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Notes on Nha Trang – pandemic edition

January 6, 2021 By James Clark 4 Comments

Notes on Nha Trang - pandemic edition

In the plague year that was 2020, I was fortunate to have spent most of the year in Vietnam, where the virus has so far been contained. I’ve been making the most of my time here by travelling around the country.  During my travels, I’ve seen how hard the pandemic has hit tourism destinations that have depended on international tourism. Ninh Binh and Sapa are two places that come to mind, and the effects of the border shutdown can clearly be seen in Nha Trang.

While the travel side of my business is out of action, I have been spending more time on future travel projects by working on Living In Asia. I visited Nha Trang to see what hotel construction projects were still going. At this point, it’s a futile exercise to try and update any travel guides when so many places are closed.

My preferred way to travel to Nha Trang is by train, but in this case, I got a flight. The flight path from Saigon takes you over the city before descending on Cam Ranh airport to the south. If you are sitting by an A-window you can see how big Nha Trang has grown over the last few years. It’s an impressive skyline, but I knew the reality on the ground would be different.

Flying over Nha Trang

Nha Trang has traditionally been a popular destination for Russian tourists, which is evident when you see all the shops with Cyrillic script on Hung Vuong Street.

Russian massage

In the last few years, China became the largest inbound market. As I reported on my Nha Trang trip report in 2019, there were flights from 28 destinations in China to Cam Ranh (the airport of Nha Trang).

Now of course there are no international flights, and this has taken a heavy toll on the tourism industry of the city. There are countless closed-down travel shops and restaurants that cater to tourists. It was depressing to walk around at night to find so many places closed down.

Quiet Nha Trang

I remember these streets to be buzzing with activity just over a year ago. There is no way to know if these shops have temporarily closed down or have gone out of business for good. Maybe your favourite bar you dreamed of revisiting is never coming back.

Yen Yen Nail Spa

A common site at hotels that have closed is the barricaded front doors with chains and sandbags. It looks like something out of a zombie apocalypse movie.

Regalia Gold

More disturbing are the new hotel and apartment towers that stand empty. These are especially ghostly at night when not a single light is on.

Empty Vinpearl

There are still hotels being built, which I posted on my Nha Trang construction report.

Step outside the tourism area on the beach and at least life goes on in the local economy.  Nha Trang has a population of around half a million people, and if you visit the markets and restaurants you wouldn’t know there was a pandemic raging around the world.

Old Nha Trang

In normal times, the beach would be busy with tourists lounging or swimming. Now the beach chairs are empty, and the accompanying vendors are gone.

Enpty beach chairs

Locals though use the beach at sunrise and sunset. I was staying by the beach, and one morning I woke up at 4 am and I knew I wasn’t getting back to sleep. I figured I would go to the beach for sunrise (5.30 am here) and get the beach to myself. The beach was already busy at 5 am.

Sunrise on beach

I know of some nomads who have moved to Nha Trang, but so far it hasn’t taken off as a nomad hub the way Danang has. My favourite place to work here is at the Sailing Club on the beach.

Work at Sailing Club

I will be checking up on Nha Trang when the travel world gets restarted. Will there be empty hotels for years, or will it recover swiftly. As we keep getting told, we are in unprecedented times, so I will not hazard a prediction.

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: nha trang, vietnam

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

Comments

  1. David says

    January 8, 2021 at 6:43 pm

    What about the real estate prices have they dropped and rents?

    Reply
  2. Ruma Dey Baidya says

    January 16, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    Seeing the busy streets & beach go empty is haunting. Your journey to Nha Trang shows us the repercussions of the pandemic on the tourism industry. Nonetheless, you had surely found a safe place to travel. Your own description of this place & your stay adds more value to this blog.

    Reply
  3. ANUKRATI DOSI says

    January 22, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    That hotel indeed looks haunted.
    It is so good that you found a safe place to stay there.

    Reply
  4. Ask The Dutch Guy says

    January 27, 2021 at 5:55 am

    I agree that the pandemic really affects tourism destinations. Many businesses/stores were closed. It’s great that you still had the chance to travel despite this pandemic.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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