A Land of Contrasts

Hmmmm, what can I say about Nha Trang? It is a city of contrasts: in front of the Novotel, a street vendor sells corn on the cob and sweet potatoes baked on a wood fired brazier; in the budget hotel quarter, where a decent room is under $10 USD per night, meals are 3x the price as elsewhere in the city; running alongside the azure South China Sea, the main road of Tran Phu buzzes with motorbikes, taxis and trucks, horns blaring. A wrinkled old man in pale yellow cotton pajamas and a pink motorbike helmet shuffles down the street. Curiously, no one goes into the sea. I have gathered that this is the off-season (it is winter after all), and the legendary hordes of Vietnamese tourists won’t materialize for another couple months when the scorching heat of summer (the last hot, dry blast before the monsoon) finally arrives. I myself have only dunked my feet in the ocean, being put off by the choppy waters and pounding shorebreak.

I had a quick look at the Po Nagar Cham towers – a temple complex built by the Cham people between the seventh and twelfth centuries. Simply put, the Cham people occupied much of what is now central Vietnam, the north being occupied by the Chinese (for over 1,000 years), and the south belonging to the Khmer empire. The Cham people were of Indian heritage and brought Hinduism with them, as they did in Cambodia. You can see the similarities in the temples.
I had first tried to get to the towers by bicycle, but got lost in the maze of streets around the city center and ended up terrified as I pedaled around, trying not to get run over. I don’t think I can adequately describe the way people drive here in Vietnam. I think it is best summed up as a free-for-all: just try to avoid anything in front of you, but don’t bother looking out for anything behind you (this includes when pulling onto a busy street, or turning abruptly in front of someone). Go in any direction you want; stop for a traffic light if you feel like it. I have taken to riding in taxis – not the most economical mode of transport, but the easiest on my nerves.

I am staying in Nha Trang through Tet (January 26), in the hope of seeing a traditional celebration. There seems to be a lot of preparation, with thousands of meter-high pots of yellow chrysanthemums gracing the streets, public buildings and hotel entrances. But the most important aspect of the beginning of the new year (as relayed to me by a local), is the opportunity for new beginnings; a new round of luck is dealt. People clean their houses and their clothes and make special foods. It is thought that the first person you see (or who comes into your house) in the new year will determine your luck – a happy person means good luck, a sad or unhappy person brings with them bad luck for the year.