June 5, 2023

Last evening we had another Captain’s Cocktail celebration. We had dinner with Marilyn and Charlie and although we rarely have dessert at dinner, we had these good ones last night. Norm had the Cappucino parfait and I had the 20th anniversary macaron.

One of my friends on board had this picture from Cambodia and the two young boys with their mom, the one who makes the beautiful cards.

Nha Trang is a new port for us and is our last port in Vietnam. It was a nice sail in.

Nha Trang has a beautiful bay and lovely beaches. The American soldiers came here for R & R during the Vietnam war. The bulk of foreign tourism now is Russian and signs in Russian in the main tourism area are more common than English. There are also many Chinese visitors. Gambling is also illegal here, like in Cambodia, and casinos are visited by foreign visitors. The Vietnamese also love to gamble and they visit other countries to do so legally.

The crew member on board raises the Vietnamese flag as we approach the port.

I have written about the role of the pilot as we approach different ports. We have learned that the pilot comes on board to guide the captain around any dangerous or problem places as they approach the port. The pilot is not actually sailing the ship. The only place in the world that the pilot is in charge is in the Panama Canal.

Our tour was called Life on the River. Our guide was Thang, which he said means Victory in Vietnamese language, so he said to call him Victor! Nha Trang has a population of 300,000 and has 7 km of beach. He told us that he swims there early in the morning and later in the evening. As we have heard before, the Vietnamese people cover up in the sun and you never see them at the beach during the day. It is not unusual to see people walking and on their motorbikes being completely covered with clothing and masks.

We had a 30 minute bus ride to get to the river and the boats. Victor told us about Vinpearl, a resort on the island that is their Disneyland. In Vietnam, prices are much less than in the US. In a 4 star hotel, you would pay about $50/ night and that would include breakfast. When he visited San Francisco, he was shocked by the price of a hotel room – and without breakfast.

Some of the sights we saw on the way to the river.

As we walked from the bus to the river, we saw how some of the local people live. This is a picture of the locals who are contracted to collect the trash in their neighborhoods.

The place we boarded the boat is actually a residence of the man who builds the boats and his family. This is his kitchen.

The fishing boats have lights and they group in a circle at night which is when they fish. The lights attract the fish and because the boats are in a circle, they can easily catch the fish in nets. The fishing boats all have “eyes” painted on them which they believe brings the fishermen good luck.

Vietnamese folk religion is practiced in most areas of the country. In coastal villages, there is always a temple devoted to “Mr. Whale”. They believe that whales are guardian angels that protect fishermen. Here is the whale temple in Nha Trang on the Chi river.

Our first stop was to a local village where we saw this potter making the small fireplaces made of clay. Victor said it is a dying art because no one wants to do it anymore. This man has been making them for many years. The charcoal goes in the bottom and the pots sit on top. They are still used in restaurants and some homes, including his. Here his wife is making a lemongrass and chicken dish.

Even though gambling is illegal, they do find a way. Here is one of the chickens used in the popular cock fighting.

Some other sights along the river…

We saw these women making straw mats. Victor said that this is another dying art. We bought 2 for $3 each. The women make only about $10/day once they pay for the materials.

There was a woman selling chickens. People come and pick out the live one that they want, then she cleans it and bags it for the customer who returns later to pick it up.

This wooden bridge has metal stilts on the bottom and is made with wood. Only motorbikes can cross it. The bridge is taken apart every year during flood season (October – December) and rebuilt again after the floods. It costs about 25 cents per vehicle and no charge if you walk, but walking with those motorbikes is dangerous. I went far enough to get a picture.

We tasted some cashews which is a huge crop here.

Our last stop was to the home and orchard of a farmer. They grow all types of fruit here and we had tea and tasted many of them.

We got to see inside his home. There are three doors, the middle one always leads to the in home shrine, one is for the family (the one on the left) and the other is in case the King comes!

On our way back to the ship, Victor gave us more information about Vietnam. He was an interesting and enthusiastic guide. He told us that he is 45 and people always say he looks so young. He said the Vietnamese people look young and then all of a sudden at 65 they look old! He told us some funny stories about how people mispronounce Vietnamese words. Some of them look the same but there are 6 different tones. The word “ma” for example, can mean mother, graveyard, ghost, rice seedling, but or horse! Pho, the wonderful noodle soup, if pronounced incorrectly can mean prostitute.

Pepper is a big export here, 50% of the world’s pepper comes from Vietnam. They are second in coffee production and they export 6 million tons of rice each year. 50% of Samsung phones are made in Vietnam. The tiger shrimp or prawn, considered a high end, niche product, is produced here and Vietnam is the world’s largest producer of giant tiger prawns.

It was a fun and interesting day. We will have 2 days at sea before we arrive in Manila, Philippines.