After arriving yesterday, we had a slow day just wandering around to get the feel of the place. As we meandered, we notice many signs written in Russian. Sonya thought that the place was very quiet, almost too quiet, and she surmised that it was because the Russian financial situation had significantly impacted the local tourist trade. A chat about this with our guide this morning confirmed this to be the case. He said that the Russian tourist trade was so significant that there were direct flights to Nha Trang from Russia.
Prior to starting our tour today, we got up early enought to witness the sunrise. John Buys, you would have liked it because we did not have to get up at 3 am to drive up hill on a goat path to see it, and you didn't need a hat and scarf to stay warm, as at Haleakala in Hawaii. Oh, that's right, Diane didn't give you a hat or scarf, did she!! Anyway, it was a lovely sunrise as seen from our hotel room balcony over a local island that is sometimes mistakenly called Bamboo Island.
After breakfast, we had a city tour to take in the local highlights.
As a quick aside, when asked to define the Vietnamese culture in three words, one of our prior tour guides used the words, "respect, trust and humanity". Based on our experience so far, these are well chosen words.
Our tour guide today did a really good job of adding to this by explaining some of the very complex Vietnamese traditions. Over the centuries, Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism have become simplified, intertwined and Vietnamized to constitute a core religion that is shared to some extent by all Vietnamese. This religion is sometimes referred to as Tam Giao (triple religion). There seems to be no contradiction in practising a bit of each. Even church going Christians practice ancestor worship at home.
Plus the Vietnamese believe that there good days and bad days. Fortune tellers / astrologers are always consulted to determine when to move house, apply for a job or get married: In each case the fortune tellers decision is final and instructions are closely followed.
In this area, there is a minority group called the Cham people, that add some Hinduism to this mix, worhsipping Shiva, Brahma, and Ganesh, along with a few of their own Cham deities such as Po Nagar. We visited the Po Nagar temple, that was originally built between the 7th and 12th centuries.
The Po Nagar Cham Tower is dedicated to the Cham goddess Po Yan Inu Nagar - the holy mother of the Champa Kingdom.
After that we were off to the principal Buddhist temple for this area, the Long Son Pagoda. The 19 meter statue sits atop a hill overlookng the city. It was built in 1963 to comemorate the Buddhist struggle against the South Vietnamese regime. You may recall the most famous monk, Thich Quang Duc, who made international headlines when he killed himself by setting himself on fire in 1963. Around the base of the statue, there is a picture of him and 6 other monks who also died in 1963 in the same manner.
And you thought that it was confusing to try and understand all the different aspects of Christianity in North America!
Next to the Nha Trang Cathedral.
Built in a Gothic style between 1928 and 1934, this Catholic cathedral is one of the city’s defining landmarks. Its beautiful stained-glass windows depict Jesus, Mary and a variety of saints.
The inside of the structure is a smaller version of the Basiica in Edmonton.
Lastly, we were off to the Dam Market for a look at the local market.
Then back to the hotel for a long awaited leisurely afternoon at the beach. Of course, it would not be complete without having a refreshment - in this case it is the (incredibly delicious) Vietnamese Coffee, which I must learn how to make when I return to Canada! A little known fact is that Vietnam is the world's second largest exporter of coffee after Brazil!
Goodbye from the beautiful beaches of Nha Trang. See you in Saigon!
Paul & Sonya
