A morning struggle at the crosswalk, followed by a beach swim, Lotte Mart shopping, cơm tấm lunch, and an oil massage.
June 7, 2024
Morning at the Beach
My friend had a remote meeting starting at 7:00 a.m., so I headed to the beach alone to avoid getting in the way. The beach is right in front of our hotel, Citadines (see on map). To get there, though, I had to cross the main road.
There is a crosswalk, but there’s no traffic signal. And here in Nha Trang—maybe in Vietnam in general—drivers don’t yield to pedestrians at all. I’m not sure what the law says, but one thing is certain: pedestrians are not prioritized.
Even though it was only 7 a.m., cars were flying past nonstop. A couple I know who lives in Nha Trang once told me that the local rule is simple: cars come first, then private vehicles, then motorbikes, and pedestrians are dead last. You can’t approach the road with Japan’s expectations.
When I finally got to the beach, it was already lively. Local families were finishing their early-morning swims and heading home.
After taking a quick swim myself, I tried to return to the hotel—but traffic had become even heavier. Without signals, I just stood there praying for a break in the flow. That’s all I could do in a foreign country: pray and wait.
As I stood there helplessly, a line from Namie Amuro’s song echoed in my mind:
“I never knew what the word eternity even meant.”
Watching the stream of cars, I wondered, “Maybe people feel ‘eternity’ when the world around them moves fast, yet they alone can’t take a step forward.”
I don’t know how long I waited.
A Family Saves Me From ‘Eternity’
Finally, a family came up from the beach and approached the crosswalk. A boy around ten calmly raised his hand, signaling the speeding cars to slow down. His younger sister copied him, standing tall and confident, and the three of them started crossing. I quickly followed behind.
I was saved. Thank goodness.
Hotel Breakfast
Before heading back to the room, I swam a bit in the pool. By the time I finished, my friend’s meeting was over, so we went to the breakfast buffet together.
Breakfast was fantastic—noodles, an egg station, cheeses, pastries, and even Chinese and Korean options. I love dragon fruit, so I ate plenty.
A Visit to Lotte Mart
After breakfast, we walked along the beach toward Lotte Mart (see on map). It’s a clean and spacious supermarket, great for souvenirs. There’s a small food court as well.
On the way back to the hotel, the bougainvillea trellis looked beautiful against the blue sky. Nha Trang is incredibly hot, so we stopped at GION Café (see on map). We ordered a cheese cream coffee and a cold brew, which came to 175,000 VND.
Lunch: Cơm Tấm
We met up with the couple who has been helping us since yesterday, plus another local friend, and all went to eat cơm tấm (see on map).
After lunch, we had tea at a café, strolled along the beach, and climbed a seaside monument (see on map).
An Oil Massage and Evening Dinner
After that, everyone else headed to a high-end spa, but I decided a neighborhood massage shop would be enough. I went to Celine Spa (see on map) near our hotel and got a one-hour oil massage for 350,000 VND.
Nha Trang has many Korean tourists. Whether walking on the street or entering a restaurant, people almost always speak to me in Korean first. Maybe because there are no direct flights from Japan, I’ve barely encountered any Japanese visitors.
In the evening, we met up again and had dinner at a seafood restaurant (see on map) right in front of the Citadines hotel. You choose from the live tanks and tell the staff how you want each item cooked. Everything was delicious.
