The other day, a suddenly postponed meeting meant a free morning! I left my boss to his own devices and quickly googled to see what I could do with this 5 glorious hours! Well, I could move my butt and check out Paradise Golf Club (it's a 72 par!) which the friends raved about. But I'm not that into golf. This free time could be spent on a better route. I gleefully scuttled around the city alone and saw many more sights than originally planned on this work trip. (Whale skeleton! I can't get over it!)
Vũng Tàu is still relatively quiet and peaceful despite it being a really rich province due to its possession of crude oil and the lucrative refining industry. The boulevards adjacent to the sea are beautifully paved. The city is clean. The motorbikes are plentiful but not yet a menace like in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. No touts (yet). One gets lots of local hospitality. The cafes and eateries that dot the city have free wifi easily available. There're more major resorts and developments coming up, including a little airport for them. I'm not sure if the city would be turned into those eeky seaside touristy towns like others destinations in Southeast Asia.
Too bad I've no time to visit Con Dao Islands. I want to visit the Con Dao Musuem, Trai Phu Hai Prisons that were built in 1862, and see the famous tomb of Vo Thi Sau- the national heroine and a Viet Minh revolutionary against the French. I've spent too much time in Nha Trang and forgot to explore the other parts of Vietnam. Con Dao Islands' National Park is very inviting. I'm going to make time to come back here for a vacation. There're plenty of marine protection programmes that I could gatecrash and work on, which would so make it a great vacation.
Before the natural local beauty dissolves, I hope to come back soon, to dive. :D
3 comments:
such tranquility.
i long to stay in an area that's quite untouched, but my friend says i cannot survive, from lack of amenities. they have a point.
Very interesting info. All I know of Vietnam as a holiday destination is HCM, Hanoi and Halong bay! In fact I was planning to book a year end trip to the latter two but now have decided on a local island destination.
tuti: totally.
jomel: vietnam has PLENTY to offer!! Hanoi and HCMC are a bit frazzling if u ask me. WOOHOO. island destinations in your country are beautiful!
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