Vietnam - first sights

Adding a New Country to our Map - Vietnam

That's right, we're in Vietnam. After leaving Singapore and 3 days at sea, our first stop was Nha Trang. We had plenty of work to do and no particular plans, but we were anchored there for 4 days so we had to get off once! We took the offer of a car and driver at the pier and saw the top sights. I learned that my Wise card cannot be used in ATMs in Vietnam 😡 The tourist sights we're interesting. I liked the beach the best. The waterfront had a district Fort Lauderdale feel to it.

   

The Golden bridge in Da Nang 

It should be called the handheld bridge. I've seen many photos of this otherworldly bridge and I really wanted my own. When we docked at Chan May I set to work figuring out how to get there. As it turns out, the bridge is not an isolated attraction. It is part of a multiple square mile resort and entertainment complex by Sun World - think 'Disney.' Introduction to Sun World Ba Na Hills https://sunworld.vn/vi/banahills/gioi-thieu

It was an hour drive from the port, then a half hour cable car ride up the hillside. We had perfect weather for it, partly cloudy. The cable car travels up so high that it actually was cool at the top. The high elevation (nearly 5,000 feet) creates a cool, temperate microclimate that sharply contrasts with the coastal heat of Da Nang below. Riding on the cable car, you feel the difference every few minutes, getting cooler as you go up and warmer, more humid, as you go down. 

The bridge did not disappoint. What a sight! 

Just as impressive was the view of the surrounding hills. Unspoiled green hills/mountains as far as the eye could see leading down to the ocean in the distance. 

Then, the amusement park with a French flavor because it was the French that first populated these hills. A building that felt like Versailles. A small pointed dome that evoked the Louvre. And lots of statues. Jim made a video of the day: (https://youtu.be/bEf3bhPntgc?list=TLGG6RlFnwERm20wNjA5MjAyNg)

We went with 3 of our shipmates and had a great time. Even the car ride was fun. I have a little lesson on Google maps. They wanted to understand the"North up" setting and concept as well as the directional blue "headlight". (see Geek's video 350)

Vietnam surprised me!