August 23, 2026
Nha Trang was our first port in
Vietnam, back on the 12th of August. My first impression, was
OMG it's
HOT here! I have been saying that a lot in Southeast Asia, but it was over 100 degrees that first afternoon.
NhaTrang does not get many cruise ship visitors, because they have no docking facilites, we had to tender into a resort marina, about 15km, North of the City. It is however, a popular beach town, and was bustling with tons of Russian visitors. The beaches and cheap prices are probably the biggest appeal, besides the fact that
Vietnam is also a communist country. There are flags and communist markings all around.
Above is one of the most iconic buildings we saw in Nha Trang along the beachfront- it's called the Thap Tram Huong which translate to Agarwood Tower but it's nothing special. The businesses inside are closed most of the time. The locals say it is meant to reassemble a lotus flower. Below is some more of the local scenery. We just went into town briefly, to a mall to pick up some supplies and cash. We tried walking around to see more but it was too stinking hot!
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Vietnam does not allow Starlink Internet, which is one of the reasons I am so behind on my blog post, plus being super busy.
We just had 5 days in the Port of Laem Chabang , Thailand. When we were here in mid-July, we spent that time exploring Bangkok, which is about a 2 hour drive NW of Port. This time we went to explore Pattaya which is south of Port on coast just about 45 minutes drive. Our fellow shipmate, party planner Eddie put together a fun Friday night touring the Pattaya walking street drag shows. He even recommended a hotel he had stayed at before that was right in the same area and a great location for the beach, bars and restaurants. All we had to do was book a room, show up & have fun!
WOW!! I can't believe it has been two years of sailing around the World already for me and my fellow shipmates on the Villa Vie Odyssey! We left Belfast, Ireland back on September 30, 2024 and it has been such a great adventure to date! We have been to 201 different ports, some more than once, during those two years, with much more to come!
Before coming to Cambodia , I sadly have to admit I was unaware of the landmine problems they face. On our first night in Siem Reap, where we hiked up the hill to try and see the sunset views, there was a small band of men playing instruments and our tuk tuk driver explained to me they were victims of landmine explosions who had lost limbs or their sight and were trying to make money via donations to support their families.