto the dirt road before the gas station.
The private road leads to different villages. The irrigation system used by the hill tribe
people is interesting and can be seen when you explore the area




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