And we’re off! After two full days in this funky beach city, we’re on yet another bus headed south to Dalat. I’m excited about this next stop – seems to have some great street eats including “Dalat pizza” which we tried in Hanoi and I loved! It’s rice paper with a egg cracked and spread super thin on top and then all the traditional pizza accoutrements. I plan to have pictures for you all!

Each region seems to have its own cuisines, which makes sense since Vietnam is made up of 54 distinct ethnic groups. Most of the Vietnamese food we eat in the States — and most of the Vietnamese people — are from the south (fleeing the warring country, communism, etc.) For example, fresh spring rolls and pho aren’t found as readily (or at all) in the northern areas, like Ha Giang, where we were just a few weeks ago. Seafood has also entered the food-scene since we’ve moved south. Bun Cha is the noodle/soup dish of the north, however Da Nang (our last stop) has its own take on the dish: Bun Cha Ca. It’s base is the same. The Bun Cha we know and Thatcher and Cooper and Kody all love (vermicelli noodles, veggies, broth, two kinds of pork belly). Bun Cha Ca however, is fish instead of pork! Which I was cautiously excited about… on the one hand, I eat fish, on the other, I don’t like it very much (cooked that is… obviously sushi is a different story). Cooper and I tried it a few days ago when we were in Da Nang and it’s safe to say that was our first and last time indulging, but it was worth a shot!

I’m jumping around a bit, but Nha Trang is remarkable in a lot of ways. First of all, it looks quite a bit like Miami (very developed, on the water, people in bathing suits everywhere). It’s beautiful and warm and commercialized which I think explains the high level of tourism (more so than I think anywhere else we’ve been), but doesn’t explain why all the tourists are Russian. All. Multiple people spoke to me in Russian while we were there as if that was the default language of Nha Trang, Vietnam. We asked our tour guide about it, but the only information he gave us was that there’s a direct flight from Moscow (which just doesn’t give us the whole story). If anyone has any answers, please let your girl know!

While in Nha Trang, we stayed in a homestay / air bnb situation a bit outside the city. We rented motorbikes, but our home was particularly difficult to get to SO last night we had a picnic on the roof for dinner!! Complete with all our favorite Western(ish) finds (blue bell cheese, Pringle’s, and white wine).

Next stop: Dalat!