Nha Trang Countryside

From your starting point, you will be first brought to the Cham Ponagar Temple Complex. This is located on a hill just outside the city and it is also known as Thap Ba. Originally it consisted of eight towers, and though only four remain, their varied styles indicate the different building periods between the seventh and the 12th centuries. The largest is 75 ft tall and was built in AD 817, and supposedly taught the local people weaving and agricultural methods. The other towers are dedicated to gods representing different crafts and needs.

From here you will be guided on a short walk through a tiny alley to a boat docking station. There is nothing more relaxing or informative than a quiet coastal ride past the peaceful scenes of sleepy villages that are nestled under coconut shade. Children in school uniforms walking across a wooden bridge makes for a wonderful photograph. The scenery is very informative as will be your guide, ready to address any questions.

After a 45-minute ride, you will pay a visit to a village market. To understand the market culture of the Vietnamese people, you can chat with the villagers to see how they have preserved this tradition for generations.

A short ride from this village is another stop to an ancient house for a meditative stop over a traditional cup of tea and seasonal fruit. Following this, see a family who still makes sedge mats, a craft which has just about fallen into oblivion save for people like this. Only the elderly keep these traditional methods going and yet the products they make are still in use.

This overview will definitely put a new spin on what might have been an uninspiring day.