Vietnam forum

Posted from within Vietnam.

It looks like there is a train leaving Saigon at 5:30am and arriving here in Nha Trang (where I happen to be at the moment) at 12:48pm.

This site is amazing for train info:
http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm

One problem could be the possibility of the kind of seat or berth you want being sold out. June is in the rainy season so maybe things will be open, but as of now it seems like every soft sleeper berth is sold out at least a day or two in advance. I believe you can buy a train ticket from abroad, but it gets more expensive and might be kind of a pain.

There's a Vietnam Airlines flight every morning at 6am and if you buy in advance it's only 650,000 dong, which is under US$40 so that seems like the thing to do, especially if you might already be in a daze after a long flight to Saigon.

Posted from within Vietnam.

Yes, this message board is great for people helping each other and such. This is my first time in Vietnam and it's been a huge help to me.

I'm working while I travel and staying a long time in each place so I'm now purposely staying outside the main tourist zone, at least by a bit. If I were only here a couple days I would definitely recommend the backpacker district, which is easy to see on the Travelfish map of Nha Trang. That area that you see on the map that's dense with hotels is pretty compact and quite nice. Just read those expert reviews and pick a place and I think you'll do well here. It's a short enough walk to the lovely beach from any of them.

Posted from within Vietnam.

It depends on where else you're going in Vietnam but in only two days I'd probably just focus on some beach / relaxing time. There are some cultural spots around town but there's plenty of those in Vietnam and if Nha Trang's your only beachtime, maybe make the most of it. I was there last month and had a surprisingly good time on a boat trip - it was a bit ordered i.e. go here, get off there etc., which is not my style, but it was well organised, the staff were fab and it was overall really funny. I can dig out the details if you're interested.

Posted from within Vietnam.

Sounds like you're packing a lot in as it is, so a day on a boat trip is probably not going to work. But depends how you like to spend your time! I won't recommend the boat trip I did as it really was a full day and, given your limited time may not be the best use of your day - but if you want to do some snorkelling you could probably find a 1/2 day trip once you're in Nha Trang. But really - your call.