I can think of very few countries that inspire as passionately varied reactions from travelers as Vietnam does. Its fans wax poetic about the breathtaking landscape, the intriguing culture and the resilient population. Its detractors spew bitterly about the traffic, the crime, and most of all: the unfriendly people. I’m fascinated by this. What is it…

After our amazing dives in underrated Cambodia, we were pretty excited to check out the similarly reviewed scuba spot of Nha Trang, Vietnam. Granted, Vietnam is well and firmly on the diving scene, mostly due to its rock-bottom certification prices. But it’s certainly not making any “Top Ten Dive Spots”  list and experienced divers tend to…

Nha Trang, for us, was turning out to be a vacation from travel. Everything we did was silly giddy fun, and this day was no exception. We were heading to Vinpearl Land, an island resort with rides, a water park, arcade games and an aquarium-and we could not have been more excited. After all, it is…

Do you ever want to just… play with mud? The idea was planted in my head when I started seeing photos in travel agencies around town of people covered in gooey mud. They were customers of Thap Ba Hot Springs in Nha Trang, a brilliant incarnation of the cheap South East Asian spa treatment. I was…

Cancun, Ibiza, Myrtle Beach… They all have something in common. When you visit those places, you can do absolutely nothing but relax and party and no one will judge you for a second because that’s what you went there to do. But when you go to a place like Vietnam, you are kind of saddled with…

The moment we stepped off the overnight but from Saigon, I felt lighter. The city had weighed on me, leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth and smog in my lungs. But Nha Trang makes an excellent first impression: warm ocean air, shining sun, and a friendly tourist vibe. I was ready for a…